IN A curious way, Barack Obama’s recent presidential campaign has some strange parallels with Daniel O’Connell’s battle for Catholic Emancipation in the 1820s.
In the same way that Obama had to fight long and hard to gain recognition within his own party and win the nomination to run for the US Presidency, so O’Connell had to struggle almost to the last minute to gain the respect of his peers and, even then, it was only by the most dramatic gesture that he won the right to stand for the famous election in Clare.
Early on in his campaign, Obama appealed to the masses for funds and welcomed the $5 contribution nearly as much as he did the $50,000 cheque, while O’Connell set up the Catholic Rent and was delighted to receive the 1p contribution during the earlier stages of his struggle for Catholic Emancipation.
Each of these men had a resounding victory. In winning their respective elections, both these men finally and formally brought to an end political and social - not to say racial - discrimination in their own land.
As in the way of these things, it was also a curious coincident that about the time of Obama’s election a new biography (well half a biography ) of Daniel O’Connell should arrive on my desk.
King Dan - The Rise of Daniel O’Connell 1775-1829 (Gill & MacMillan ) suggests that it earns itself the sobriquet half a biography with the author, Patrick Geoghegan, quitting while he is winning.
He admits as much in the preface intimating that O’Connell’s historical stature is somewhat diminished. This is something of a pity as it only gives half the picture and to a large degree diminishes O’Connell’s considerable achievements during the 1830s and into the 1840s.
Having said that, Geoghegan’s book is long overdue and welcome as he fills an important gap in our knowledge of the early life of one of Ireland’s greatest statesmen. He does so with an even and steady narrative that is as pleasing to read as his text is informative.
His considerable research allows him to explore on our behalf the many myths that surround O’Connell and gradually a composite and real portrait emerges of one of the most complex and interesting personalities of Irish history.
Reading of his exploits in court, his ability to handle and understand people, his various duels, his natural guile, his uncompromising determination, his extraordinary energy, coming to understand that the word losing was not in his vocabulary, a general impression is formed that had O’Connell been born in a different era, he would have been the best centre half back Kerry ever had.
Geoghegan brings us through O’Connells’ youth, his early education, and his sojourns in Paris and London. We watch his various exploits in the courts throughout the land (this section is perhaps a little overdone ) and cut his political teeth.
The various love affairs he is purported to have are described objectively as are the many duels he was involved with (none of which, incidentally, he lost ). It is when the book begins to deal with the campaign for Catholic Emancipation that it really slips into gear and from there to the end it is a riveting read.
The description of the famous election in Ennis is compulsive reading and when the reader is told that after the famous victory, O’Connell was carried by chair from Ennis to Limerick in triumph, we believe every word…in fact, we are the ones carrying the chair.
King Dan is an important book on many levels not least that, in a political and economic climate that is somewhat uncertain, it brings us back to a real sense of how our own basic rights were grimly fought for and won.
