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Daniel O'Connell

Engraving of Daniel O'Connell as a young barrister, Dublin Magazine, March 1813.
See other version and other version.
Images courtesy of Cork Multitext Project, UCC (formerly here). Used with permission.

Daniel O'Connell,
"The Liberator", born 6 Aug 1775.
See wikipedia and wikitree.
The leader of Catholic Ireland in the first half of the 19th century. The father of the modern nation of Ireland. An opponent of violent revolution, and a global example of peaceful political change. Probably the most uncontroversially admired figure in Irish history.
Lived at (his ancestral home) Derrynane House, near Waterville, end of Iveragh peninsula, SW Co.Kerry.
He was a barrister.
He mar 1802 to Mary O'Connell [descendant of Edward III].
He defended Rowan Cashel in 1816.
Elected MP for Co.Clare in by-election 1828. Disbarred from taking his seat because Catholic.
He achieved Catholic Emancipation for Ireland in 1829 (under the government of the Duke of Wellington).
MP for Co.Clare 1828-1830.
He helped found Glasnevin Cemetery in 1832.
Mary died 31 October 1836.
She was bur at Derrynane Abbey, Abbey Island, near Derrynane House, Co.Kerry. See map. See findagrave. See 360 view of her grave.
He campaigned for Repeal of the Act of Union.
Lord Mayor of Dublin 1841. (He was the first Catholic Lord Mayor since the reign of James II.)
He went on a pilgrimage to Rome and died on the trip in Italy, 15 May 1847, age 71 yrs.
He was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery, in probably the most spectacular grave in Ireland - a full-size round tower. See findagrave.
He and Mary had issue:

1. Maurice O'Connell, MP,
   born 27 June 1803.

   
   

2. Ellen O'Connell,
   eldest dau, born 1805.
   See wikitree.
   Would be after grandmother.
   She mar 1825 to Christopher FitzSimon [of Glancullen, Kiltiernan, Co.Dublin] and had issue.
   He died 1856.
   She died 1883.

   
   

3. John O'Connell, MP,
   born 1810.

Daniel O'Connell.
Image from LOC.

The only known photograph of Daniel O'Connell. Taken in 1844.
From NGI.

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References

• The Correspondence of Daniel O'Connell (8 vols, published 1972-1980)
  • Vol. 1: 1792-1814
  • Vol. 2: 1815-1823
  • Vol. 3: 1824-1828
  • Vol. 4: 1829-1832
  • Vol. 5: 1833-1836
  • Vol. 6: 1837-1840
  • Vol. 7: 1841-1845
  • Vol. 8: 1846-1847.
  • Index of persons for all 8 vols is in vol.8, p.253. See guide.

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Sources yet to be consulted

• O'Connell papers at NLI

• Daniel O'Connell in [DIB]

• Journal of Daniel O'Connell (1795-1799, 1802). 12 P 13 in [RIA].

Books about Daniel O'Connell

• The Life and Speeches of Daniel O'Connell, MP, edited by his son John O'Connell, 1846.
  • Vol.1.
  • Vol.2.

• Personal Recollections of the Late Daniel O'Connell, William J. O'Neill Daunt, 1848.
  • Vol.1
  • Vol.2

• Life of Daniel O'Connell, the liberator, Sister Mary Frances Cusack, 1872.
  • O'Connell pedigree on p.6.
  • Notes on O'Connell pedigree on p.778. The letters seem to refer to some other pedigree, but I cannot see what.

• The Correspondence of Daniel O'Connell, ed. W.J. Fitzpatrick, 1888.
  • Vol.1
  • Vol.2
  • [NLI] main building 15A 2474-2475. Catalogue records hidden for some reason.

• The Life of Daniel O'Connell, Michael MacDonagh, 1903.

• Daniel O'Connell: His Early Life, and Journal, 1795-1802. Arthur Houston, 1906.
  • Photocopy in [NLI] MS 47,340/1.

The Irish monthly

• "The O'Connell papers. Unpublished Diary and Letters of Daniel O'Connell". Series in The Irish monthly, 1882 to 1887.

• Vol.10, 1882.
  • See pp. 333-342, pp. 437-443, pp. 449-458, pp. 507-513, pp. 583-591, pp. 624-631, pp. 717-721, pp. 775-779.
  • See NLI.

• Vol.11, 1883.
  • See pp. 49-54, pp. 219-226, pp. 341-346, pp. 391-402, pp. 424-433, pp. 511-519, pp. 549-556.
  • See NLI.

• Vol.12, 1884.
  • See pp. 100-107, pp. 150-157, pp. 213-216, pp. 367-372, pp. 589-594.
  • See NLI.

• Vol.14, 1886.
  • See pp. 92-100, pp. 166-170, pp. 229-232.
  • See NLI.

• Vol.15, 1887.
  • See pp. 594-602.
  • See NLI.

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• Named after Daniel O'Connell:
  • O'Connell St, Dublin (formerly Sackville St)
  • O'Connell Bridge, Dublin
  • O'Connell St, Limerick (formerly George St)
  • O'Connell St, Ennis (formerly Gaol St)
  • O'Connell St, Adelaide, Australia
  Think also:
  • O'Connell St, Sligo
  • O'Connell St, Waterford