have seen Ireland a kingdom; I reproach myself with having lived to behold her a province! Yes, I confess it—I will ever be candid upon the subject—I have an ulterior object—The Repeal of the Union, and the restoration to Old Ireland of her Independence. (Loud and repeated cheering, and acclamations for several minutes.)" - Meaning and context.">
QuotesCosmos
Speech (29 June 1813), quoted in The Select Speeches of Daniel O'Connell, M.P., Vol. I, ed. John O'Connell (1868), pp. 214-215
“

Next, your enemies accuse me of a desire for the independence of Ireland. I admit the charge, and let them make the most of it. I have seen Ireland a kingdom; I reproach myself with having lived to behold her a province! Yes, I confess it—I will ever be candid upon the subject—I have an ulterior object—The Repeal of the Union, and the restoration to Old Ireland of her Independence. (Loud and repeated cheering, and acclamations for several minutes.)

— Daniel O'Connell

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Next, your enemies accuse me of a desire for the independence of Ireland. I admit the charge, and let them make the most of it. I have seen Ireland a kingdom; I reproach myself with having lived to behold her a province! Yes, I confess it—I will ever be candid upon the subject—I have an ulterior object—The Repeal of the Union, and the restoration to Old Ireland of her Independence. (Loud and repeated cheering, and acclamations for several minutes.)" in the context of "Speech (29 June 1813), quoted in The Select Speeches of Daniel O'Connell, M.P., Vol. I, ed. John O'Connell (1868), pp. 214-215" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Daniel O'Connell" (Quotes, 1810s) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

Tags

#Daniel O'Connell#ireland#independence#acclamations#restoration#objectthe#reproach#province#subjecti#ulterior#repeated#cheering
Daniel O

About Daniel O'Connell

Daniel O'Connell (Irish language: Dónal Ó Conaill; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was a political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilisation of Catholic Ireland through to the poorest class of tenant farmer helped secure Catholic emancipation in 1829 and allowed him to take his seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom after he was elected a second time.