12axes-testTake the test
Daniel O'Connell
Historical figureIreland1775-1847

Daniel O'Connell

Founder of the Catholic Association (1823) · Leader of the Catholic emancipation campaign

Irish barrister known as the Liberator, who won Catholic emancipation in 1829 through mass peaceful mobilization, then led an unsuccessful campaign to repeal the Union and condemned slavery.

Compare yourself See the 12 scores
Profile on 12 axes6 of 12 documented
ECONOMYSTATESOCIETYWORLDOwnershipMarketsWelfareAuthoritySecurityStructureMoralityReligionTechnologyCultureTradeForeign
Where they stood

Daniel O'Connell, axis by axis

  1. 01Ownership+40
    PublicPrivate

    He was a Kerry landlord who defended property rights and disavowed violence against landlords. This points to private ownership.

  2. 02Markets+50
    PlannedFree

    He opposed trade unions and accepted the strict 1834 poor law, which fits a laissez-faire outlook for the age.

  3. 03Welfare+45
    SharedSelf-reliant

    He accepted the 1834 poor law and its harsh relief rules, which suggests a self-reliance outlook, though radical critics saw this as a betrayal.

  4. 04Authority-40
    DemocraticStrong leader

    He built mass popular politics and endorsed the Chartist charter in 1838, yet he dominated his movement in a personal way.

  5. 05SecurityNo clear record
    LibertyOrder
  6. 06Structure-45
    LocalCentral

    Repeal meant restoring a separate Irish parliament under the Crown, which favors local self-government over a single London parliament.

  7. 07MoralityNo clear record
    ProgressiveTraditional
  8. 08ReligionNo clear record
    SecularReligious
  9. 09TechnologyNo clear record
    EmbraceCaution
  10. 10CultureNo clear record
    MulticulturalNational identity
  11. 11TradeNo clear record
    GlobalProtected
  12. 12Foreign policy-40
    CooperationStrength

    He rejected violence, called himself a moral-force politician and backed the international anti-slavery cause, which points toward cooperation.

6 axes have no clear record, so matching leaves them out.

Who was Daniel O'Connell?

Daniel O'Connell was born in 1775 near Cahirciveen, County Kerry, into a Catholic landowning family. He became a successful barrister and in 1823 founded the Catholic Association with Richard Lalor Sheil, using low dues and the help of local clergy to bring ordinary Catholics into politics. His 1828 win in County Clare forced the government to grant Catholic emancipation in 1829. He then led a mass campaign to repeal the 1800 Act of Union. He was jailed briefly in 1844 and died in Genoa in 1847 on the way to Rome.

Political views

  • Organized the Catholic Association with low membership dues so that ordinary Catholics could join, backed by the help of local clergy.Source: encyclopedia.com
  • Won the 1828 County Clare election and so pressured the government into the 1829 act, which also abolished the vote of the forty-shilling freeholders.Source: encyclopedia.com
  • Rejected violence and relied on peaceful mass pressure, saying he abhorred shedding one drop of blood.Source: drb.ie
  • Called off the Clontarf meeting in October 1843 when the government banned it, to avoid bloodshed, during the campaign to repeal the Union.Source: encyclopedia.com
  • Demanded immediate emancipation for enslaved people, argued that Black people were the equals of whites and condemned slavery in the United States.Source: irishamerica.com
  • Endorsed the Chartist charter in 1838, but British radicals distrusted him for accepting the 1834 poor law and opposing trade unions.Source: encyclopedia.com
  • As a Kerry landlord he defended property rights, and he accepted the decline of the Irish language on utilitarian grounds.Source: drb.ie

Legacy

Admirers see O'Connell as the founder of modern Irish democratic politics and a pioneer of mass nonviolent protest, and Frederick Douglass admired his attacks on slavery. Critics point to the 1829 settlement, which took the vote from poor freeholders, and to his opposition to trade unions and acceptance of the 1834 poor law. The Young Ireland movement broke with him in the 1840s, calling him too tied to the Whigs and unwilling to threaten armed resistance. Some, such as John Mitchel, blamed him for the Famine, which devastated Ireland in his final years.

How close are you to Daniel O'Connell?

Take the 12 Axes test and see which historical figure is your political twin, axis by axis.

Take the test

Daniel O'Connell: questions

What did Daniel O'Connell achieve?

He led the campaign that won Catholic emancipation in 1829, allowing Catholics to sit in Parliament. He then led an unsuccessful movement to repeal the 1800 Act of Union between Ireland and Britain.

Did Daniel O'Connell support violence?

No. He consistently opposed violence and relied on what he called moral force. He called off the planned Clontarf meeting in 1843 after the government banned it, to avoid bloodshed.

What did Daniel O'Connell believe about slavery?

He demanded immediate abolition, argued that Black people were equal to whites and condemned American slavery. He urged Irish Americans to back abolition and refused to stay silent on the issue in Parliament.

Sources