On September 29, 1845 Frederick Douglass and Daniel O'Connell Meet in Dublin, Ireland at Repeal Rally

On September 29, 1845, fugitive slave Frederick Douglass + Irish liberator Daniel O’Connell met in Dublin, when Douglass was on a 4-month speaking tour of Ireland. Both men were duly impressed by one another, and though it was the only time they met, they formed an alliance based on their utter advocacy for freedom and liberty.

In a letter Douglas wrote from Dublin to William Lloyd Garrison on September 29, 1845 Douglass reported, "I have but just returned from a great Repeal meeting now at Conciliation Hall. It was a very large meeting, much larger than usual, I was told, on account of the presence of Mr O'Connell, who has just returned from his residence in Derryname, where he had been spending the summer, recruiting for an energetic agitation of repeal during the present autumn.

"At the close of this business, Mr O'Connell rose and delivered a speech about an hour and a quarter long. It was a great speech, skillfully delivered, powerful in its logic, majestic in its rhetoric, biting it in its sarcasm, melting in its pathos, and burning in his rebuke. Upon the subject of slavery in general, and American slavery in particular, O'Connor grew warm and energetic, defending his course on this subject. He said with an earnestness which I should never forget:

"I've been assailed for attacking the American institution, as it is called, Negro slavery. I am not ashamed of that attack," O'Connell said. "I did not shrink from it. I'm the advocate of civil and religious liberty, all over the globe, and wherever tyranny exists, I am the foe of the tyrant, wherever oppression shows itself, I am the foe of the oppressor; whenever slavery rears its head, I am the enemy of the system, or the institution, call it by whatever name you will. I am the friend of liberty in every creed, class and color. My sympathy with distress is not confined within the narrow bonds of my own green island. No, it extends itself to every corner of the earth. My heart walks abroad, and whenever the miserable or to be succored, or the slave to be set free, my spirit is at home, and I delight to dwell."

Douglass spent about four months in Ireland, speaking on slavery as well as temperance, and selling copies of his book to appreciative audiences. After Dublin, he visited Wexford, Waterford, Cork, Limerick, and Belfast.

See a recent discussion of the September 29, 1845 meeting by Professor Christine Kinealy, author of the book, Frederick Douglass and Ireland: In His Own Words.

Read more about Irish and Blacks in Boston.

Research + Text, Michael Quinlin

Comments

The Boston Celtics : The Story Behind Their Irish Green Theme

Bill Russell played for the Boston Celtics from 1956 to 1959 (This story was updated in March 2024) Many people wonder why the Boston Celtics wear shamrocks on their green uniforms and have a giant leprechaun smoking a cigar as their team logo. And why is the team mascot a guy named Lucky who looks like he stepped out of a box of Lucky Charms? According to the Boston Celtic’s official web site, the name came about in 1946 when owner Walter Brown started the team. He and his public relations guy, Howie McHugh, were throwing out potential nicknames, including the Whirlwinds, Unicorns and Olympics. It was Brown who had the epiphany, saying, “Wait, I’ve got it – the Celtics. The name has a great basketball tradition from the old Original Celtics in New York (1920s). And Boston is full of Irishman. We’ll put them in green uniforms and call them the Boston Celtics.” Red Auerbach , the now legendary coach of the early Celtics, then commissioned his brother Zang, a graphic d...

Boston Mayors of Irish Descent, 1885-2021

(Originally published in 2013, this post was updated in 2021) Here are the Mayors of Boston Claiming Irish Heritage: Hugh O’Brien 1885–88 Patrick Collins 1902–05 John F. Fitzgerald 1906–07, 1910–13 James M. Curley 1914–17, 1922–25, 1930–33, 1946–49 Frederick W. Mansfield 1934–37 Maurice Tobin 1938–41, 1941-44 John Kerrigan 1945 John B. Hynes 1950–59 John Collins 1960–68 Kevin H. White 1968–83 Raymond L. Flynn 1984–93 Martin J. Walsh 2014- 2021 The lineage of Boston mayors with Irish ancestry dates back to 1885, when Irish immigrant Hugh O'Brien of County Cork assumed office and became the first Irish-born mayor elected in Boston, serving four one-year terms (1885-88). O'Brien was followed by Irish-born Patrick Collins (1902-05), also of County Cork, who died in office in 1905. He was replaced by John F. Fitzgerald, who became the first American-born mayor of Irish descent, serving two terms. A noteworthy...

Visit these Public Memorials to John Boyle O'Reilly throughout Massachusetts

Born 180 years ago on June 28, 1844, John Boyle O’Reilly helped shape the history or Ireland and America in the late 19th century in powerful ways. Today, O'Reilly’s stature as a seminal figure in Irish and Irish-American history is particularly evident in his beloved birthplace of Dowth, County Meath; in Freemantle, Australia where he was imprisoned; and indeed, throughout the Irish Diaspora. O'REILLY LANDMARKS IN MASSACHUSETTS O’Reilly remains popular in Boston, New Bedford, Hull and Springfield where there is a selection of memorials and plaques, parks and city squares, library collections and Irish organizations honoring O’Reilly’s memory. In Boston, the John Boyle O’Reilly Memorial at the corner of Boylston Street and The Fens, not far from Fenway Park, was unveiled in 1896 by famed Concord sculptor Daniel French. The Memorial is part of Boston’s Irish Heritage Trail. In Charlestown, O’Reilly lived at 34 Winthrop Street, where there is a plaque in his honor. In 1988 t...

Irish Boston History & Heritage

Search This Blog