Daniel O'Connell and the Irish political laboratory'
School of History, UCC
Professor Laurent Colantonio, Department of History, University of Québec, Montréal
Thursday 2 March 2023, 16:00 (4 PM)
The paper will be delivered through MS Teams. Please, contact Dr Jérôme aan de Wiel, School of History, UCC, to obtain a Teams link: j.aandewiel@ucc.ie Or use the Teams link below.
Paper Daniel O’Connell (1775-1847) shook up the political order in the United Kingdom and transformed Irish nationalism, spearheading an unprecedented popular agitation for the peaceful conquest of new political spaces. His life has been written many times, first by admirers and detractors, then by historians. This paper presents the reason why I undertook to write a biography of “the Liberator”, after so many others. It explores a unique moment in the island’s history when Ireland represented a laboratory of political modernity in Europe. In addition, this “O’Connell moment” offers a historical perspective on current debates on incarnation in politics and the rise of populism. Laurent Colantonio is professor of British and Irish history at the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM). His research focuses on modern Irish history, notably nineteenth century national and popular movements, the Great Famine, and memory issues. He has recently completed a monograph on Daniel O’Connell (L’homme-nation. Daniel O’Connell et le laboratoire politique irlandais, 1775-1847, 2023) and is the author, with Fabrice Bensimon, of a book on La Grande Famine en Irlande (PUF, 2014).