Who was Daniel OConnell Daniel OConnell was born

Who was Daniel O’Connell? Daniel O’Connell was born in County Kerry in 1775. He was the eldest of ten children and he and his brother were adopted by his rich uncle. O’Connell did well in his studies and in 1790, his uncle sent him and his brother to study in France. In France, he witnessed the French Revolution and this experience made him hate violence.

Daniel O’Connell’s Beliefs Daniel O’Connell became a barrister in Dublin, becoming very well known and successful. In 1798, there was an extremely bloody and brutal rising and this confirmed O’Connell’s hatred of violence. Throughout the 1700 s, Catholics were subjected to harsh penal laws, which affected Catholic’s civil rights in Ireland. O’Connell agreed with the United Irishmen’s call for reform and for Catholic emancipation, but he disagreed with their use of violence.

The Duel In 1815, O’Connell criticised the Dublin corporation. One member of the Dublin corporation – D’Esterre – challenged O’Connell to a duel. In this duel, D’Esterre was killed and O’Connell vowed to never fight again. O’Connell paid an allowance to D’Esterre’s daughter until he died and often wore a glove or handkerchief around the hand that fired the short while in church or passing D’Esterre’s widow.

The Act of Union While the Act of Union (uniting the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) was being passed in 1800, hopes of Catholic emancipation had been raised. O’Connell founded the Catholic Association in 1823. The organisation aimed to use legal means to secure emancipation. It had the support of the Catholic clergy. The association cost one penny to join, therefore it had a huge following.

The Clare Election In 1828, an election took place in Clare. O’Connell had a massive victory against the government’s candidate. O’Connell had the support of the Catholic clergy, whom had a huge influence and power over the poor and uneducated people in Ireland. The election took place in Ennis at the old courthouse. Today, a statue of O’Connell stands there. Photo courtesy of Hank(@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution

Catholic Emancipation O’Connell stopped working as a lawyer in order to spend all of his time politics. The British Government was very worried that a rising would occur and granted Catholic emancipation in April 1829. In February 1830, O’Connell became the first Catholic to sit in the House of Commons (The lower House of Parliament in the United Kingdom). Catholic emancipation was the first step. O’Connell felt that once there were Catholic members of parliament in the House of Commons, they could use their influence for Home Rule.

What was Catholic Emancipation? Catholic emancipation allowed the Catholics to become members of parliament in The English Government. Catholic emancipation also allowed Catholics to hold important jobs.

The Repeal Movement O’Connell then concentrated on winning a repeal (cancelling) of the Act of Union and getting an Irish parliament for Irish people (Home Rule).

Monster Meetings In 1841, O’Connell was elected Lord Mayor of Dublin. He began to organise enormous “Monster Meetings” throughout the country. Daniel O’Connell became known as ‘The Liberator’. Three quarters of a million people gathered on the hill of Tara to hear O’Connell speak. The government were very concerned at the strength of the Repeal Movement and banned a meeting which O’Connell had planned. Photo courtesy of ntalka(@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution

The End of O’Connell’s Career O’Connell was charged with conspiracy, arrested and sentenced to a year in jail and a fine of £ 2, 000. He was released after three months. O’Connell continued campaigning for repeal but the same strategy that had won emancipation had failed in repealing the Act of Union. O’Connell was now elderly and his health was failing. There was also blight in the potato crop in the 1840 s, just before the Great Famine of 1845 -1847.

The End of O’Connell’s Career O’Connell knew that he had failed in his goal to repeal the Act of Union. He left Ireland for the last time in 1846 and made a speech in the House of Commons appealing for aid for Ireland in the famine. O’Connell died on the 15 th May, 1847 and was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery. Photo courtesy of Jonas Voss(@flickr. com) - granted under creative commons licence – attribution

Daniel O’Connell’s Achievements Daniel O’Connell tried to liberate the Irish by taking one step at a time within the system. O’Connell’s ultimate aim was Home Rule. Although he did not achieve this goal, Catholic emancipation was a historic moment for Irish liberation. Daniel O’Connell was very keen that no blood should be shed for Irish Home Rule. All of his progress was achieved using political means, without violence.