Latest news with #DanielO'Connell
The Journal
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Daniel O'Connell is getting a huge commemoration to mark his 250th birthday
THE 250th ANNIVERSARY of the birth of Daniel O'Connel will be celebrated with a programme of commemorative events in the coming weeks and months, including a State-led ceremony at his principal residence, Derrynane House in Co Kerry. O'Connell was born on 6 August 1775 in Cahersiveen, Co Kerry and went on to become a successful champion for the rights of Catholics to become members of parliament under British rule, an achievement that saw him given the moniker 'The Liberator'. The commemorative programme, which includes speeches, lectures, plaque unveilings, art exhibitions as well as educational and sporting events, officially kicks off on O'Connel's birthday but there will be events before and after 6 August. Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan announced the programme today, saying 'Daniel O'Connell was one of the most important figures in Irish political history, not just for what he achieved, but for how he achieved it. 'He believed in peaceful reform, in democracy, and in civil rights; ideas and concepts to which we should still aspire today. O'Donovan said the commemoration aims 'to highlight and celebrate Daniel O'Connell – the man and his political achievements'. In addition to celebrating O'Connell's legacy at home, the programme also includes events honouring his 'significant international impact as a champion for civil rights across the globe,' O'Donovan said. To that end, there are a number of events expected to take place abroad while some of the Irish commemorations will include contributions from speakers from the US and UK. The Irish ambassador to the UK will be holding a commemoration in London, while other events are expected to take place in Paris and Rome. The commemorative programme was developed by a number of government bodies and community groups working together, including the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, the Department of the Taoiseach, the OPW, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It was endorsed at the first sitting of the new Commemorations Advisory Committee, chaired by former RTÉ journalist Bryan Dobson. Each event has been considered 'in accordance with the ethos and values of commemorations including accessibility, respectful remembrance, historical accuracy and the creation of opportunities to engage young people and the Diaspora with the formative events, personalities and themes of our past,' the Department of Culture said in a statement. Advertisement The department said the programme was created with 'four commemorative pillars' in mind. Those are 'historical exploration, artistic and creative response, community-led commemoration and State Ceremonial'. The department did not provide dates for all of the events in the programme. The State-led commemoration at Derrynane House will be broadcast on the RTÉ News Channel and will also be available to watch back on RTÉ Player after the event. Elsewhere, the Daniel O'Connell Summer School will be open from 29-30 August and feature lectures on O'Connel's life and legacy in Cahersiveen, close to his birthplace. Taoiseach Micheál Martin will also deliver the O'Connell Lecture in Derrynane House. Local community groups also have a variety of events planned in Cahersiveen. The County Council in Clare, for which O'Connell served as an MP, will also be putting on a number of events. Trinity Collage Dublin is hosting the O'Connell 250 Symposium: Liberty, Democracy, and the Struggle for Human Rights on 20 July and Attorney General Rossa Fanning is among its chairs. Tánaiste Simon Harris will be speaking to the Bar Association at an event sometime in the Autumn. The Irish Georgian Society, Dublin City Council and Ulster Architectural Heritage will be holding a 'Study Day' in Dublin's City Assembly House. An Post has honoured O'Connel with his own stamp that's set to be launched on 31 July while Bank of Ireland has promised to donate a statue of O'Connell to Leinster House. It will be moved from the bank's College Green premises. The Central Bank has also proposed to mint a collection of commemorative coins. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Post
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Post
Statue of Daniel O'Connell will be unveiled to mark his 250th birthday
