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Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Legacy of the Liberator: The 250th anniversary of Daniel O'Connell's birth celebrated
Daniel O'Connell believed in peaceful reform, democracy and civil rights. The 250th anniversary of the birth of one of our most important figures — in his lifetime viewed as "the uncrowned king of Ireland" — will be widely celebrated this year with a commemorative programme at home and abroad, which kicked off at Derrynane House on Wednesday (August 6). Taoiseach Micheál Martin will deliver the O'Connell lecture at Derrynane House as part of the Daniel O'Connell Summer School, which takes place in Caherciveen and Derrynane on August 29-30. The school will host a full programme of speakers with representatives from universities in the UK and the US. The Bar of Ireland is planning an autumn commemoration with the Department of the Taoiseach, and various events are in the pipeline through our network of embassies. These will begin with a ceremony at the Reform Club in London in September, hosted by the Irish Ambassador to honour its former member. The anniversary will be marked by receptions at embassies in Rome, Paris and the US. HISTORY HUB If you are interested in this article then no doubt you will enjoy exploring the various history collections and content in our history hub. Check it out HERE and happy reading Hardly a year goes by without some memorabilia relating to Daniel O'Connell, known as the Liberator — who delivered Catholic Emancipation in 1829 — surfacing at auction. Daniel O'Connell by PJ Haverty RHA (1794-1864), courtesy Derrynane House (OPW). Lots relating to him are usually sought after. There are plenty of portraits, including one of the most noted of all by Joseph Patrick Haverty from the OPW Collection, illustrated here. A leather gun case belonging to O'Connell (a pacifist) and stamped Derrynane House was sold by Marshs in Cork for €980 in December 2023. Daniel O'Connell's gold pocket watch made €26,000 at hammer at Fonsie Mealy. The previous year, his pocket watch made €26,000 at hammer over a top estimate of €6,000 at a sale by Fonsie Mealy. Whyte's sold a 19th-century coloured lithograph for €600 in 2024 over a top estimate of €150 His early experience of the French Revolution put O'Connell off mob violence for good, but inevitably, for a man of his time, he was involved in a couple of duels. Among the people he offended was Robert Peel, British prime minister, by continuously referring to him as "Orange Peel" while he served as chief secretary for Ireland. John Doyle's portrait of Daniel O'Connell. A half-length portrait of O'Connell holding a pistol by the Irish artist John Doyle (grandfather to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) failed at Bonhams Irish sale in 2023. As in any auction, not everything sells. The Bank of Ireland is gifting a statue of O'Connell, currently in its College Green branch in Dublin, to Leinster House, where it will be unveiled later this year. An Post issued two stamps by artist David Rooney last week, and gold and silver-proof coins will be issued by the Central Bank. Local authorities and the Irish Georgian Society are among those marking the 250th anniversary, and RTÉ has created a new documentary.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Anniversary of birth of Irish hero Daniel O'Connell rekindles mystery of missing heart
On his deathbed Daniel O'Connell, the man known in his time as 'the Liberator' of Ireland, made a request: 'My body to Ireland, my heart to Rome and my soul to heaven.' On Wednesday Ireland marked the 250th anniversary of his birth with speeches and pomp and a nagging question: where is the heart? After his death in 1847 O'Connell's heart was sent to Rome and kept as a prized relic in the Irish College at St Agata dei Goti, or the church of the Goths, but in 1927 authorities discovered it was gone. It is still missing, and the commemorations this week prompted calls for a renewed search to find it. 'It's a travesty if it was just left like that,' Maurice O'Connell, the statesman's great-great-great-grandnephew, told RTÉ. 'I think with the 250th anniversary, if you're not going to search now, you're never going to do it, so at least there's some impetus behind it. I'm sure there's interest in government to help the Daniel O'Connell story. But you've got to try and find it.' The descendant would like to see the heart laid to rest on Abbey Island in County Kerry, where O'Connell's wife, Mary, is buried. 'It would be fantastic if the heart was reunited with her.' The Kerry-born barrister and MP became the founding father of Irish nationalism by securing Catholic emancipation and leading an attempt to repeal the Act of Union that incorporated Ireland into the UK. His oratory and mobilisation of huge rallies inspired civil rights movements around the world. William Gladstone called O'Connell 'the greatest popular leader the world has ever seen'. Statues of him dot Irish towns and cities, his name adorns thoroughfares and his remains lie beneath a round tower in Dublin's Glasnevin cemetery. Of his heart, however, there is no trace. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion The heart was embalmed and is believed to have been placed in an urn stored behind a marble plaque in the wall of the Irish College's church. When the Irish College moved to another location in 1927 there was no sign of the urn. One theory is that it was swept up with other remains during works to expand the Bank of Italy, which encroached into the church's crypt, and reinterred at the Campo Verano cemetery. Another theory is that it was transferred to a silver casket that was then targeted by thieves. 'What a tragedy to think that the heart of O'Connell could have been swept up and taken and stolen,' a historian, John Crotty, told RTÉ. 'But that is the worst-case scenario. The distinct hope has to be that it was swept up in the Campo Verano move, or that it does remain underneath the chapel of the Goths still to this day.'
