An Explanation Will Be In Order

Not the same Daniel

Americans following President Obama's itinerary through Ireland will note that he plans to stop at Glasnevin Cemetery and possibly lay a wreath at the grave of Daniel O'Connell.

That singer, they'll say, did he die? And so young.

You're thinking of Daniel O'Donnell and it's not the same Daniel at all. Have no fear. You can still hear your one warble tunes when next you vacation in Branson, Missouri.

This one we're talking about

The President wishes to demonstrate his African roots by paying homage to a man who was, among many things, a fierce abolitionist.

Daniel O'Donnell is called 'The Liberator' and his name is cherished in Ireland.

He came of age when Catholics were legally banned from sitting in Parliament. So great was the injustice that O'Donnell took a stand, speaking against the Union of Ireland and England which did away with the Irish Parliament and further weakened the rights of Catholics.

England fought back, passing laws and regulations to rein in the agitating Catholics and keep the Protestant Ascendancy in place. O'Connell's goal became emancipation for Ireland's Catholics. Frederick Douglass, a champion of emancipation, called on O'Connell while visiting Ireland in 1845.

President Obama will visit O'Connell's grave, just as Frederick Douglass visited the man himself. It's loads of symbolism, although Mr. Obama may not wish to remind everyone of the strong religious bias that once existed in Ireland, and continues to fester in the north.

If the journalists could please not put much emphasis on Daniel O'Connell's strong religious faith and the esteem with which he's held by the Catholic Church? No need to remind the voters that the Catholic Church isn't holding Mr. Obama in high regard these days.