1797-1799: Alderman of the Dublin Corporation (United Irishmen)
1827-1831: Member of Parliament
-1827-1829: for Clare County (Convention Parliament)
-1829-1831: for the 3rd Grand Division of Clare County
1831-1833: Advocate-General for Ireland
1833-1834: Member of Parliament for the 3rd Grand Division of Clare County
1834-1837: Advocate-General for Ireland
1837-1843: Member of Parliament
-1837-1843: for the 1st Grand Division of the City of Dublin
-1843-1847: for the 2nd Grand Division of the City of Cork
1847-1847: Member of the Irish Legislative Assembly for the 1st Grand Division of the City of Dublin
-three fundamental principles, derived from william godwin
-violence must be avoided always, because intrinsically evil and results in unwanted results
-public opinion, properly controlled, can achieve any aim
-civil rights are absolute and universal, regardless of religion, race, colour, or condition
-barrister during War of the French Revolution (1792-1804) > Great Irish Rebellion (1796-9)
-sympathetic towards United Irishmen and strongly admires Lord Edward Fitzgerald
-but isn’t quite a Jacobin and very suspicious of them for that
-arrested without trial when rebellion happens
-when they take over Dublin in 1797, after getting freed O’Connell is involved in the provisional city government but at a minimal level
-when the city falls to Tory regiments in 1799 he’s captured but by official army regiments
-as such, isn’t summarily executed but instead captured and tortured and put on trial
-to avoid sympathetic Irish juries they’re tried not in Dublin but in Old Bailey where there is less risk of that
-acquitted in celebrated trial where he defends himself
-there’s no proof he was anything other than a minor rebel councillor noted for his rhetoric
-plus he not only didn’t sign any rebel death warrant, but he opposed the death penalty in every circumstance
-defends himself with exceptionally grand rhetoric
-afterwards builds up his name in the years that follows as a lawyer
-taking on mantle of Curran as the “Advocate of the People”
-continually harassed by authorities but cannot be arrested as he’s careful to avoid anything that might look like treason
-first on scene after addington's amendment to toleration acts, led religious liberty assoc
-able to pass religious barrier between dissenters and catholics through tolerant attitudes, massive charisma, and gains credit from dissenting irish
-this leads to him suffering several arrests in 18 noughts and 1810s which only make him more famous
-afterwards, led campaigns for full religious equality for catholics and dissenters
-successfully defeats rivals in this campaign
-and is able to win support of thundering crowds even in Ulster
-to fear of British government, which fears a new Catholic-Dissenter alliance akin to that which caused the United Irish Rebellion
-in 1815, challenged in a duel by Irish Chief Secretary Robert Peel after being repeatedly insulted
-and in attempt to decapitate the brewing Religious Liberty Association
-they duel and, while Peel shoots a hole in O'Connell's hat, O'Connell hits Peel in his leg, punctures a vein, and Robert Peel bleeds out and dies horribly over the next day
-O'Connell thundered as victorious across streets
-while the establishment chooses to indict him despite the honor code of the era
-O'Connell's indictment is cleared fully by court sympathetic to code of honor
-but at the same time O'Connell reacts in horror at the duel, regards it as a criminal custom and vows to God to never again fight in a duel
-this adds to his mystique as someone above the honor code of the era
-involvement in radical movement increases, ramps up with economic malaise, he has horror at manchester massacre
-imprisoned during Second French War (1821-32)
-rally by his supporters at Clontarf ends with brutal massacre
-he is horrified at the massacre, but he didn't want the rally to happen
-depressed at famine, abortive rebellion
-freed after British Wars > Popular Revolution (1827-9)
-elected to convention parliament, first catholic mp
-fights for provisions guaranteeing religious liberty and erasure of civil disabilities in constitution, and radical reformed constitution
-leads the anti-slavery movement in the wake of revolution
-due to former, more conservative leader Fowell Buxton entirely bunked following revolution
-Slavery Abolition Act 1830 is in no small part his work
-includes very limited compensation to only those slaveowners who swear loyalty to government, and are considered "impoverished" as widows or orphans
-and also a very limited four year apprenticeship for certain slave categories which, in practice, collapses
-and later leads effort to end apprenticeship period after one year
-leads repeal assoc, but later associated with radical party after municipal reform bill goes through and makes precursor assoc instead
-makes better government in ireland with Heads of British Isles > 1834-1837 Samuel Whitbread (Radical), becomes attorney general of ireland for his tenure
-this sees unprecedented administrative and political reform improving Ireland's government
-turns O'Connell almost overnight into a Radical grandee strongly beloved by his party
-endorses comprehensive program of legal codification and free trade
-as well as "Free Trade in Land"
-acolyte of Lives of Great Britons > Jeremy Bentham
-after fall of Heads of British Isles > 1831-1833 Samuel Whitbread (Mountain Whig - Philosophic Radical - Irish Nationalist coalition), creates National Association, holds mass rallies for repeal
-opposed stringently by moderates
-but despite it, he has enough cred within Radical Party that he achieves sympathies among them
-after radicals under lawson win, compromises and gets creation of subsidiary irish legislature
-uses influence to rally irish people to "instalment" in letter despite opposition by irish confederates
-Irish Confederates being ultra-radicals led by Lives of Great Britons > Feargus O'Connor and others who regard O'Connell as an old fogey
-elected while very very ill to the Irish Legislative Assembly
-sworn in as first MLA (held up in chamber by his sons)
-finally died soon after achievement
-granted right to lie in state at Westminster Hall
-even attempt to give him burial at Westminster Abbey
-but refused by its establishment and his will
-instead buried in common Irish burial grounds at Dublin
-statue to him outside door of irish legislature building
-christened "emancipator", beloved irish national hero
-and also a British national hero, celebrated as a national holiday
-beloved today for intense abolitionism, anti-colonialism as well