Ben Doherty

Daniel O'Connell Essay

How far do you agree that Daniel O'Connell made the most significant contribution to Irish nationalism? (25 marks)

The contribution of Daniel O'Connell was relatively significant as he earned the title the Liberator', but to say he made the most significant contribution to Irish nationalism would be inaccurate as his work ended in 1843, and this was 80 years before the Irish free state would be declared in 1922. If O'Connell made the most significant contribution to Irish nationalism then the Irish free state would surely have been achieved many years earlier. However, his contribution was large and certainly helped set the foundations for Irish independence and more Irish rights, and in this respect did make some essential attempts at improving the rights of Irish citizens. In this respect the work of O'Connell was far from insignificant and certainly, perhaps his greatest achievement of Catholic emancipation, was highly welcomed amongst the Irish Catholic community. O'Connell's first achievement was in 1823 when he, along with Thomas Wyse and Richard Lalor Shell formed the Catholic association. By inviting the poor to become associate members, O'Connell built it into a mass organisation. It cost a shilling a year, but quickly became popular. Catholic priests were highly encouraged to promote the Association and were recruited as agents. This association campaigned for the repeal of the act of union, of 1800 legally binding Great Britain with Ireland. It also campaigned for a secret ballot and universal suffrage. This campaign was done peacefully and therefore didn't won much support in England. However, in Ireland it was met by considerable approval and quickly had over 100,000 members. In this respect the Catholic association, founded in 1823, was significant on the Irish scale, but not on the full national scale. Despite this it was a necessary step forward to the final goal of full Irish independence and, at the minimum, improved rights for Irish Catholics. The Catholic association acted as a catalyst for O'Connell in fighting for Catholic emancipation which would end up being, perhaps his biggest achievement of his influential decisions and actions. The introducing of the "Catholic Rent" in February 1824 was well received and funding from abroad was a huge boost to the emancipation campaign. "It was this penny-a-month scheme that transformed the Catholic Association from a small middle-class political club into a mass movement which politicised the countryside". O'Connell's non violent approach was proving to be effective. The British Government were alarmed by his mass meetings with the public for Catholic Emancipation and international support from America. Within the Catholic Association it was clear that support was growing for the organisation, particularly abroad. Irish-Americans had founded societies in many states across America in order to raise money and support for emancipation. O'Connell's speeches were printed and circulated around America in a bid to ignite a reaction from the American and Irish American people. Thus, these newspapers proved to be very informative to the Irish Americans and Americans, which urged them to support and help Catholics in Ireland from the political unrest that was occurring. Polital unrest was beginning to occur, but this demonstrated O'Connell's increasing influence. American churches began collecting rents for the Catholic Association, so the Catholic Association was becoming increasingly effective not only in fighting for Catholic emancipation but also winning global recognition. O'Connell decided to invest large amounts of the rent in press coverage to win further support and get more people to back calls for improved Catholic rights. Therefore, the Catholic rent on its own was ineffective, but that it brought about more recognition, both nationally and globally and more supporters for the Catholic cause, validate this decision and add to O'Connell's decisive decision making. The Catholic Emancipation Act 1829 can be regarded as a decisive moment in the British and Irish question. It served as a devastating blow to the protestant Ascendancy, which had been present since the late seventeenth century; they had now lost their political and economic supremacy. Significantly, it changed the fabric of British politics: it led to the emergence of an Irish party in the House of Commons. For the first time, the Irish Question was disclosed to the British government. Irish welfare was now to become a key feature in British politics. Additionally, O'Connell's popularity was exemplified in the County Clare election of 1828. Certainly, the election demonstrated the power and the possibilities that could be achieved with mass opinion. Thus, O'Connell's initial pragmatic ability cannot be denied. There were 1 MPs returned to West Minster and many by majorities. Irish MPs continued to roll into Westminster in large numbers for several more elections, some with overwhelming majority, and in some cases overthrowing previous outright winners such as in Waterford. This suggests massive success, as he not only let himself enter the House of Commons. Additionally, it showed more militant nationalists like the Society of United Irishmen that violence wasn't always the right way to achieve things. This support of O'Connell's efforts, especially on the ground of achieving Catholic emancipation as of 1828, si backed by Oliver MacDonagh, in A New History of Ireland, volume 5 which was published in 1989, and is therefore a contemporary source, rather than one that is primary. Nevertheless MacDonagh establishes that his role in Catholic emancipation 'promoted him' and allowed him to establish 'his domination in Catholic Ireland', both clearly significant achievements. As a Christian however, MacDonagh is far from impartial and is highly inclined to approve to a large extent of O'Connell's work. Nevertheless, for a 'domination' the work must be significant. Therefore, O'Connell's attempts at bringing about Catholic emancipation is the most significant contribution of O'Connell and a major achievement on its own, and even though only one achievement it primarily set the foundations for future advancements in Catholic rights. During the 1830's, O'Connell worked