The Daniel O’Connell School will reconvene over the weekend of Friday 28th and Saturday 29th August 2026. On Friday, 28 August, the School will be held at the Ring of Kerry Hotel, Cahersiveen (at the western end of the town). The School on Saturday, 29 August, will be held in Derrynane House, Caherdaniel.
Those who intend to attend the School (on either or both days) must pre-register. This may be done through our website (www.danieloconnellsummerschool.com) where those registering will be asked to pay an attendance fee €35 per day or €60 for the two days. The registration fee includes morning coffee/tea. Those who do not have access to online may register by calling 087-7562772.
For those not attending the School in person, the lectures will be live-streamed from Cahersiveen on Friday, 28 August. Saturday’s lectures in Derrynane will be recorded and will be available for viewing from 6 September. Access to both the live stream and recorded lectures is available by purchasing an Online Access Pass (€20) through Eventbrite. For updates on the programme, please refer to the School’s website.
On Friday, 28 August, lunch can be purchased in the Ring of Kerry Hotel, Cahersiveen or in any of the town’s restaurants. On Saturday, 29 August, lunch will be provided by Ahamore Tea Rooms in Derrynane House. Lunch coupons may be purchased at the registration desk on Saturday morning. Please pre-purchase a lunch coupon to avoid delays.
We want to thank those who have supported the School in the past and who continue to encourage us to continue it into the future.
PROGRAMME
Day 1: Friday, 28 August 2026, Ring of Kerry Hotel, Cahersiveen
9.30 am: Introduction to the School by Prof. Ursula Kilkelly. Dr. Kilkelly is a Professor of Law in International Children's Rights and Youth Justice in UCC, where she is also Vice-President for Global Engagement.
9.40 am: Opening Session: How Public Policy is Framed and Reported
As a Member of Government between 1997 and 2007, John O’Donoghue has played a significant role in how public policy is ultimately agreed, not least as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (1997-2002) as the Good Friday Agreement (1998) was negotiated and finalised.
As a career diplomat with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Tim O’Connor was among those who were tasked with the day-to-day running of these decisions. Tim has served as Consul General in New York, Co-Director of the Anglo-Irish Secretariat in Armagh and Secretary General to the President of Ireland.
As a columnist, commentator and one of Ireland’s leading journalists, Mick Clifford writes about public policy, principally in the Irish Examiner. He also hosts the Mick Clifford Podcast. He has received numerous awards for his journalism and has published five books. He was born and raised in Cahersiveen.
11.15 am: Coffee Break
11.45 pm: This session on ‘the Irish in Britain’ will be chaired by Daithí O Ceallaigh, former Ambassador of Ireland to the UK and former Chair of the Press Council. The speakers will include Prof. Enda Delaney of the University of Edinburgh, where he is also the Director of Research at the Edinburgh Futures Institute (2024-26). He is the recipient of numerous awards and research grants and is a long-standing authority on the history and impact of the Irish in Britain.
Dr. Christopher Kissane is a historian who is affiliated with the London School of Economics. He is an acclaimed writer and presents the Ireland’s Edge Podcast. He is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and Balliol College Oxford. Recently, he curated the much acclaimed ‘Irish in Britain’ exhibition at the Irish Museum of Emigration in Dublin.
Fr. Tomas Looney retired as PP of Fossa in 2019, having served in a number of parishes in the Diocese of Kerry. Prior to that, and after his ordination in 1969, he was Emigrant Chaplain in Wembley.
1.00 pm: Lunch Break
3:00 pm The Daniel O’Connell Lecture and Award, 2026. (Details will be announced on 10 August)
5.00 pm: Con Keating Memorial Park, Cahersiveen: “A South Kerry Salute to the Special Olympics’
As former Chairman of the Skelligs Stars, Denis Daly will talk about the activities and achievements of The Stars in promoting sport in South Kerry as well as in organising the wider activities of its members, supporters and friends. The event will be addressed by Norma Foley TD, Minister for Children, Disability and Equality
Day 2: Saturday, 29 August 2026. Derrynane House, Caherdaniel
9.30 am: Introduction: Chris O’Neill, Office of Public Works
9.40 am: Prof. Eda Sagarra, Registrar Emerita, Trinity College Dublin, will chair a commemorative panel on the 1826 Election in Waterford. The Speakers will include Muiris Bric, Director of the Daniel O’Connell Summer School, and Prof. Irene Whelan, of Manhattonville College, New York. Irene is the author of The Bible War in Ireland: The Second Reformation’ and the Polarization of Protestant-Catholic Relations 1800-1840 (2005).
