Daniel O'Connell

By Fergus O’Ferrall. Published in 1981. Scholarly, factual and an enjoyable read. Provides an excellent summary of O’Connell’s life and career along with a few thoughts about his legacy.

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The Great Dan

By Charles Chenevix Trench. Published in 1984. A longer, solid biography that delves deeply into the polities of O’Connell’s time. The narrative is helped by interesting anecdotes.

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King of the Beggars, Daniel O’Connell and the Rise of Irish Democracy

By Sean O’Faolain. Published in 1938. My favorite biography. The first chapter (Proem) about the years preceding O’Connell is a challenging read, but once it gets into O’Connell’s life it does so dramatically and with a heavy emphasis on O’Connell’s impact on the ordinary Irishmen of the the time. The author takes pains to credit O’Connell with forging Ireland’s national identity.

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Popular Life of Daniel O’Connell

By Chrysostom P. Donahoe. Published in 1875. Somewhat harder to find, as an older book. Unabashedly pro O’Connell, hence I love it! Also includes the Funeral Oration of Padre Ventura at Rome, Father Burke’s Sermon at Glasnavin and Wendell Phillips’ Centennial Oration.

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Daniel O’Connell - A Graphic Life

By Jody Moylan. Published in 2016 An enjoyable and accessible read with many illustrations. Good for all, but especially for younger readers.

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