O’Con·nell (?-k?n??l), Daniel Known as “the Liberator.” 1775-1847. Irish political leader. He founded the Catholic Association (1823) and was a leader in the struggle for Catholic emancipation and reform of the Irish government.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.