Daniel O’Connell
| Daniel O'Connell Dónall Ó Conaill |
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O'Connell, in an 1836 watercolour by Bernard Mulrenin.
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Member of Parliament for Clare |
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In office 5 July 1828 – 29 July 1830 |
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| Preceded by | William Vesey-FitzGerald |
| Succeeded by | William Macnamara |
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Member of Parliament for Dublin City |
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In office 22 December 1832 – 16 May 1836 |
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| Preceded by | Sir Frederick Shaw |
| Succeeded by | George Hamilton |
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Member of Parliament for Dublin City |
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In office 5 August 1837 – 10 July 1841 |
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| Preceded by | George Hamilton |
| Succeeded by | John West |
| Lord Mayor of Dublin | |
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In office 1841–1842 |
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| Preceded by | Sir John James, 1st Baronet |
| Succeeded by | George Roe |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
6 August 1775 Cahersiveen, County Kerry, Ireland |
| Died | 15 May 1847 (aged 71) Genoa, Kingdom of Sardinia |
| Resting place | Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin |
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| Spouse(s) | Mary O'Connell (m.1802) |
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| Alma mater |
Lincoln's Inn King's Inns |
| Occupation | Barrister, political activist |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Ireland
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| Service/branch | Yeomanry |
| Years of service | 1797 |
| Unit | Lawyer's Artillery Corps |
Daniel O'Connell (Irish: Dónall Ó Conaill; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), often referred to as The Liberator or The Emancipator, was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century. He campaigned for Catholic emancipation—including the right for Catholics to sit in the Westminster Parliament, denied for over 100 years—and repeal of the Act of Union which combined Great Britain and Ireland.
O'Connell was born at Carhan near Cahersiveen, County Kerry, to the O'Connells of Derrynane, a once-wealthy Roman Catholic family, that had been dispossessed of its lands. Among his uncles was Daniel Charles, Count O'Connell, an officer in the Irish Brigades of the French Army. A famous aunt was Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill, while Sir James O'Connell, 1st Baronet, was his younger brother. Under the patronage of his wealthy bachelor uncle Maurice "Hunting Cap" O'Connell, he studied at Douai in France and was admitted as a barrister to Lincoln's Inn in 1794, transferring to Dublin's King's Inns two years later. In his early years, he became acquainted with the pro-democracy radicals of the time and committed himself to bringing equal rights and religious tolerance to his own country.
While in Dublin studying for the law, O'Connell was under his Uncle Maurice's instructions not to become involved in any militia activity. When Wolfe Tone's French invasion fleet entered Bantry Bay in December 1796, O'Connell found himself in a quandary. Politics was the cause of his unsettlement. Dennis Gwynn in his Daniel O'Connell: The Irish Liberator suggests that the unsettlement was because he was enrolled as a volunteer in defence of Government, yet the Government was intensifying its persecution of the Catholic people—of which he was one. He desired to enter Parliament, yet every allowance that the Catholics had been led to anticipate, two years previously, was now flatly vetoed.
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Wikipedia