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
No Irish leader exerted as much global influence as Daniel O'Connell, commemoration hears
No Irish leader has exerted as much international influence as Daniel O'Connell with his Catholic emancipation campaign resulting in him being hailed a hero by all who believe in liberty, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said. Mr Martin said that the success of 'the Liberator' in campaigning for Catholic emancipation in 1829 led to people all over the world looking to Ireland for inspiration about how to bring together oppressed people to achieve dramatic breakthroughs. The Taoiseach was speaking at a State commemoration at O'Connell's ancestral home in Caherdaniel, Co Kerry, to mark the 250th anniversary of his birth. He said aside from being 'an inspiration to many Catholic communities who faced discrimination and repression around the world, he was also an icon for others, in particular Europe's Jewish community'. 'And of course he was a leader and a symbol of hope for those who were campaigning for the abolition of slavery wherever it was to be found,' said Mr Martin. He added that O'Connell and Ireland's story was followed closely by newspapers and journals worldwide. READ MORE Mr Martin said it would be wrong to think O'Connell cared only about Catholic emancipation as his focus was on oppression generally. ' He believed that members of all religions and in all countries should have the right to fully participate in the professional and political life of the state. 'He was not looking for supremacy, but for equality and respect. And to achieve it he built an organisation the like of which the world had never before seen. There had been many popular risings in world history, but there was no example of a mass democratic political movement before.' He said O'Connell brought all the fire and determination that had characterised his legal work to the cause of Catholic emancipation, and, as he grew older, he became much more personally and deeply committed to his faith. Taoiseach Micheál Martin officiated at the commemoration marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of Daniel O'Connell. Photograph: Maurice Gunning Mr Martin said O'Connell does not simply represent a distant part of Irish history but his tireless campaigning seeking to unite the Irish people behind the shared values of solidarity and justice means he remains an inspiring beacon for Irish people today. The event, at the OPW-managed Derrynane House, was attended by 200 invited guests, including Minister for Culture Patrick O'Donovan, who also spoke of O'Connell's continuing relevance in the modern world. 'The world can be a turbulent place, and it can appear to be worsening. Daily we see breaches in civil rights, famine and wars. We can draw strength from our past. We can remember what we have already overcome, we can look to the example of O'Connell. [ Daniel O'Connell would have enjoyed his life being celebrated 250 years on, says historian Opens in new window ] 'And when we do, we can see what one man was capable of achieving through peaceful means, and how his success motivated so many others in the global pursuit of civil rights and democratic reform,' said Mr O'Donovan. Among the guests, which included many public representatives, were more than 20 of O'Connell's descendants including his great-great-great granddaughter, Emily Lenehan, who delivered a reflection on her illustrious ancestor on behalf of the O'Connell family. The ceremony concluded with Mr Martin unveiling a commemorative plaque to O'Connell carved from Valentia slate and the planting of an oak tree, for which he was joined by two of O'Connell's youngest descendants, Finlay (12) and Charlotte Davidson (six). [ TV aerial in Daniel O'Connell stamp is a 'visual signal' to the modern age, not AI, says An Post Opens in new window ]
Irish Independent
7 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Kerry Palestine support group to demand action on Gaza at State Commemoration of Daniel O'Connell
They group said that it is a fitting moment to do so given the Kerry man's legacy on human rights. They are calling on the Taoiseach to take action and show the the legacy of Daniel O'Connell not just in words but action. 'We call upon you, as Taoiseach of the Irish people and heir to O'Connell's political tradition, to prove that his legacy lives on in more than bronze statues and anniversary speeches. The world is watching. History is recording. Future generations will judge whether Ireland's leaders in 2025 had the moral courage to match their commemorative words with meaningful action,' the letter states. "Taoiseach, we stand today in the shadow of greatness – not to bask in past glories, but to be measured against them. Daniel O'Connell's legacy is not a museum piece to be admired from a distance, but a living flame that should ignite our conscience and compel our actions. 'The Liberator understood that freedom is indivisible – that the oppression of any people diminishes us all. His fight for Catholic Emancipation was never solely about Irish Catholics; it was about establishing the principle that no human being should be denied dignity because of their identity, faith, or origins.