12.11.2025, 09:30 A.M.
Daniel O’Connell (1775-1847) remains one of the iconic figures of Irish history. His mobilisation of popular political support in the form of mass agitation for Catholic Emancipation and later the repeal of the Act of Union remain pivotal moments in the development and emergence of modern Ireland. Recently his reputation as a figure in British, as well as Irish radicalism, has been appreciated in his efforts to reform parliamentary processes, Jewish emancipation, and the abolition of slavery, among other causes. When the monument to O’Connell was erected to him on Dublin’s main street later in the nineteenth century, the crowd who assembled was estimated to be half a million people. While his political career has been the subject of sustained scholarly attention, his influence, impact and legacy on Irish architecture, designed landscapes, and material and visual culture remains opaque.
To mark the 250th anniversary of his birth, the Irish Georgian Society and Dublin City Council, in association with the Ulster Architectural Heritage, have invited twelve scholars to examine O’Connell’s representation in both life and death in painting, sculpture and caricature; his use of spectacle and symbolism as part of his political strategy; his legacy as manifest in the architecture of the O'Connell Memorial Church in Cahirciveen and the monuments at the cemeteries of Goldenbridge and Glasnevin; how he personally shaped the architecture and designed landscape at his ancestral home at Derrynane, County Kerry; and the ephemera created to celebrate the centenary of his birth in 1875.
By focusing on these understudied aspects of O’Connell’s career and legacy, the study day will encourage new and exciting research, providing scholars with an opportunity to collaborate and share knowledge of one of Ireland’s great national figures.
Presentations by the following speakers will be delivered:
- King Dan: Ireland's Human Rights Campaigner and Dublin's Lord Mayor by Professor Patrick Geoghegan, (keynote speaker), Director of Trinity Long Room Hub, History, TCD, and author of King Dan: the Rise of Daniel O'Connell, 1775-1847 (2008) and Liberator: the Life and Death of Daniel O'Connell, 1830-1847 (2010).
- O'Connell and Civic Ceremony: symbolism and politics by Professor David Fleming, School of History and Geography in the University of Limerick.
- ‘Chisel the likeness of The Chief’ – commemorating Daniel O’Connell in the nineteenth century by Paula Murphy, Emeritus Professor, UCD School of Art History and Cultural Policy.
- Daniel O’Connell in Caricature, 1820-30 by Dr Maurice Bric, Emeritus Professor of History at UCD and Director of the annual Daniel O’Connell Summer School.
- Daniel O'Connell and Goldenbridge Cemetery by Dr Livia Hurley, Design Fellow, School of Architecture, UCD.
- The Lure of Derrynane: the designed landscape of Daniel O’Connell by Victoria McCarthy, independent scholar and Architectural Conservation & Heritage Officer, Kerry County Council.
- “Will you let me know how my speech and picture get on?”: The portraiture of Daniel O’Connell by Ben Casey, PhD student at Maynooth University, researching representations of the professions in Georgian Ireland, supported by a Research Ireland Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship.
- O'Meara's Irish House: Pints and Patriotism on Wood Quay by Donal Fallon, public historian, and author of The Dublin Pub: A Social and Cultural History (New Island Books, 2025).
- The politics of stone and style: the O'Connell Memorial Church in Cahirciveen by
Dr Niamh NicGhabhann-Coleman, Associate Professor in the Department of History in University of Limerick.
- The Daniel O’Connell funerary monument in Glasnevin cemetery, its design and significance in the cemetery by Dr Jacqueline Hayes, independent scholar.
- 'An Invasion of Pen and Pencil': Picturing the 1875 O'Connell Centenary by Dr Kathryn Milligan, Assistant Librarian, Edward Murphy Library, National College of Art and Design.
- The Liberator in chains: Daniel O’Connell in Richmond Bridewell, 1844 by Brian Crowley, Curator of Collections for Royal Hospital Kilmainham and the Pearse Museum, OPW.
CHAIRS INCLUDE: Donough Cahill, Executive Director, Irish Georgian Society; Charles Duggan, Heritage Officer, Dublin City Council; Dan Calley, Chair, Ulster Architectural Heritage; Jacqueline Hall, Chair Irish Georgian Foundation; and Dr Audrey Whitty, Director, NLI and member of the State Commemorations Advisory Committee.
The Daniel O'Connell study day is to be launched by Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Ray McAdam
TICKETS
Tickets to attend the study day can be purchased through the Irish Georgian Society's Eventbrite bookings page and are being provided at the subsided price of €30 (including lunch) thanks to a subvention pledged by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. Advanced booking recommended due to the venue's limited capacity. The study day is an in-person only event.
VENUE
The study day will take place in the City Assembly House, which is the headquarters of the Irish Georgian Society. At the time of the election of Daniel O'Connell to the position of Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1841 (the first Roman Catholic Lord Mayor since 1690), the City Assembly House was in use by Dublin Corporation (now Dublin City Council) as it's assembly rooms.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Daniel O’Connell 250 study day is delivered in partnership by Dublin City Council's Heritage Office and the Irish Georgian Society, in association with Ulster Architectural Heritage. The study day is supported by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, and is part of the State’s Daniel O’Connell 250th Commemorative Programme. The Society also wishes to thank the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage’s National Built Heritage Services for their support of the broader IGS Conservation Education Programme 2025 of which this study day forms an action. Furthermore, we wish to thank The Heritage Council for their support of the IGS through its Heritage Organizations Support Fund 2025. Additionally, the IGS wishes to thank Ecclesiastical Insurance for their sponsorship of the O’Connell study day.
Image: A mayorial procession with Daniel O'Connell. Coloured lithograph by HB (John Doyle), 1836.
To learn about more architectural events in Ireland consult the Ireland Architecture Diary.
