Venezuela celebrates Irish liberation hero

Flower wreaths adorned the tomb of an Irishman who fought alongside South American independence hero Simon Bolivar as Irish descendants and admirers held a ceremony yesterday to remember the foreigner who helped Venezuela win independence from Spain.

Daniel Florence O’Leary became Bolivar’s aide-de-camp and rose to the rank of general before Venezuela became independent in 1821. O’Leary lived out much of the rest of his life in present-day Colombia, and his tomb lies near Bolivar’s remains in Venezuela’s National Pantheon.