A STATUE of the Irish nationalist leader Daniel O'Connell will be unveiled in Dublin's Leinster House this year. The sculpture is being gifted by the Bank of Ireland to the Houses of the Oireachtas to mark 250 years since the birth of the Irish leader, who became known as 'the liberator'. Born near Cahersiveen in Co. Kerry on August 6, 1775, O'Connell went on to become one of the most important figures in Ireland's history, having led the movement for Catholic emancipation. His successful campaign brought about the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829, which granted political and civil rights to Catholics in Ireland and in Britain. Daniel O'Connell (Pic: Wikimedia Commons) In 1841 O'Connell was elected Lord Mayor of Dublin, marking the first time a Catholic had held the position since 1688. The statue, which is currently located in Bank of Ireland's College Green branch, will be moved to the Leinster House building for unveiling later this year. The donation is among a programme of events which have been announced to mark 250 years since O'Connell's birth. Ireland's Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan revealed the Government's Daniel O'Connell Commemorative Programme today. 'Daniel O'Connell was one of the most important figures in Irish political history, not just for what he achieved, but for how he achieved it,' he said. 'He believed in peaceful reform, in democracy, and in civil rights; ideas and concepts to which we should still aspire today.' He added: 'Through this Programme we hope to highlight and celebrate Daniel O'Connell - the man and his political achievements. 'We aim to remind us all of both his lasting legacy at home and his significant international impact as a champion for civil rights across the globe.' The programme covers four commemorative pillars - historical exploration, artistic and creative response, community-led commemoration and State Ceremonial, Minister O'Donovan's department confirmed today. A state-led commemorative event will take place at O'Connell's former home Derrynane House, which is now a listed property, on August 6, in line with his birthday. 'This will be a combination State-led and cultural commemorative event,' the department confirmed. 'The event which will have a strong community element will serve as a symbolic act of national remembrance,' they added. The event will be broadcast live on the RTÉ News Channel and will be made available worldwide for live and catchup, on the RTÉ Player. Later this month An Post will launch two Daniel O'Connell commemorative stamps. The stamps, by artist David Rooney will launch on Thursday, July 31. Events will also take place worldwide, marking O'Connell's impact across the globe, via the government's network of Irish Embassies. In London, Irish Ambassador to Britain Martin Fraser will host a celebration at the Reform Club, of which O'Connell was a former member. The event is due to take place in September. Further events will be scheduled at historic sites closely associated with O'Connell in the likes of Rome, Paris and the US, Minister O'Donovan confirmed today. See More: Birthday, Commemoration, Daniel O'Connell, Ireland, Irish
The Journal
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Dublin is getting another statue of Daniel O'Connell to mark the 250th anniversary of his birth
LEINSTER HOUSE IS to unveil a statue of Daniel O'Connell later this year as planning kicks off for commemorations for the 250th anniversary of the former Irish political leader's birth. The statue is to be donated by Bank of Ireland, which offered the statue to the Houses of the Oireachtas for public display in 2023, to mark the bank's 240th anniversary. The statue was transferred earlier this year. The statue was created by Andrew O'Connor. O'Connor was an American-born sculptor who was born in Massachusetts in 1874. He died in Dublin in 1941 at the age of 67 and is buried in Glasnevin cemetery. Advertisement Among other works, Andrew O'Connor is better known on this side of the Atlantic as the creator of the tripartite sculpture of Christ the King. The sculpture was hidden in Paris throughout WWII to avoid being melted down, and was transported to Dún Laoghaire in 1949. It has recently been restored and now stands on a promontory adjoining the dlr LexIcon library. O'Connor presented 26 of his later works to the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin. The statue of O'Connell, whose name now marks Dublin's main thoroughfare, was created by O'Connor in 1932. Daniel O'Connell, hailed in his time as 'The Liberator', was born in August 1775. The Kerry man was elected Lord Mayor of Dublin after securing the passage of the Catholic Emancipation Act in 1829. The Act meant that Irish Catholics could become members of parliament. Daniel O'Connell is buried in Glasnevin cemetery, where his sculptor later rested. The unveiling of the statue is one of many forms of commemoration planned to mark 250 years since the birth of O'Connell. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
16-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Kerry Airport sees profits jump as it rules out any name changes
