My Freemasonry | Freemason Information and Discussion Forum

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Daniel O'Connell, "The Great Liberator", 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847

Bloke

Premium Member
Freemasonry ~ “Philanthropy, unconfined by nation, colour, sect or religion”
W.Bro. Daniel O'Connell, "The Liberator", Past Master Lodge No. 189..

Anyone who knows Irish history will know the name "Dan O'Connell".

If you've been to a large city inhabited by the Irish Diaspora - it might well have a Dan O'Connel Pub; with good reason, he is a hero of Irish Politics and Irish political reform, particularly in trying to restore rights for people of the Catholic Faith.

He was a Catholic lawyer who became the first Irish National leaders and heroes of the nineteenth century..

Wikipedia says
Daniel O'Connell (Irish: Dónall Ó Conaill; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), often referred to as The Liberator[1] or The Emancipator,[2] was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century. He campaigned for Catholic emancipation—including the right for Catholics to sit in the Westminster Parliament, denied for over 100 years—and repeal of the Act of Union which combined Great Britain and Ireland.

What the Wikipedia article does not mention is that Dan was a Freemason.

Now, this often confuses the hell out of people. It conflicts with their understanding of Irish Catholics in Ireland being anti-Freemason and Freemasons as anti-catholic but we know that's not the reality of things - Regular jurisdictions ban the discussion of religion and politics and do not discriminate based on religion. Today, there are many catholic Freemasons and in a catholic countries like the Philippines, Freemasonry is HUGE. However that's not a modern development - in the past Freemasonry has had many catholic members, as it indeed has today.

O'Connell even acted as Grand Register for the Grand Lodge of Ireland, for a time he would have been a prominent and important Freemason doing a demanding voluntary role for the Craft. He did not just get his degrees but was actively involved in the Craft.

All that said, he did resign. Some say this is under pressure from the Bishop of Dublin (who certainly pressured him, and further instructed him to write to a Dublin Newspaper), but O'Connell's main problem was he felt there was a problem with "the oath", which is right out of Rome's objections to Freemasonry and also as he was a temperance advocate, we did a bit too much drinking.... He should have joined a dry lodge...



Dan O'Connell was Initiated in 1799 in Masonic Lodge No. 189, Dublin. O’Connell’s name was entered on Grand Lodge Ireland's roll with 25 others on the 2nd April, 1799, but the exact day of his initiation is unknown. He was the W.M. of No. 189 in 1800, an affiliate member of Ancient Union Lodge No. 13, Limerick City and the Founding Senior Warden of Lodge No. 886, Tralee, County Kerry. Irish Rolls bears his signature under date of 24th July, 1813, as Counsel representing the Grand Lodge of Ireland. On 19th April, 1837 he wrote a letter to the newspaper the "Pilot" acknowledging his past membership and that he had left Freemasonry after becoming aware of ecclesiastic censure of our Fraternity also saying Oaths on the Bible were not compatible with his faith. In that letter he writes he “unequivocally renounced Freemasonry” also saying “Freemasonry in Ireland may be said to have, apart from its oaths, no evil tendency, save as far as it may counteract, in some degree, the exertions of those most laudable and useful institutions— institutions deserving of every encouragement — the Temperance Societies.”

The above is sourced from here
 
Last edited:
Top