Was Daniel O'Connell a good leader?

Tim Robbins

Was Daniel O'Connell a good leader?

Obviously he has many good points, for example his aversion for violent methods. However, he was arguably too pro Catholic and possibly augmented the Catholic / Protestant divide. Previously Irish Nationalism,
was a Catholic and liberal Protestant movement. The Young Irelanders and United Irishmen being good examples. Perhaps, O'Connell focus on Nationalism only from a Catholic perspective just alienated liberal Protestants who supported Irish Nationalism.

He also supported the quater acre allowance during the famine.

So what do you reckon, was he good or bad?

Tim Robbins

Atari

Tim Robbins wrote: »

Was Daniel O'Connell a good leader?

Obviously he has many good points, for example his aversion for violent methods. However, he was arguably too pro Catholic and possibly augmented the Catholic / Protestant divide. Previously Irish Nationalism,
was a Catholic and liberal Protestant movement. The Young Irelanders and United Irishmen being good examples. Perhaps, O'Connell focus on Nationalism only from a Catholic perspective just alienated liberal Protestants who supported Irish Nationalism.

He also supported the quater acre allowance during the famine.

So what do you reckon, was he good or bad?

Wow - this has generated a lot of interest.

Riddle101

No

I like to think he was. He did alright and like you say he wasn't violent which is good because most of Irish History is clouded with violence. Not to mention those Monster Meetings were hugely popular and funnily enough Adolf Hitler tried something like that a 130(Not too sure if i'm accurate) later with the Nuremburg Rallies. It's just too bad that the extreme natiolist grew bored with him i'd like to think he'd of donw better with more support

Pride Fighter

Atari

Tim Robbins wrote: »

Wow - this has generated a lot of interest.

Thats because as a political figure he is boring. I had to do an essay on him in history last year and punched the desk at how boring it is to read up on him. I said he was a bit of both, won emancipation (good), did feck all else afterwards (bad).

kreuzberger

A bit of both

Tim Robbins wrote: »

Was Daniel O'Connell a good leader?

It depends from which perspective you look at it , British or Irish

Obviously he has many good points, for example his aversion for violent methods.

Im unaware of any such aversion . He was a British officer in a militia which engaged in extreme and barbaric violence against his own people , pitchcappings , hangings , shooting , bayonetting etc , often carried out in the most indiscriminate manner against a civilian population in reprisal and collective punishment for insurgent rebellion. Im unaware of any noted pacifists in their ranks

However, he was arguably too pro Catholic and possibly augmented the Catholic / Protestant divide.

he was a deeply sectarian bigot

Previously Irish Nationalism,
was a Catholic and liberal Protestant movement. The Young Irelanders and United Irishmen being good examples. Perhaps, O'Connell focus on Nationalism only from a Catholic perspective just alienated liberal Protestants who supported Irish Nationalism.

He was deeply opposed to any notion of Irish republicanism , indeed supported and participated in their military suppression by the most violent of means . He attempted to define Irish nationality upon the grounds of religious adherence parallel to the major gains being made by viciously sectarian orangism . This tactic suited the British admirably .
Id also point out most of his political career preceded the Young Ireland movement .

He also supported the quater acre allowance during the famine.

he supported capitalism and people paying their rents to foreign landlords and native bloodsuckers whod been permitted climb the greasy pole of exploitation, the root cause of an artifically caused mass starvation . There was no famine however because there was no shortage of foodstuffs being produced in Ireland whatsover .

So what do you reckon, was he good or bad?

I reckon a bulldozer should be taken to his statue and Dublins main thoroughfare renamed after someone less odious .

McArmalite

A bit of both

Tim Robbins wrote: »

Was Daniel O'Connell a good leader?

Obviously he has many good points, for example his aversion for violent methods. However, he was arguably too pro Catholic and possibly augmented the Catholic / Protestant divide. Previously Irish Nationalism,
was a Catholic and liberal Protestant movement. The Young Irelanders and United Irishmen being good examples. Perhaps, O'Connell focus on Nationalism only from a Catholic perspective just alienated liberal Protestants who supported Irish Nationalism.

He also supported the quater acre allowance during the famine.

So what do you reckon, was he good or bad?

O'Connell was nothing other than a political oppurtunist, hijacking the movement for relaxing of discrinatory laws against Catholics. He did indeed alienate Protestants who very strongly supported a free Ireland, knowingly helping to further britian's policies of divide and rule. Far from been ' a good Catholic Irish boy ' ( whatever that's supposed to be :rolleyes: ), he fathered several children outside of wedlock.
However, I cannot see how " aversion for violent methods " could be a good point, after all he is credited with coining the perverse phrase that Irelands freedom wasn't worth the shedding of a single drop of blood.

kreuzberger

A bit of both

lets not forget his ardent political defence of child labour , and his vocal opposition to the banning of this heinous practice on the grounds it would ruin the businessmen of Ireland .

A great pity 1798 was defeated and he didnt find his way under a republican guillotine

Erin Go Brath

A bit of both

During the 1798 insurrection, O'Connell feared he would be arrested by the English authorities and went into hiding in Kerry. He was a coward. He also opined that Irish people "were not sufficiently enlightened to hear the sun of freedom". He will also be largely remembered for the channelling of Irish politics along sectarian lines by the mobilisation of the Catholic community as a political force.

It's a disgrace that the main streets in Dublin, Limerick and Ennis (that i know of, there could be other streets) are named after this traitor!

Laureen

Hi, any chance you would still have that boring essay on Daniel O' Connell?.

brianthebard

Don't vamp threads.