Bureaucratic delays tied up return of ‘Liberator’ painting
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It took more than two years for Ireland to accept the gift of a painting of Daniel O’Connell from a bank, after concerns that the Irish parliament was only receiving a copy of the original portrait. O’Connell, known as The Liberator, was known for his campaigns of Catholic emancipation and drive towards the repeal of the act of union between Great Britain and Ireland.
He also had a career as a banker – where he was immortalised in an 1838 portrait that became the subject of a years-long campaign. Newly released files from the National Archives in Dublin show a protracted process in which plans to display that original portrait in the Irish parliament buildings were changed, sparking some concern and a desire for a “low-key” handover ceremony for a copy.
The repatriation of the portrait dates back to early 2001, when Irish diplomat Dan Mulhall contacted the chief executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) about the portrait of O’Connell which he came across at an exhibition in Edinburgh. Mr Mulhall suggested that the portrait be moved to Ulster Bank in Dublin, given that RBS – now part of NatWest – had acquired the bank.
The painting is understood to have originally been commissioned by one of the National Bank of Ireland’s early directors, an organisation for which O’Connell was chairman. The National Bank was split up and a section of it, including the painting, was purchased by the National Commercial Bank of Scotland which later became part of RBS.
