1.1.3.2 The Failure of the Repeal Association

• At a meeting held at Tara in 1843, it was estimated that 750,000 people were present. Despite such a presence, British policymakers strongly supported the union and thought that giving into O'Connell's demands would dismantle the empire
• In October 1843, the British Parliament banned a meeting of the Repeal Association to be held in Clontarf. As O'Connell wanted to operate within the law, he cancelled the gathering
• The failed meeting signalled the end of the repeal movement because it undermined the principle that a peaceful organisation could force change. Unwilling to offer an aggressive challenge, and having lost credibility, O'Connell's movement had diminished by 1844