Daniel O'Connell - Pair of National Stamps

250th Anniversary of the Birth of Daniel O'Connell

Daniel O’Connell (1775-1847) was a key 
figure in Ireland’s journey towards 
parliamentary democracy, known for 
achieving Catholic Emancipation and as 
a pioneer of public engagement. His vision 
was for a country in which people of all 
creeds were equal and a peaceful revolution 
– a remarkable stance in the first half of 
the 19th century, when violence was often 
the default mode for conflict resolution.

Our se-tenant stamp pair honour O’Connell
by capturing both the man and the myth.

He appears in the first stamp as a towering
figure, looming over the people at one of his
famous ‘monster meetings’. He rallies
the crowd to unite for a common cause,
appealing to a population cowed by
oppression and deprivation. It is thought
that almost one million people attended
one of his meetings in Tara, Co. Meath.

The second stamp depicts O’Connell
as he travels through Dublin city on an
elaborate gilded chariot following his
release from the Richmond Bridewell Prison
(1844). He was jailed for three months
following a proposed monster meeting
in Clontarf which was declared illegal.

Product code 2507ST