Why President Obama will honor often-forgotten Irish patriot Daniel O’Connell

Irishphotograph,

Your ancestor is all but forgotten here. Would be great if President Obama brought some notice to Devoy, but I don't see it happening.

Sirpeter looks up something on the internet and then recycles it to the rest of us. We can all use wikipedia, don't bother us.

Lets not forget John Devoy (IRB) my ancestor...google him my website wwww.imagesbydavid.net

Georgy Boy..Just want to clarify the killing of D'Esterre.In 1815 a serious event in his life occurred. The Dublin Corporation had always been reactionary and bigoted against Catholics, and served the established Protestant Ascendancy. O'Connell in an 1815 speech referred to "The Corpo", as it was commonly referred to, as a "beggarly corporation". Its members and leaders were outraged and because O'Connell would not apologize, one of their number, the NOTED duellist John D'Esterre, CHELLENGED him. The duel had filled Dublin Castle (from where the British Government administered Ireland) with tense excitement at the prospect that O'Connell would be killed. They regarded O'Connell as "worse than a public nuisance," and would have welcomed any prospect of seeing him removed at this time.[9] O'Connell met D'Esterre and mortally wounded him (he was shot in the hip, the bullet then lodging in his stomach), in a duel at Oughterard, County Kildare. His conscience was bitterly sore by the fact that, not only had he killed a man, but he had left his family almost destitute. O'Connell offered to "share his income" with D'Esterre's widow, but she declined; however, she consented to accept an allowance for her daughter, which O'Connell regularly paid for more than thirty years until his death. The memory of the duel haunted him for the remainder of his life.Sounds like a man who didn't like violence to me. After all a person can be against violence but you can't run away from violence all the time. That's a coward Georgy.

More nonsense from TomSwinford. He tells us that O'Connell was "an apostle of non-violence". Baloney. O'Connell was a big supporter of violence, in the shape of the independence movements in Latin America. He was an admirer of violent revolutionary leaders like Bolivar and San Martin. He even sent his son, Morgan, to fight against the Spaniards in Colombia. No squeamishness about violence in that case! It's typical of a lot of Irish--they're blowhards in favor of "freedom" or "human rights" on the other side of the globe, but whining lapdogs when it comes to asserting Ireland's rights. Bono would be an example today. O'Connell a big fan of non-violence, TomSwinford? SO how come he killed a man, D'Esterre, over a triviality. TomSwinford, get yourself to a library, and start studying the history of Ireland. When you're done (should take you a few years) come back and post here.

Liamkeyes: "They should also change the name of Westmoreland Street". Liam, it is little short of amazing that all those Anglo street names were left unchallenged after "independence" (sic). The centers of Dublin, Cork and other cities are full of names that commemorate various British nonentities. That's the nature of the Irish--they're toadies. You even have names that honor militarist fools like Raglan, of the Charge of the Light Brigade. Clare Street in downtown Dublin seems pretty innocuous--named for County Clare, surely? NO, it turns out that this street was named for Lord Clare, he who was guilty of mass murder and ethnic cleansing when he headed the British administration during the 1798 Rebellion. And so on... I noticed in a newspaper someone sent me from Ireland that they are selling houses in a place called "Kensington Mews" in Dun Laoire. Looks like a lot of Irish really regret they were not born English.

I don't believe that Daniel O'Connell is forgotten. His momument down at the Liffey Bridge is very imposing and it is the largest monument on O'Connell Street, since Nelson's Pillar was blown up by the IRA back in 1966. Of course the Street was named after him also. It sounds much better than it's previous name (Sackville Street). They should also change the name of Westmoreland Street while they're at it. Up at the far end of O'Connell Street is another fine Monument, the Parnell Monument, the square behind it ie named after him.

Woodkern..You misquoted thomasbyrne.So now he can say you can't read.It just leads to spamming the board about nothing. If everyone started with all this grammar and punctuation crap.I would not be able to find all the people who deserve abuse. It is important that the loyalist scumbags and British lickasses don't get off lightly. Now take your grammar check agus Póg mo thóin.

Woodkern, why do you discriminate against suburban inhabitants?

Are you a teacher? I am!

then*

well the correct it if you so strongly desire!

Pogue Mahone is an album by the Pogues.

Granted. I'll admit to a misquote. However, is "us Irish-Americans know" really an improvement?

I don't care what language people speak you elitist fool!