Daniel O’Connell addresses Monster Meeting of 500,000? on Repeal in Skibbereen, June 1843, and Bandon, Skibbereen and Bantry connections with O’Connell with O’Donovan Rossa’ Recollections of ‘Wandmen’ at the Meeting.

O’Donovan Rossa’s recollections:

I told you I shook hands with O’Connell when he was coming from the great meeting in Skibbereen, in the year 1843. I remember the morning the Ross men were going to that meeting. Some of them had white wands. I see Dan Hart having one of those wands, regulating the men into line of march. Those wandmen were the peace-police of the procession. Paddy Donovan Rossa was prominent in command, giving out new Repeal buttons. Some years after, he was in New York with his wife and his six sons — all dead now: all belonging to him dead now, 1 may say. Meeting him here in the year 1863, I said to him — “Uncle Paddy, I remember you, the time you had all the Repeal buttons in Ross to free Ireland.” I was sorry for saying it, for the tears ran down his cheeks. The movement I myself as connected with ended no better, and we are in no position to say anything hurtful to O’Connellites. We all turned out to be O’Connellites, or Parnellites, which is much the same ; all putting our trust in England to free Ireland for us — “without striking a blow.” No, there were not ten men of the whole Fenian movement, and the whole I. R. B. movement in America, that did not turn in to the Parnell movement……

That is how Updated to include local references

Amhlaoibh Ó Suilleabháin…

https://durrushistory.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/election-of-daniel-oconnell-8th-july-1828-from-diary-of-amhlaoimh-o-suilleabhain-humphrey-osullivan/

Daniel O’Connell addresses Monster Meeting of 500,000 on Repeal in Skibbereen, June 1843, and Skibbereen and Bantry connections with O’Connell

https://durrushistory.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/daniel-oconnell-addresses-monster-meeting-of-500000-on-repeal-in-skibbereen-june-1843/

Daniel O’Connell in Bandon:

https://durrushistory.wordpress.com/2014/03/18/invitation-by-henry-townsend-dl-1839-on-behalf-of-the-reformers-of-the-west-riding-of-cork-to-daniel-oconnel-mp-to-dinner-in-bandon-co-cork-with-200-liberals-in-attendance-including-francis-ber/