DANIEL O'CONNELL: THE EMANCIPATOR
Presented in partnership with University of Notre Dame and University College Cork
Sunday, March 1 • 1:45 PM • T2
Followed by a panel discussion with director Ruán Magan; Dr. Jay Roszman, Historian and Lecturer at the School of History, University College Cork; and Dr. Chanté Mouton Kinyon, Assistant Professor of English at University of Notre Dame moderated by Christopher Morash, Author & Diplomat.
Documentary Feature | North American Premiere
Screening generously sponsored by Andrew Clarke & Chip Sherrill
Written and directed by multi-award-winning filmmaker Ruán Magan and narrated by Domhnall Gleeson, this documentary celebrates the life and legacy of Daniel O’Connell. Marking the 250th anniversary of his birth, the film reveals how his campaigns reshaped Ireland’s political and cultural landscape—positioning O’Connell as a model for later figures, including Frederick Douglass, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. In his time, O’Connell was renowned across the world as a visionary statesman, reformer, and champion of human rights. Known as The Liberator and The Emancipator, O’Connell dedicated his life to the struggle towards achieving Catholic Emancipation, pioneering non-violent mass political mobilization, and inspiring democratic movements around the world. Featuring newly uncovered archival material, the film traces O’Connell’s journey from a young Catholic living under the oppression of British rule, to his rise as a lawyer and global advocate for justice.
DIR Ruán Magan; PROD Ruán Magan; CAST Domhnall Gleeson, Mary McAleese, Declan Kiberd, Jay Roszman, Patrick Geoghegan, Niamh Gallagher and Chanté Mouton-Kinyon; DOP Oliver Hegarty, Colm Hogan, Brian O’Leary; SCORE Colm Mac Con Iomaire. Ireland, 2025, color, 55 min. In English and Irish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Funded by RTÉ, University College Cork, and the University of Notre Dame.
🎟 For further information regarding bookings:
Please call 301-495-6720 between M-F, 9 AM - 5:30 PM or email silverinfo@AFI.com
As a director and producer, Ruán Magan’s work has reached audiences of millions throughout the US, Europe, Africa, India and China and has received over 40 international awards.
Notable projects include the feature film Báite (Moe Dunford, Juliette Crosbie, Eleanor O’Brien) the comedy-drama series, Wrecking the Rising (Peter Coonan, Owen McDonnell) and the documentaries, Our Blue World (narrated by Liam Neeson) Patrick (Ciarán Hinds), Steps of Freedom, The Irish Civil War (Brendan Gleeson) and 100 Years of Ulysses (Ann Skelly).
Dr. Chanté Mouton Kinyon is Assistant Professor of English at the University of Notre Dame. A scholar of transatlanticism and race, Mouton Kinyon investigates African American, Irish, and Caribbean literature and culture from the end of the nineteenth century to the present. In addition to her scholarship on the long history of the Irish-Black cultural exchange, her research also considers the transnationality of writers and art that is often limited to discussions of its national impact and significance in contrast to the very international explorations of the artists themselves. In particular, her scholarship focuses on performative material that articulates race and identity; her goal is to illuminate a narrative of cultural exchange that is rooted at the intersection of literature and history.
DINNER AND A MOVIE DEAL
Our festival partner, McGinty's Public House, has generously offered an ongoing discount from February 27 through March 2 for all CIFF ticket holders! When you dine at the restaurant, show your CIFF ticket or pass for a 10% off discount on your bill. Located just around the corner from AFI Silver Theatre, McGinty's (911 Ellsworth Dr, Silver Spring, MD 20910) is the perfect place to grab a bite to eat between screenings.
The Capital Irish Film Festival is supported by the Government of Ireland Emigrant Support Programme, Culture Ireland, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Embassy of Ireland, Northern Ireland Bureau, Northern Ireland Screen, and the Irish Film Institute’s IFI International Programme supported by Culture Ireland. Solas Nua is supported by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities.
