Daniel O\' Connell

Daniel O' Connell , born the August 6th 1775 and dead the May 15th 1847, known as the “Liberator” ( the Liberator ), or the “Émancipateur” ( the Emancipator ), is a Politician Irish whose combat marked first half of the 19th century. It obtains the emancipation of the Catholique S of Ireland. Promoter of a non-violent Irish nationalism, it contributes to the alignment of the Irish political struggles on religious cleavages which divide the country, by mobilizing the Irish catholic community as a political clout with whole share. He however was excluded from the Church because of his membership of the Franc-maçonnerie

Youth

Resulting from a fortunate catholic family of the County of Kerry, Daniel O' Connell, under the protection of an unmarried rich person uncle, Maurice O' Connell, studies initially with Douai in France, then is allowed with Lincoln' S Inn in 1794, and two years later, share to study with King' S Inn, with Dublin. As of its youth, it approaches the democratic radicals of the time, and decides to be devoted to the combat for the equal rights and the religious tolerance for the catholics of his country.

Whereas it grants its Dublin, his/her uncle Maurice O' Connell him enjoint to enter no militia. In December 1796, at the time of the attempt at French unloading in Ireland, when the fleet of Wolfe Tone penetrated in Bantry Bay, O' Connell is taken in a dilemma. Indeed, in January 1797, it writes with his/her uncle that it is the last of his comrades not to have joined an army of volunteers yet, and that “being young person, active, in good health and single person”, it is no plausible excuse. This same month, it joined Lawyer' S Artillery Corps.

The May 19th 1798, O' Connell becomes lawyer with the Barreau of Ireland. Four days later, the Company of the Plain Irishmen ( Society off the United Irishmen ) starts the Irish Rébellion of 1798, which was repressed in a bloody way by the Britannique S.O' Connell does not support this rebellion. He believes indeed that the Irishmen must defend themselves in a political way rather than by the force. He thus decides to withdraw himself in Kerry, and takes share neither with the revolt, nor with its repression. During more than ten years, it carries out a peaceful existence, and is devoted to the exercise of the Private law in the south of Ireland. In 1803, O' Connell also condemns the rebellion carried out by Robert Emmet.

The countryside for the emancipation of the catholics

Daniel O' Connell returns to the policy in the Années 1810, as a combatant for the emancipation of the catholics, i.e. the abrogation of all the legislation anti-catholic then in force to Ireland. He thus founds an association, catholic Association ( Catholic Association ), in order to conduct campaign for the emancipation. The members of Association cotisent by pouring a penny per month. The purpose of this very weak amount was to attract the catholic peasants of Ireland. It is such a success that Association collects several million books the year of its foundation. The collected money is used to finance the electoral campaigns of candidates to the House of Commons favorable to the emancipation. It is also used to give food and money to the poorest members of Association. In 1828, Daniel O' Connell is presented in an election to the House of Commons for the Comté of Clare, with the vacant seat left by William Vesey Fitzgerald, itself a partisan of catholic Association. Once elected, O' Connell cannot however enter to the Room, because he refuses to lend oath to the king as a chief of the Église of England (Anglican). Ideologically the Prime Minister, the duke of Wellington, and the Minister of Interior Department, Robert Peel, although conservatives ( Tory ) and opposed to the emancipation of the catholics, include/understand whereas to refuse its seat with O' Connell can start a new Irish rebellion. They manage to convince the king Georges IV which it is necessary to grant the right to sit at the Parliament with the Catholique S, with the Presbytérien S, like the members of all the other Christian confessions. With the support of the liberals ( whig S ), the law of emancipation is voted in 1829. But this law destroys the confidence of the preserving members of Parliament in Wellington and Peel. (the right to sit at the Parliament will be granted to the not-Christians in 1858)

One of the most hated aspects penal legislation then into force is the obligation for all the workers to pour a Dîme ( tithe ) intended for the financing of the Église Anglican (in the case of Ireland, the Church of Ireland). In 1831, a campaign for the refusal of the payment of the dîme starts violences (“ Tithes War ”). Although always opposed for the use of the force, O' Connell defends the leaders of the countryside successfully. In 1841, he becomes the first catholic mayor of Dublin.

