Soon O'Connell became the most famous man in Ireland. The British Government was afraid of his power. Over a million people were said to have gathered in Tara, Co. Meath in 1843 to support the demand for Home Rule for Ireland.
The meetings held by O'Connell were known as 'monster meetings' because of the huge numbers that attended them. One such meeting was supposed to take place in Clontarf in October of 1843, but it was banned by the British Prime Minister. Although O'Connell called off the meeting, he was jailed for three months.
Mass Meeting for Repeal in 1843 at Tara