Episode 12 - General Daniel Florence O’Leary, Soldier and Diplomat

Born 1801, Cork city, the son of a butter merchant, eighth of ten children; answered a recruitment call, joining up in Guyana with the forces of Simon Bolivar, future liberator of much of South America; promoted through the ranks during conflicts in modern-day Venezuela, until appointed Brigadier General by Bolivar in 1830; moved to Kingston, Jamaica with his wife Soledad, who gave birth to first of nine children; in 1833 O’Leary returned to Venezuela and later received diplomatic appointments to London, Paris, Madrid and the Vatican; in 1841, appointed British Consul at Caracas, later British Consul-General at Bogota; died 1854 from complications following a brain haemorrhage; remains lie at the National Pantheon in Caracas.

Reference: Society for Irish Latin American Studies, http://www.irlandeses.org/dilab_olearydf.htm

The plaque is located at Elizabeth Fort, Barrack Street.

Contributor: Michael O'Leary, Historian and member of the General Daniel Florence O'Leary Association.

A Place in Time - Episode 12: General Daniel Florence O'Leary, Soldier & Diplomat by Conor O'Toole on Mixcloud