THROUGH THE ARCHIVES: The ‘O’Connell tribute’ collected at Belfast

From the News Letter, November 26, 1845
By Darryl Armitage
Published 26th Nov 2020, 06:00 BST
Daniel O'Connell, hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th centuryDaniel O'Connell, hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century
Daniel O'Connell, hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century

On Sunday last “the ungodly and Sabbath-breaking” work of collecting the O’Connell tribute had been renewed, reported the News Letter on this day in 1845.

The paper continued: “We are not yet aware of the additions to the amount of the former Sunday’s collection which may have been made. If it does not answer the expectations of the Belfast Repealers, they will not, at all events, be able to blame the weather, as the cause of their disappointment, for the day was as dry as Mr O’Connell could have wished.”

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Referring to the collection taken up on November 16 the sums given were £2,385 in Dublin, £757 in Cork and £216 in Clonmel, while a “shabby” £179 had been collected in Belfast.

Daniel O'Connell, hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th centuryDaniel O'Connell, hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century
Daniel O'Connell, hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century

The News Letter then turned its attention the “local organ” of the Repealers in Belfast – The Vindicator.

The News Letter noted: “Nothwithstanding the publication of the result in the Dublin papers and in the Vindicator, there was an ‘ominous silence’ on the subject among the Roman Catholics of Belfast, in their local organ. The Vindicator knows right well what the gist of our argument was, while he labours to divert the attention of the public from the main point [ie the lack of support for O’Connell in Belfast].”

The News Letter concluded that it was a fair inference from this lack of support that Belfast was “a little too far north” for O’Connell and his agents.

Related topics:Belfast

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