Kerry Airport has ruled out any future name change, with the board no longer considering requests to rename the private airport, as it reported a €1.37m profit last year. Results released ahead of the airport's AGM show a growth in passenger numbers as well as profit in 2024. The airport in Farranfore reported operating profit after taxation of €1,373,300, compared to €1,198,347 in the previous year. The final profit represented a 14% increase year-on-year. Last year was another record year for Kerry Airport, with 417,409 passengers, the third highest passenger numbers in the airport's history, for the year to the end of December, it said. Supported by Government grants, the result is particularly welcome in light of planned capital expenditure of over €4.4m in 2025, Basil Sheerin, chief financial officer of Kerry Airport, said. A new arrivals hall opened in March this year, and an expansion of the departures hall was due to be completed by the end of July 2025. Growth in 2024 was driven by strong performances in fuel, gift shop/duty free, and car park operations. Separately, in a letter to the monthly meeting of Kerry County Council, the secretary of the private airport said the board intended "to promote the Kerry brand" well into the future and the question of any name change was "closed". "The board considers the matter of renaming the airport at any time as closed and no further considerations will be given to requests of this nature," John O'Sullivan, airport secretary, said on behalf of the board of directors. The letter was in response to a request by the council to explore the possibility of renaming Kerry Airport after Daniel O'Connell, the Liberator, given 2025 was the 250th anniversary of the famous Kerry man's birth. The request had been given "serious consideration", Mr O'Sullivan said. However, "the board is of the strong opinion that the current 'Kerry Airport' name is an established brand both domestically and internationally". Killarney councillor John O'Donoghue, who led the move, has expressed his disappointment. O'Connell was the greatest of Kerry men and Irish men and a committed European, and the county would have benefited, he felt. "Other international airports such as the John Lennon airport in Liverpool and the George Best City airport in Belfast were named after local figures and still bore their place name and Kerry would still also be known as Kerry," he said. The councillor had made the request on foot of suggestions from the public. This article was funded by the Local Democracy Scheme Read More Kerry Airport board dismisses call to rename transport hub after Daniel O'Connell
Irish Independent
04-06-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Re-enactment of Daniel O'Connell's famous speech to take place in Cork town this Friday
2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Irish political leader who was one of Ireland's foremost politicians in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Kerry native has often been hailed in his time as The Liberator. O'Connell a qualified barrister was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. Born near Cahersiveen on August 6, 1775, O'Connell was instrumental in the Catholic Emancipation Act that granted political and civil rights to Catholics in Ireland. He was also a leading abolitionist who sought to ban the international slave trade in the early 1800s. Two of Ireland's major cities – Limerick and Dublin – have their main streets named in honour of O'Connell. He staged one of his famous Monster Meetings in Mallow on June 11, 1843 which attracted a reported crowd of 250,000 people from all over north Cork and further afield at the Repeal of the Act of Union meeting. 40 bands also marched in the parade. The heights and fields were crowded with spectators. As a person, O'Connell was extraordinary. Deeply popular with the public, rather than being a 'populist', he could explain the essence of complex arguments to audiences of thousands. O'Connell's constitutional approach was carried on by Thomas Davis and by Charles Stewart Parnell. ADVERTISEMENT Friday's re-enactment in Mallow town will attempt to recreate the events of that famous day in Mallow history. A number of monster repeal meetings were held at various locations throughout Ireland and preparations for the great Mallow Repeal Meeting commenced in October 1842. During a powerful oration Mr O'Connell told the captivated audience that there was one thing which gave him pleasure, and that was the length of time he enjoyed the confidence of the people. He was counsel for Ireland – the people were his clients - he had none other. He also told the spectators that he had given up the profession in which he was successful; and now for the remainder of his life he was resolved to devote himself to the advocacy of the Irish people and old Ireland. The speech by Daniel O'Connell in Mallow became known as the Mallow Defiance. The famous sculptor John Hogan carved an 18 feet marble statue of O'Connell which is located in the City Hall in Dublin. Famous orator Daniel O'Connell made his first ever speech in 1800 in City Hall, then called the Royal Exchange, and his statue shows him as an orator, raising his right hand to make a point. In November 1841, O'Connell became Lord Mayor of Dublin, another reason for having his statue in City Hall, where council meetings are still held.
