The mutual admiration and support of Frederick Douglass and Daniel O’Connell
It was quite a thrill to meet Don Mullan and Kristin Leary, co-founders of the Frederick Douglass Ireland Project, and to hear their joint presentation of the project.
They even brought the Frederick Douglass statute with them from Ireland, and put it on display at the Rocky Mountain Irish Festival.
I was aware that Douglass and Daniel O;Connell were contemporaries, but I was unaware, until this presentation, that Douglass travelled through Ireland, met O’Connell, and was deeply moved by the shared struggles of the Irish in Ireland and African slaves in America.
You can also read about how a 7th grade student, for an English report, found Douglass’ birthplace in Maryland – proving all the prior “experts” wrong.