As a mayor, it calls upon the British army against the workmen in strike. In the same way, it does not follow the call of Sharman Crawford for the complete abolition of the dîme in 1838, because it does not wish to embarrass the liberals ( whigs ) (in 1835, an alliance between the liberals, the radicals and the members of Parliament Irish had been concluded with Lichfield House).

The countryside for the abrogation of the Act of Union

O' Connell makes also countryside for the abrogation of the Acte of Union, which, in 1800, had joined together the Parliaments of Great Britain and Ireland to form the the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In order to obtain this abrogation, O' Connell creates Association for abrogation ( Repeal Association ). He asks for the creation of an independent kingdom of Ireland, with the head of which would be the Reine Victoria, which would become queen of Ireland. To defend this idea, it holds a series of “assemblies monsters” (“ monster meeting ”), through all Ireland, except for the province of Ulster, mainly Protesting E and Unioniste. These meetings are qualified “monsters”, because approximately 100.000 people attend each one of them. These gatherings frighten the government British, and the Prime Minister for the time, Robert Peel, prohibited an assembly which must be held with Clontarf, in the county of Dublin. This prohibition made following the preceding assembly, which had been held with Tara, place highly symbolic system for the Irishmen. In spite of the insistence of its partisans, O' Connell refuses to defy the authorities openly, and cancels the meeting. This does not prevent it from being condemned to three months of prison for sedition, although it is quickly given in freedom by the House of Lords. Deprived of her most effective weapon, the assembly, O' Connell do not manage to continue her countryside for abrogation. Its partisans give up it in mass. Disappointment leads some of them, implied in the newspaper The Nation to create the “Jeune Ireland”. This group, directed by Charles Gavan Duffy, John Mitchell, William Smith O' Brien and Thomas Davis (all Protestants, except for Gavan Duffy), chooses more radical means to obtain the independence of Ireland, while sharing the social conservatism of O' Connell.

Thought and political program

Opposed to the violent insurrection in Ireland, O' Connell says once the freedom of Ireland is not worth the loss of one blood drops, although itself, in 1815, killed in duel the Protestant John D' Esterre.

Politically, Daniel O' Connell condemns violence and seeks to obtain the changes by legal methods and a certain populism, by using the political system and electoral British to arrive to his ends. He regularly makes statements of allegiance to the British crown, while often informing controlling them of the United Kingdom that, if they do not reform the government of Ireland, the Irishmen will choose violence. The successive British governments continue to be unaware of this warning statement, well after its death.

With final, O' Connell obtains, by the force of the combined support of the clergy and the Irish farming community, the equal rights for the catholics of Ireland, by making sure that the catholic members of Parliament can sit at the British Parliament (until the re-establishment of the Parliament of Ireland), and obtaining the modification of the oath of allegiance lent by the members of Parliament, expurgé of the offensive clauses for the catholics, who, like, refuse to him to lend this oath as long as the terms, requirements and clauses anti-catholics will not be removed by it.

Although Irish is his native tongue, O' Connell encourages the Irishmen to learn how English in order to reach education.

Died and posterity

O' Connell dies in 1847 at the 71 years age of a cardiovascular disease, with Genoa, in Italy, whereas it is in pilgrimage for Rome. Its stay in prison weakened it much. Its head is buried in Rome, and the remainder of its body to the Cimetière of Glasnevin in Dublin, under large a round Tour which one sees with kilometers with the round. Its sons, all members of Parliament, are also buried in the crypt.

In Ireland, Daniel O' Connell is called the Liberator, for his success in the emancipation of the catholics of Ireland. He is also called “the king of Ireland without crown”, although this title is more often associated with Charles Stewart Parnell.

O' Connell admires Simon Bolivar, the liberator of the Latin America, and one of its sons, Morgan O' Connell, engages like volunteer in the army of Bolivar at the 15 years age, in 1820.

The main street of Dublin, in the past Sackville Street, is renamed O' Connell Street in its honor at the beginning of the 20th century after the birth of the free State of Ireland. Its statue, works of the sculptor John Henry Foley, is with the one of the ends of the street, while that of Charles Stewart Parnell is located at the other end.

A museum commemorates its memory with Derrynane House, a house which its family had, with Carhen, close to Cahirciveen, in the Comté of Kerry.

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