Historiography

The 1840s, which began with the formation of the National Association for Full Justice or Repeal, mark O'Connell's final seven years of political activity. It must be asked whether or not those years were the culminating point of his public life and whether, on the basis of this last campaign, he was more of a force for good than otherwise for Irish society and for Anglo–Irish relations in general. Undoubtedly, he failed to achieve the desired repeal of the Union, but, as historians have pointed out, he may never have believed this concession possible in the first place, his reasons for the campaign being more about securing interim concessions. In the sense that his activities led to Peel's reforms, he could thus be said to be indirectly successful. On attitudes in Britain, his impact was, most often, a sour one. By 1846, Punch magazine was calling him the real potato blight. Undoubtedly, he personified for many the epitome of the feckless, dishonest, semi-civilised ‘Paddy’, a stereotype increasingly potent in the Victorian worldview. But he cannot be faulted for the prejudices of others. Of greater moment is his effect on his country of birth. There, his agenda continued both to unite and to divide – ambivalence is once again a hallmark. Although the repeal campaign was explicitly and emphatically non-sectarian, it was largely a Catholic movement and the few Protestants who attached themselves to it were ‘eccentric or ultra-liberal’. Once again, the accusation of divisiveness may be made.