endlessly with parliament on a process of reform, and in fact the 1830's were seen as the decade of reform due to the works of O'Connell. Reforms included the Irish Church act, education acts and improvements for tenants. Despite this O'Connell was still far from pleased with the state of Irish Catholic education by the end of the 1830's, showing his determination, again, a key skill for a leader, and helping his achievements to be more significant than they would ordinarily have been. During the 1840's O'Connell embarked on a period of repeal, with the aim of complete separation from England and the establishment of Ireland as an independent nation. This inevitably failed, but a few more pieces of reform were passed. O'Connell's 'monster meetings' became famous for there large numbers, some up to 750,000, and peaceful but very forthcoming nature. However, in 1843, O'Connell was clearly weakening. The British government had banned a monster meeting, in Clontarf, and O'Connell had failed to be as prominent, and didn't appeal it. This showed the end of the O'Connellite years, but more reform would come through the years. Therefore, in O'Connell's latter year he was more unsuccessful than successful, and therefore can't be dubbed as having made the 'most significant' contribution to Irish nationalism but his achievements still marked a great milestone on the road to Irish independence, due to his overwhelming success in his early years, especially the gaining of Catholic emancipation and many waves of reform covering several areas of Irish life. However, Harriet Martineau, in History of the Thirty Years Peace 1816-1846, written in 184, discredits O'Connell completely, an injustice that is bizarre, suggesting he was 'selfish and hypocritical', something which MacDonagh certainly disapproves. O'Connell's actions were in fact the most unselfish of the 1830's as he was speaking on behalf of the Irish Catholic nation and again, was brave, a contradiction to Martineau. However, he still wasn't the most significant contributor, as by his death in 1847, full Irish independence was still a long way form being achieved, but despite this, his role in improving the state of Irish affairs was still vital in ensuring future improvements. O'Connell wasn't the most significant contributor to Irish nationalism altogether, but he certainly was in the period from 1800 until 1840, as the British parliament remained reluctant throughout the whole of this period. The Great famine definitely made a contribution to trying to achieve Irish nationalism. The famine resulted in a period of political apathy. The Great Famine also led to mass emigration with approximately two million immigrating to the USA. This was inevitably sparked by the widespread notion of abandonment towards the British government. Some historians go as far as to conclude that the British government's actions constituted genocide a phrase used by JP Sweeney. Despite the growth of nationalist radicalisation, such groups remained to draw widespread support amongst the Irish population. This inevitably slowed down the establishment of Irish independence and therefore meant that Irish nationalism was still along way off. Gladstone would make large contributions to the Irish question, as too would Charles Stewart Parnell, but for now no significant improvement could be made in Irish nationalism, even by the 1880's, though due to O'Connell's early efforts, some more steps in progress had been achieved. However, it was almost certainly a collective effort that brought it about in the end, as significant others like Arthur Griffiths with the foundation of Sinn Fein in 1905, Ireland's own political party and Gladstone and his successful home rule movement certainly played vital, even if only minute roles for Irish nationalism and therefore again, it is impossible to credit O'Connell as being the most significant aider of Irish nationalism as even Padraig Pearse. A key member in the Easter Uprising of April 1916, admits that Irish nationalism was far from secured by his consequent execution in May 1916, going as far as feeling defeat, but wanted perseverance for the Irish cause to continue, which was in mass support of William Butler Yeas, the poet and Irish nationalist who urged that the Irish shouldn't wait for the iron to get hot but 'make it hot by striking' meaning being forceful and fighting for the freedoms they endeavoured, which many, both constitutionalists and radicals did throughout the period. In conclusion O'Connell had made a significant contribution up until around 1840, but after this his success descended rapidly. Despite this his achievements would ensure future progress, but he certainly didn't make the most significant contribution to Irish nationalism as it took another 79 years after his work ended before the Irish free state would be declared, and many more waves of reform and repeal and significant contributors such as Parnell and Gladstone to bring about a much improved Irish state of affairs and an equal, independent Ireland. O'Connell realised that 'England's difficulty is Ireland's opportunity' which O'Connell certainly tried to exploit, though partially unsuccessfully since a complete change wasn't brought about, and therefore his impact certainly can't be classified as being profound. The difficulty was the reluctance of the English government to give Ireland its reasonable rights and treating them as second class citizens as if they didn't want them to be treated equally. Although O'Connell believes his achievements were weakened by the actions or lack of action, by the British government claiming that his days 'have been darkened by the darkness of servitude', the servitude being the more powerful Earl Grey and Lord Melbourne, and if these figures had been less obnoxious his achievements may have amounted to something more substantial. In this respect it appears he, though from a far from impartial perspectives, views that he did his part in the development of Irish nationalism, though Irish nationalism in itself was far from fully declared by 1922, it was merely the Irish free state and to this extent it could be claimed that David Lloyd George made the most significant contribution to the development of Irish nationalism as his work made it more absolute.