Daniel O'Connell ("the liberator") was a major Irish politician active in the 1840s.

He was originally a leader of Catholic Emancipation, but in the 1840s he lead the "Repeal" movement which called for the Act of Union to be repealed; in game this would be represented as Ireland becoming a personal Union nation as opposed to annexed, I suppose.

Anyhow, he was incredibly popular and in the 1841 elections he won 22 seats. He'd make a great agitator or leader of the rural folk in Ireland at that time.