11.15 am: Coffee Break
11.45 am: The Heritage of South Kerry
Emer Ring is Dean of Education at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, and will chair a panel which will feature Prof. Jane Moore of the University of Cardiff, where she lectures on British and Irish Romanticism. She will talk about the writings and music of Thomas Moore and his influence on the music of nineteenth century Ireland.
Breandán O Cíobháin lives in Ventry and is a well-known authority on placenames and what they reveal about local and regional history. Breandán will talk about the placenames of Iveragh.
Prof. John O’Halloran is President of UCC. Prior to assuming his current position, he held a number of leadership positions in UCC. He is Professor of Zoology and has written or co-written some 250 research papers. He also maintains a particular interest on the fauna of South Kerry.
1.00 pm: Lunch Break
2:15 pm: Legacies and Obituaries
This session will include a talk by Dr. Declan Downey of the School of History, University College Dublin. Declan is a widely published researcher on the Irish in Europe and is a Member of the Academy of Spain and will speak on ‘South Kerry Families at the Imperial Court’.
Prof. Eda Sagarra is Professor Emerita of German in Trinity College Dublin, where she was also the first woman to hold the post of Registrar, the University’s second most senior position. Her involvement in many of the State’s initiatives in higher education is documented in her autobiography, Living with My Century (2022). She was also pro-Chancellor of Trinity College. Eda will speak on ‘the Influence of Daniel O’Connell on Germany’
Prof. Joe Brady taught geography in Carysfort College Dublin and thereafter, in UCD where he specialised in urban planning. His particular interest in Dublin has led him, in collaboration with his former colleague Anngret Simms, to publish a series of books entitled The Making of Dublin City. Joe will speak on the ceremonial and arrangements which were made for O’Connell’s burial in Glasnevin in May 1847.
Day 3 – Special Event Hosted by the Office of Public Works (OPW)
The following event is organised and hosted by the Office of Public Works (OPW).
Sunday, 30 August 2026, 11.00 am
Office of Public Works, Derrynane House, Caherdaniel
On the occasion of the presentation of a brooch owned by Mary O’Connell by Nicola Fitz-simons, great-great-great-granddaughter of Daniel O’Connell, to Derrynane House, the Office of Public Works will present a commentary on the wife of ‘The Liberator’ by Sophie Twomey, Guide at Derrynane House, and Jessica Fahy, Historian of Art.
Tickets for this event may be reserved on Eventbrite or contact Derrynane House at 066-9475113 or email
2.30 pm: Paddy Bushe will lead a tour of the House’s nearby Meadow Walk; places are limited, pre-booking is essential. To book, email
An Scoil 2026
Chuir Dómhnall Ó Conaill tús le cultúr nua i bpolaitíocht na hÉireann agus na hEorpa. Duine mór le rá ab ea é sa Bhreatain agus cáil air mar óráidí ag treisiú an liobrálachais. Eiseamlár do lucht polaitíochta ins na Stáit Aontaithe ab ea é maidir lena shlite polaitíochta agus mar a mheall sé an gnáth-phobal chun páirt a ghlacadh i bpolaitíocht na tíre. D’fhág sé rian fé leith ar chás na nIúdach agus cás na mílte a bhí brúite fé smacht ag an sclábhaíocht. Dlíodóir iomráiteach ab ea é agus bhí baint mhór aige le cúrsaí gnó na hÉireann. Déanfaidh an Scoil Samhraigh an méid seo a iniúchadh, a scagadh agus a cheistiú.
For further information, please contact
Mary O’Connor : Tel: 087 2805702 : email:
OR
Phil O’Neill: Tel: 087-7562772.
The School’s website is at www.danieloconnellsummerschool.com
The Daniel O’Connell School acknowledges the encouragement and financial assistance which we receive from our Sponsors, including the Office of Public Works, Department of Culture, Communication & Sport, Kerry County Council, Walshe’s Supervalu of Cahersiveen, and the Glasnevin Cemetery Trust.
