Daniel O'Connell is a great-great-great-grandson of The Liberator, Daniel O’Connell. He has been a frequent visitor to Derrynane since 1959, spending all his childhood summers at the Boathouse in Derrynane Harbour. It was in Derrynane that he met his wife, Cathy; they were married in the chapel at Derrynane House, where they also christened their three children.
Daniel enjoyed a successful career as a senior executive with Exxon Chemical, working across Europe, America, and the Middle East - always returning to Derrynane with his family two to three times a year.
One of his earliest childhood memories is of watching the Army Band march up the road to Derrynane House during the handover ceremony from his grandfather, Captain Maurice, to President Éamon de Valera, a moment that left a lasting impression.
