250 Daniel O’Connell Facts To Mark His 250th Birthday

1) O’Connell wasn’t a fan of long lists and insisted people compiling them kept to max 15 or so items.

2) O’Connell was famous for giving speeches to crowds in excess of hundreds of thousands of people which pales in comparison to some of the Irish TikTok influencers of today.

3) A searingly intense desire for justice in the face of tyranny O’Connell would probably ask Irish politicians to ditch the lofty speeches about his legacy and photo PR exercises and actually enact a full-throated version of the Occupied Territories Bill.

4) O’Connell is proof even if you responsible for the emancipation of your people against Britain’s pursuit of cultural and religious eradication people will still slag you for being from Kerry.

5) He’s looking well for 250, those gas boiler ads must have paid for a bit of botox! Majella better have 250 candles on his cake.

6) Famously O’Connell asked for his body to be laid to rest in Ireland but his heart be sent to Rome as he knew some 250 years later Evan Ferguson would sign for AS Roma.

7) Amid a wave of evictions of peasant farmers O’Connell proposed a 20% tax on absentee landlords which would have him viewed as the greatest evil known to man by Young Fine Gael today.

8) O’Connell virulently opposed the violent rebellions of 1798 and 1803 in favour of non-violent protest which would have him viewed as the greatest evil known to man by Ógra Sinn Fein today.

9) A devout Catholic, contemporary Catholics who downplay child rape and child trafficking by clergy believe O’Connell would be most distressed today by Ireland’s growing secularism.

10) Backs calls for his statue on O’Connell Street to be replaced by one of David Clifford.

11) Was said to be devastated at being put on the 20 punt note, felt he deserved the 50 at the very least.

12) Judging by the high volume of ‘Who was Daniel O’Connell’ searches online, his campaign against the Penal Laws allowing for Catholics to gain access to education wasn’t particularly successful in Ireland.

13) Researchers believe were he alive today O’Connell’s favourite K-pop band would have been Blackpink.

14) Would piss fire once he learned the Orange Order was still a thing.

15) Over 4.5 millions tonnes of seagull shit has been deposited on the head of his statue on O’Connell Street.

16) Would vote for the Healy Raes according to the Healy Raes.

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