Davin, Nicholas Flood (1843–1901), journalist, writer, and politician, was born 13 January 1843 in Kilfinane, Co. Limerick, the only son of Nicholas Davin, doctor, and Eliza Davin (née Lane). Although he later constructed a past that seems at odds with the truth, it appears that he was raised, after the premature death of his father, by his uncle James Flood Davin, a protestant apothecary, and was apprenticed (aged 18) to an ironmonger. After some time, he was permitted to attend QCC, staying for one term before travelling to England, where he attended London University. He was called to the bar (1868) and kept chambers in the Middle Temple, practising occasionally, but relying on journalism for his income. He edited the Monthly Journal, and was parliamentary reporter for the Star. He travelled to report on the Franco–German war for the London Standard and the Irish Times. In 1872 he returned to Ireland to edit a new evening newspaper, the Belfast Times, but was dismissed after five months amid lawsuits and allegations of drunkeness.
He reached Canada in July 1872 and was employed by the Toronto Globe as literary critic, remaining till 1875, when he worked as a freelance, writing often for the Toronto Mail. He was called to the Ontario bar (1876) but, again, practised infrequently, as his reputation as a poet, playwright, and author blossomed. He initially came to prominence for a speech in Toronto which excoriated republican materialism and extolled the virtues of an orderly society presided over by a respected representative of the sovereign; it was later published as British versus American civilization (1873). Other published speeches include Culture and practical power (1889). His major work The Irishman in Canada (1877) traced the history of Irish involvement in the development of Canada, concentrating largely on prominent individuals rather than broad historical trends. He reiterated his belief, often repeated, that divisions between catholics and protestants were rendered irrelevant by their new surroundings, and appealed across the religious divide in favour of a general Irish national sentiment. He also wrote a hagiography of Disraeli, The earl of Beaconsfield (1876), and political satire, The fair grit (1876). His drama and poetry include Eos – a prairie dream (1884) and Eos: an epic of the dawn (1889).
A co-founder (1876) of the Toronto Young Men's Liberal–Conservative Association, he enjoyed a political career that promised far more than was achieved. A magnificent orator with a keen mind, he skirted the corridors of power without ever achieving high office. He stood in the 1878 general election but failed narrowly to win a seat. He then moved to the north-west and took a position as secretary of the royal commission on the Canadian Pacific Railway. At Regina he founded the Leader, the first paper in Assiniboia, in March 1883; it quickly won a wide circulation. He sold it in 1895, later establishing the West (April 1899), which did not prove as successful. In 1887 he was elected to represent West Assiniboia as a Liberal–Conservative member in the house of commons, backed by a popular vote based on personal loyalties and patronage. He never attained the cabinet position that he craved and his contributions to parliament were marked more by style than substance. His brilliance was tempered by a capacity for erratic behaviour that left him viewed as a potential risk. He was narrowly defeated in the 1900 election, as his stereotypically Irish blend of romantic charisma and sentimental rhetoric, fuelled by hard drinking, was unable to adapt to the changing environment of his expanding constituency. Repeated attempts to conquer lifelong alcoholism were unsuccessful; and increasingly frequent drinking sprees, as the various strands of his life frayed into despair, dulled both his oratory and the intellect that drove it. He committed suicide 19 October 1901 in Winnipeg, and was buried in Beechwood cemetery,Ottawa.
A relationship (1886–95) with a divorcee, Katherine E. Simpson Hayes, produced a son and daughter. He married (1895) Eliza Jane Reid, of Ottawa, Canada; they had no children.