Daniel O'Connell and Hugh O'Flaherty

I ate lunch by a river and wandered across it into Cahersiveen (which, by the way, seems to be spelt differently on every map I look at), the birthplace of Daniel O’Connell, and deathplace of Hugh O’Flaherty.

O’Connell, often referred to as The Liberator or The Emancipator was born in 1775. During his studies at university, he concluded that “in Ireland the whole policy of the Government was to repress the people and to maintain the ascendancy of a privileged and corrupt minority." (From everything I’ve seen and read since I got here, I think he was on the money with this.) After uni he spent many years building a lucrative practice as a barrister, but obviously this early conclusion festered away within him, as in 1811 he began campaigning for Catholic emancipation in Ireland (that is, the opportunity for Irish MPs to become members of parliament). He was a brilliant orator, but at one point referred to the Dublin Corporation in terms which offended one of its members so deeply he challenged O’Connell to a duel. The duel took place and O’Connell was victorious, but he was so distressed by the fact that he had killed a man and left his family nearly destitute that he offered, and paid, an allowance for the daughter of this man until his own death, nearly 30 years later.

Among other things, over the remainder of his life he brought about Catholic emancipation, became the first Roman Catholic Mayor of Dublin in over 150 years, was elected to national Parliament, campaigned for the repeal of Ireland’s union with Great Britain, arrested, freed and finally died in Italy. 

Hugh O'Flaherty, an Irish priest, was a whole different kind of illustrious, earning the nickname "the Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican" by saving over 6,500 Allied servicemen and Jewish people during the second World War and evading the numerous traps set for him by the Gestapo.

Together, these two men achieved levels of lifetime achievement which I find frankly exhausting and need a break. 😊