A PRESS STATEMENT FROM THE DANIEL O’CONNELL SUMMER SCHOOL (29/30 AUGUST 2025)
COMMEMORATING THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF DANIEL O’CONNELL
The annual Daniel O’Connell Summer School will be held on 29/30 August 2025.
The School’s Chairperson, Mary O’Connor, and the School’s Director, Professor Muiris Bric, said that this year’s School will be a special event in that it will mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of O’Connell on 6 August 1775.
The School has been in existence for fourteen years and we can see that it has grown from strength to strength, welcoming many returning visitors and for those who cannot attend in person, hosting on line.
Plans for the School 2025 are already at an advanced stage and will include the usual mix of short talks of local, national and international interest. We have also been in touch with other bodies which have similar plans and are happy be liaising with them.
Among these is the Glasnevin Trust with which the School has had a strategic partnership in recent years. This year is no exception. Indeed, together with the Trust, we hope to mark the anniversary at The O’Connell Monument in May, the details of which will be announced shortly. As usual, this will be held in Glasnevin Cemetery and will be attended by among others, members of the O’Connell family and representatives of public bodies.
At national level, the School has also been party to plans to hold two conferences on O’Connell and his legacies, which will be held in Dublin in May and July.
At local level, the School has be liaising with the South Kerry O’Connell 250 Committee, which is finalizing its own plans. This Committee is drawing together several local organizations to mark the event.
The School has also been liaising with another of our partners, the Office of Public Works, which, again, as in the past, continue to contribute generously to the work of the School as well as planning and promoting their events to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of O’Connell.
The school is also in touch with Kerry County Council, which has also supported the school for the past 14 years.
For our own part, our School will present its own programme on 29/30 August. This will be announced shortly. Building on the success of recent years, we have already received a number of enquiries. If the experience of recent years is anything to go by, they will enjoy their visit to South Kerry - and the people of South Kerry will enjoy welcoming and hosting everyone.
Further Informaton at 087-756-2772
