John O'Connell (24 December 1810 – 24 June 1858) was one of seven children (the third of four sons) of the Irish Nationalist leader Daniel O'Connell and his wife Mary. He followed his father as a Member of Parliament and leader of the

Repeal Association The Repeal Association was an Irish mass membership political movement set up by Daniel O'Connell in 1830 to campaign for a repeal of the Acts of Union of 1800 between Great Britain and Ireland. The Association's aim was to revert Ireland to ...

Life

Educated at Clongowes Wood College,

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

, and the

King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns () is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environments. The Benchers of King's Inns aw ...

, O'Connell was then

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

, but did not practice.John O’Connell
at Ricorso He served in the United Kingdom Parliament as Member of Parliament for

Youghal Youghal ( ; ) is a seaside resort town in County Cork, Ireland. Located on the estuary of the Munster Blackwater, River Blackwater, the town is a former military and economic centre. Located on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a long ...

from 1832 to 1837, for

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midland Region, Ir ...

from 1837 to 1841, for

Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

from 1841 to 1847, for

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

from 1847 to 1851 and for

Clonmel Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...

from 1853 to 1857. O'Connell was tried with his father in the 1843 State Trials, and was imprisoned in Richmond prison before being released the next year by an order of the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. During his father's declining years, he was the dominant force in the

and denounced Young Ireland as irreligious and lawless. In 1847, he closed down Conciliation Hall, and in 1848 reacted to the Rising by establishing closer links with the government. Of Daniel's four sons, he was considered to be the only one who inherited something of his father's political skill: he was nicknamed "The Young Liberator", although critics claimed he did little to justify the title. In 1851, he took part in the downfall of Lord John Russell and the Whigs from government. After being censured by his constituency, he resigned his seat by taking the

Chiltern Hundreds The Chiltern Hundreds is an ancient administrative area in Buckinghamshire, England, composed of three hundred (county division), ancient hundreds and lying partially within the Chiltern Hills. "Taking the Chiltern Hundreds" refers to one of the ...

. He opposed the Tenant Right League and was subsequently elected as member for Clonmel in 1853, after which he accepted a

sinecure A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is a position with a salary or otherwise generating income that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval church, ...

position as Clerk of the Crown and Hanaper at

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle () is a major Government of Ireland, Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin. It is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at ...

. O'Connell was not an impressive public speaker, but wrote political works for the Repeal Association. His brothers Maurice, Morgan and Daniel were also members of parliament.

Publications

*''Argument for Ireland'' (1844) *''Repeal Dictionary'' (1845) *''The Life and Speeches of Daniel O'Connell'' (1846, ed.) *''Recollections'' (1846)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, John 1810 births 1858 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Athlone Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Cork constituencies (1801–1922) Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Kilkenny constituencies (1801–1922) Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Limerick constituencies (1801–1922) Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Tipperary constituencies (1801–1922) UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 John People educated at Clongowes Wood College Irish Repeal Association MPs Alumni of King's Inns

Life

Publications

See also

References

External links