Who Was Daniel O'Connell?

Daniel O' Connel 1775-1847 was an Irish nationalist and barrister.  He was a central figure in the Irish struggle for emancipation from the British.  O'Connell wanted passionately to improve the rights of Catholics by non-violent means.  He is still revered within Irish history today as the 'Liberator'.  
In 1823, O'Connell established the Catholic Association which sought to gain Irish freedom.  It was funded through duties which were paid by members of the Catholic Community.  This was commonly referred to as the Catholic Tax.
O'Connell was also instrumental in securing the rights of Catholics to sit in Parliament.  Indeed, he was one of the first to benefit from this and in 1830, he was voted in as the MP for County Clare.
His popularity rapidly dwindled though as Catholics increasingly began to become frustrated with Britain and wanted freedom at any cost.  O'Connell however, refused to relinquish his beliefs in a peaceful protest.