POLITICS can be a tricky game and getting overly involved can be bad for business, as one pharmacist and activist, Matthew McDonald, discovered the hard way.
Belfast native McDonald opened a pharmacy in the heart of the industrial city in 1905, enjoying initial success, and became increasingly involved in professional and civil politics, being elected as the President of the Northern Ireland Pharmacy Association in 1923.
However, his political leanings beyond the dispensary were pinpointed as the cause of his demise in a new podcast from the BBC called The Pharmacist.
His desire for Ireland to break free of the controls of Westminster brought him to the attention of militant Unionists, who attacked his store - which wasn't good for business - and by 1925 he was declared bankrupt.
Penniless, the pharmacist emigrated to Australia with his young family, where he was able to secure a job as a dispensing assistant.
However, the job did not last long, as "an alcohol problem" led to him being dismissed.
CLICK HERE to listen to the podcast.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 17 Aug 21
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