Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell was born in Carhen, Kerry County, in 1775 and was educated in France before being forced home by the outbreak of the French Revolution, a conflict Daniel viewed with utter detestation, both as a Catholic and simply as a civilized person. In Ireland he continued his studies and became a lawyer, just at the time that Great Britain was correcting many of the gross injustices that had been placed on the Irish since the time of the so-called "Glorious Revolution". However, Irish Catholics were still denied certain rights, particularly the right to sit in Parliament. Daniel soon made it his mission in life to correct these injustices in a dignified manner, using peaceful, legal means, and never resorting to violence. Past Irish rebellions had convinced many in Great Britain that the Irish were a crude and barbaric people who thus had to be ruled over with a firm hand. O'Connell was determined to show that this was not the case and adapted his tactics accordingly.
It was a pure sense of Irish patriotism which motivated O'Connell, and what caused his opposition to the Act of Union was the loss of Ireland's national identity rather than any hatred. He wanted to enlist the masses behind a concerted effort to show that the people of Ireland could act with moderation and intelligence and prove themselves worthy and capable of self-government. With his great humor, intelligence and gifts of speech as well as commanding physical presence, Daniel O'Connell was the ideal man to organize and lead such a campaign. He started his career as an Irish rights advocate in 1800 and within 10 years had become one of the most well known and respected leaders of the Catholic Committee, which he nonetheless saw as ineffectual. He started a grassroots campaign to organize people on the local level, which brought about the arrest of several leaders by a government which had become paranoid of any such activity. O'Connell met his enemies in court and won the freedom of the Irish leaders through arguments rather than force. He battled with words for 6 years against Sir Robert Peel, the chief secretary or "Orange Peel" as O'Connell called him, over the laws against Catholics in Ireland. It was a hard fought contest, O'Connell having the superior position, but Peel having the benefit of government force. He was even arrested, even though he refused to break any of the laws, which, being a lawyer, he knew so well.
The Irish people came to view Dan O'Connell as their great champion, and he later became known as the "uncrowned King of Ireland". Although it may be surprising to many in Ireland today, O'Connell was always monarchist in his policies. His opposition to the Act of Union did not mean he wanted to tear down everything that existed and put up a secular republic, rather he wanted a seperate Kingdom of Ireland that would govern itself but still under the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria. And, although he never managed to have the Act of Union repealed, he did manage to liberate Ireland, certainly winning more for the Irish people through legal and peaceful methods than anyone else ever won through wars and armed rebellions. In 1828 he was elected to the House of Commons, but could not take his seat because, as a devout Catholic, he would not include in his oath of allegiance to the Queen her title of "Supreme Head" of the Church. When he was reelected, in 1829 the Duke of Wellington, the British Prime Minister, was finally compelled to grant Catholic Emancipation.
This is the great inspiration of Daniel O'Connell, that he was a freedom-fighter without shedding blood, he was a patriot without being a radical and he never let his love for Ireland drag him into hatred of Great Britain. In 1798, the same year that O'Connell became a lawyer, the "United Irishmen" fought an unsuccessful rebellion against Great Britain which O'Connell firmly opposed. He stood opposed to these violent actions in a routine of "good cop - bad cop" with the British government; pressing the government again and again that they could either deal with peaceful men like himself who wanted home rule under the British Crown, or with the violent republicans who favored armed revolution. He did not support the "Tithe War" though he did use his legal abilities to defend some of those who did, and as Lord Mayor of Dublin (the first Catholic to fill the position) he actually called out British troops to put down a workers strike which was doing more harm than good. While travelling to Rome, Daniel O'Connell died in Genoa in 1847, but left behind a strong legacy. All of his sons served in Parliament, and his life and work gave all Catholic Irishmen an inspiration to follow of "loyal opposition" and honest Catholic patriotism that was reasonable, benevolent and just.
