It may come as a surprise to some, but Daniel O’Connell, who although in his political life deplored the use of violence, took part in and won a duel in Bishops’ Court, County Kildare in 1815. His opponent was an experienced duellist by the name of John D’Esterre and it was widely regarded that O’Connell would lose. D’Esterre, a former royal marine was a crack shot of whom it was said he could snuff out a candle from nine yards with a pistol shot. It wasn’t his first duel, himself having challenged an opponent in court to a duel only two years previous, though on that occasion, he backed down at the last minute and the duel did not take place.
The cause of the duel was a political speech made by O’Connell to the Catholic Board on 22nd January, 1815 in which he described the ascendancy-managed Dublin Corporation as beggarly. D’Esterre, at the time nearing bankruptcy took this as a personal insult and sent O’Connell a letter demanding a withdrawal of the statement. When this letter went unanswered, he sent a second letter which O’Connell responded to, asking D’Esterre if he wanted to challenge him, why hadn’t he yet done so. D’Esterre set out to provoke O’Connell into a challenge, and at one stage ventured out onto the streets of Dublin looking for him, horsewhip in hand only to be forced into seeking refuge in a sympathetic home, such was the crowd that began to follow him around.
The Liberator, Daniel O’Connell
Days passed, and the bubbling tension between the two had become the talk of the town and finally a challenge was laid down by D’Esterre, and a letter sent to O’Connell’s second. Jimmy Wren’s “Crinan Dublin” names Sir Edward Stanley of 9 North Cumberland Street as D’Esterre’s second and an Irish Press article from 1965 names Major MacNamara a protestant from Clare as O’Connell’s.
The duel was to take place on Lord Ponsonby’s demesne at Bishops’ Court, Co. Kildare on the afternoon of the challenge and the weapons of choice were pistols, provided by a man named Dick Bennett, and both pistol’s had notches on their butts to denote kills made by the weapon. Both parties were limited to one shot each, leading Stanley to retort “five and twenty shots will not suffice unless O’Connell apologises!” A light snow shower fell as a crowd gathered and the men took their places. D’Esterre shot first, but miscalculated and fired too low, and in doing so, missed. O’Connell returned fire, hitting and wounding D’Esterre in the groin, the bullet lodging in the base of his spine. D’Esterre fell, and the crowd roared. As much of a crack shot as D’Esterre was, O’Connell was a better one, having trained in case such an eventuality might come about.
An engraving of the duel that appeared in the Irish Magazine, March 1815
As they made their way back to Dublin, the news spread before them and the route home was lined with blazing bonfires. Although O’Connell boasted that he could have placed his shot wherever he wanted, he did not intend to kill D’Esterre, and was shaken to find that the man had bled to death two days later. D’Esterre, as was said was bordering on bankruptcy, and on his death, bailiffs moved in and seized anything of value from his home. Saddened by the outcome, O’Connell offered to half his income with D’Esterre’s family but the offer was all-but-refused, however, an allowance for his daughter was accepted, which was paid regularly until O’Connell’s death over thirty years later. He would never duel again, and from then on often wore a glove or wrapped a handkerchief around the hand that fired the fatal shot while attending church or passing the door of D’Esterre’s widow.
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Donal
Ciarán
Sam
Come Here To Me! 
Really interesting! Wish we had more politicians like him today: He stood by his convictions and did what he had to do, but also retained his humanity, dignity and compassion. The last two sentences are the most telling.
Thank´s God we have not such fights” in the name of the honor” this days;it can cost a family for generations.
I´m not sure that the survivor was more wisdom than the other.
(sorry for my english but i hope you understand what i mean)
From then on, O’Connell wore a black glove on his right hand (which had fired the shot) when receiving the eucharist, as described by Joyce in Finnegans Wake 52.28-30: “and the gauntlet upon the hand which in an hour not for him solely evil had struck down the might he mighthavebeen d’Esterre.” Joyce was related to O’Connell on his father’s side, who extremely proud of the connection, even though he was a Kerryman and Joyce’s father was from Fermoy …
Love to see a duel between Ming and Phil Hogan
Ming v Big Phil:
one too stoned to shoot straight and the opposition is along the lines of “hitting a barn door with a banjo”.
Hhmm, imagine Martin v Peter Punt Robinson. Charlie wud have chickened out b4 duelling w Garrett. A duel betw Silvio Berlisconi v Angela Merkle would be best as med-wrestling.
If Enda was to entertain by duelling then the audience would turn the guns on themselves as he’s so fkg boring.
[…] someone dead in a duel. Some info on a duel in which Daniel O'Connell killed his challenger here: Daniel O’Connell’s last duel | Come here to me! (not after an exchange parliament strictly, but still) Back then, you were expected to fight your […]
Ciarán: very interesting article. I have a family interest in this incident and I’m curious about some of your sources of information. I’d be most grateful if you would PM me -I’ll then write in more detail. Many thanks, John
I have a friend who is related to John D’Esteree, she is researching her family tree, She is also related to Lord Norcotte from the Cork area,, and Captain Roberts , Captain of the first steam ship to cross the Atlantic any information you have would be much appreciated
if someone is researching family tree of d’esterre family, check out list of inscriptions on the headstones at Drumcannon graveyard, Tramore Co.Waterford. John d’Esterre’s grave is there – he was apparently visiting Tramore to attend a wedding, fell ill there, and died. see Journal of the Old Waterford Society, No.45, Spring 1992 for a few more details – (available on Waterford County Council (Library) website .
[…] Dublin. Even Daniel O’Connell got in on the act, and we’ve previously looked at his last duel in 1815 on the site […]
last entry from me should have read:
John d’Esterre’s FATHER’S grave is there…sorry about that
d’Esterre’s brother Henry was married to a Vereker lady a direct ancestor of Lord Gort of Dunkirk fame. Anyhow Henry was jailed in 1820 for cooking the books of Limerick Corporation and when Thomas Spring Rice appealed losing the 1820 election in Limerick it was found that Henry, who was the Recorder, had recorded all too well. d’Esterre lived at Rossmanagher near Bunratty Castle. Bunratty was restored by Jack Vereker (Lord Gort) when he retired from the British Army.