…Today, the Palestinian people cry out for the same justice that O'Connell demanded for his own people.' The group outlined 10 demands to be enacted by the Irish Government and the EU, which include the resumption of international aid deliveries immediately at scale; the enacting, without delay, of the Occupied Territories Bill; prohibit the sale of War Bonds; suspend, with immediate effect, all arms and dual-use exports to Israel and suspend all preferential commercial arrangements for Israel under the Association Agreement. The letter also includes a demand to cancel Israel's participation in Horizon Europe and all dual-use research, academic and technology programs of the EU; a demand to impose targeted sanctions on Israeli ministers, government officials, military commanders, and violent settlers responsible for war crimes; the support of international and national judicial mechanisms to provide political, legal, and financial support to Palestinian civilian victims and to nominate Francesca Albanese (United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories) for the Nobel Peace Prize. 'We are taking the opportunity to present him with a letter that marks this occasion, highlighting the historical and contemporary significance of Daniel O'Connell in relation to the famine in Gaza,' the South Kerry group stated. 'The actions we take in respect of the Palestinian People and others who are suffering oppression are a measure of the extent to which we respect the values and approaches of Daniel O'Connell. The Liberator's work is unfinished while any people remain enslaved by occupation, ethnic cleansing, and genocide,' the letter states. 'We demand that the Government of Ireland stand by and defend Irish sovereignty, rather than be bullied by external vested interests, whose values do not align with those of O'Connell. Short-term economic gains should never take precedence over our defence of national sovereignty, peace, justice and human rights. As O'Connell stated, 'nothing is politically right that is morally wrong,' it concludes.
Irish Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Daniel O'Connell would have enjoyed his life being celebrated 250 years on, says historian
Daniel O'Connell would be delighted that people were still talking about him and discussing his legacy 250 years on from his birth, according to a leading authority on the Kerry-born campaigner for Catholic emancipation. Trinity College Dublin historian Prof Patrick Geoghegan said O'Connell, who was born at Carhan just outside Cahersiveen on August 6th, 1775, was the pre-eminent figure in 19th century Ireland. But his influence was felt far beyond these shores. 'Daniel O'Connell was our liberator – it was his movement for civil rights in the 19th century which transformed Ireland and provided an inspiration for peaceful, mass democratic movements around the world,' said Prof Geoghegan, speaking in Trinity College. 'O'Connell has been compared to Mahatma Gandhi, to Martin Luther King Jr, and to other great civil rights leaders throughout world history. He inspired the great black abolitionists in the United States in the 19th century, who viewed O'Connell as the great champion of freedom.' READ MORE [ Daniel O'Connell, the greatest of all politicians Opens in new window ] [ New statue of Daniel O'Connell for Leinster House to mark 250 years Opens in new window ] Prof Geoghegan, author of the two volume biography of O'Connell 'King Dan – The Rise of Daniel O'Connell 1775 to 1829 and 'Liberator: The Life and Death of Daniel O'Connell 1830-1847″, is in no doubt but that O'Connell would have enjoyed the attention he still receives today. 'I think O'Connell would love the attention. He considered himself the greatest figure in Irish history. He would be delighted that he was still being talked about and discussed on the 250th anniversary of his birth,' he said. 'He was also very sensitive to criticism, so he probably wouldn't like any of the debates that were taking a more critical eye on aspects of his career, but I think he would be proud that we're still fighting for those important values and ideals of freedom, democracy, liberty and human rights.' The 250th anniversary of O'Connell's birth has already been marked by An Post, which has issued two commemorative stamps, one depicting his reception following his release from the Richmond Bridewell prison in 1844 and one depicting him addressing one of his famous 'monster meetings'. Meanwhile, locals in the Liberator's ancestral home are holding a series of events as part of O'Connell 250 Cahersiveen to mark the anniversary, with Kerry County Council chairman Cllr Michael Foley unveiling a commemorative plaque at Carhan on Wednesday. This will be followed by the unveiling of a second plaque, also on Wednesday, beside the Penal Chapel where O'Connell was most likely baptised overlooking the Old Abbey where his parents, Morgan and Catherine O'Connell are buried. For further information on the various events marking the anniversary visit the O'Connell 250 Cahersiveen website.
