Daniel O'Connell, 'The Liberator'

1823 - 1829 — O'Connell built a peaceful mass movement that won Catholic Emancipation in 1829.

Daniel O'Connell (1775–1847), known as 'The Liberator' (An Fuascailteoir), transformed Irish politics by organising ordinary Catholics into a disciplined mass movement. His Catholic Association, funded by a penny-a-month 'Catholic rent', mobilised the country peacefully.

After O'Connell won a by-election in County Clare in 1828 — though as a Catholic he could not then legally take his seat — the government conceded Catholic Emancipation in 1829, allowing Catholics to sit in Parliament. O'Connell later led a huge campaign to repeal the Act of Union, holding vast 'Monster Meetings', though this ultimately failed.