Referred to as ‘The Liberator’, Daniel O’Connell was an Irish political leader in the early 19th Century. He campaigned for Catholic Emancipation and the right for Catholics to sit in the Westminster Parliament – which had been denied for over 100 years. The O’Connell statue was unveiled in 1882. It was made by Irish sculptor John Henry Foley who designed London’s Prince Albert Memorial statue.

In the 20th Century, the street in Dublin was renamed O’Connell Street in his honour, after the Irish Free State came into being. His heart is buried in Rome and his body is in Glasnevin Cemetery.

The monument is a prominent meeting place and is colloquially known as ‘The Angels’.