A new documentary celebrating the life and legacy of Daniel O’Connell to mark the 250th anniversary of his birth will be screened at Siamsa Tíre, Tralee, on Wednesday 10th December 2025.
Paying Tribute
This one-hour documentary, produced by Create One traces O’Connell’s journey from his origins as young Catholic living under the oppression of British rule, to his rise as a lawyer and global advocate for justice. Written and directed by multi-award-winning filmmaker, Ruán Magan and narrated by Domhnall Gleeson, the documentary features insights from leading scholars, including Mary McAleese, Declan Kiberd, Jay Rosman, Patrick Geoghegan, Niamh Gallagher and Chanté Mouton-Kinyon.
“The values of democracy and solidarity. The search for ways to build alliances. The willingness to innovate and evolve over time. These are at the core of O’Connellism and they are more relevant today than they have ever been.”
An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin TD
A Visionary & Reformer
In his time, O’Connell was renowned across the world as a visionary statesman, reformer, and champion of human rights. Known as The Liberator and The Emancipator, O’Connell dedicated his life to the struggle to achieve Catholic Emancipation, pioneered non-violent mass political mobilization, and inspired democratic movements around the world.
"Upon the subject of slavery in general and American slavery in particular, Mr. O’Connell said: ‘wherever oppression shows itself, I am the foe of the oppressor; wherever slavery rears its head, I am the enemy of the system’”.
Frederick Douglass
Equality Through Peaceful Means
Featuring newly uncovered archival material and a beautiful, original score by Colm Mac Con Iomaire, the documentary reveals how O’Connell’s campaigns reshaped Ireland’s political and cultural landscape and positioned O’Connell as a model for later figures, including Frederick Douglass, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr.
This is O'Connell's language: That all are born equal, and that it is their nature to have as part of their human dignity, right to freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of opinion, freedom of conscience.
Mary McAleese, former president of Ireland
FOR A NEW GENERATION
This documentary is a Create One production, in association with RTÉ, University of Notre Dame and University College Cork, with the support of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Producer Ruán Magan's intention is to reintroduce Daniel O'Connell to a new generation, as he "was not only a transformative leader for Ireland. His ideas and methods reverberated far beyond his time, influencing struggles for liberty, inclusion, and equality that continue today."
