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After the Act of Union was passed in 1801 Ireland was awash with discontent and hostility towards the measure. Previously Henry Grattan had taken the reigns of emancipation in the period. Grattan was a Protestant advocate who took the Catholic case to parliament. However it was his successor Daniel O Connell who brought more change than his predecessor, but to what extent did O’Connell mould the modern Irish nation?
Daniel O Connell was born on the 6th of August 1775 into a wealthy Catholic family. He was educated in France where he had become increasingly interested in the French Revolution. O’Connell moved to London by 1794 and became increasingly aware of contemporary events in Ireland. While in London O'Connell became interested in politics. He read a great deal and was influenced by the ideas of radicals such as Tom Paine, Jeremy Bentham and William Godwin. By the time he qualified as a lawyer in 1798 O'Connell was fully committed to religious tolerance, freedom of conscience, democracy and the separation of Church and State.
O'Connell had become known for his radical views on politics. This lead to his association with the United Irishmen. Although he had a reputation for being a radical O’Connell opposed armed uprising, and subsequently condemned the 1798 rebellion. Instead of rebellion, O'Connell advocated using the machinery of Parliament to obtain political and religious equality. O’Connell had began to identify that the means of change were not gained through armed struggle, but through a place in Parliament, something that he personally was denied. Even though O’Connell was born into a rich aristocratic family he was denied status in office due to discriminatory legislation stopping Catholics from gaining position in office. It was because of this that he became committed to the Catholic cause.
In the next 10 years O'Connell had become the most successful and famous barrister in Ireland. Gradually he returned to politics and by...