| Honorific Prefix: | The Right Honourable |
| Denis Daly | |
| Honorific Suffix: | PC (Ire) |
| Office: | Member of Parliament for Galway Borough |
| Term Start: | 1790 |
| Term End: | 1791 |
| Predecessor: | Anthony Daly Denis Bowes Daly |
| Alongside: | Sir Skeffington Smyth, 1st Bt |
| Successor: | Peter Daly Sir Skeffington Smyth, 1st Bt |
| Office1: | Member of Parliament for County Galway |
| Term Start1: | 1768 |
| Term End1: | 1790 |
| Alongside1: | Lord Dunkellin, William Trench |
| Successor1: | William Trench Joseph Blake |
| Office2: | Member of Parliament for Galway Borough |
| Term Start2: | 1783 |
| Term End2: | 1783 |
| Alongside2: | Denis Bowes Daly |
| Successor2: | Denis Bowes Daly Anthony Daly |
| Term Start3: | 1767 |
| Term End3: | 1768 |
| Predecessor3: | John Eyre Hon. Richard FitzPatrick |
| Alongside3: | John Eyre |
| Birth Date: | 1748 |
| Education: | Christ Church, Oxford |
| Parents: | James Daly Catherine Gore |
| Children: | 8, including James and Robert |
| Relations: | John Robert Godley (grandson) |
Denis Daly (1748 – 10 October 1791) of Carrownakelly and Dunsandle Castle, Loughrea, County Galway, was an Irish landowner and politician.
His father was James Daly of Carrownakelly and Dunsandle Castle in County Galway, and his mother was Catherine Gore, daughter of Sir Ralph Gore, 4th Baronet and his second wife Elizabeth Ashe. He was the eldest of five sons. His siblings included St George Daly, judge of the Court of King's Bench (Ireland). He was the great-grandson of Denis Daly, judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland). Though traditionally Roman Catholics, and of Gaelic origin, the Dalys had been able to hold on to their lands by converting to the Protestant faith and forsaking their allegiance to the Stuart dynasty.
He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, but there is no record of his taking a degree there.
Daly owned estates in County Mayo, County Galway, County Clare, and County Limerick. He had to sell off half of these estates to pay his debts, but on his marriage to Lady Henrietta Maxwell, his fortunes once again increased. His family residence was Carrownakelly Castle, in the parish of Kiltullagh, where the Dalys had lived for several generations, but he moved some four miles south towards Loughrea where he built Dunsandle House, sometime in the mid-18th century. In 1769 and 1772 he served as Mayor of Galway.
Daly was a friend of Henry Grattan, who had great respect for his political skills, and like him sat in the Irish House of Commons. Between 1767 and 1768, he was Member of Parliament for Galway Borough. Subsequently, he represented County Galway until 1790, and then Galway Borough again until 1792. In 1783, he was also elected for the latter constituency, but chose not to sit. He never held high ministerial office but was appointed Muster Master-General. He was a fine orator but did not often speak in Parliament; when he did it was usually from a carefully prepared script.
He had a reputation for laziness, but he was intelligent, good-humoured, and a fine classical scholar. Grattan called him one of the best and brightest characters Ireland had ever produced, and said that his early death was a tragedy for his country. Grattan even suggested that Daly's wisdom and moderation, had he lived, might have prevented the Irish Rebellion of 1798.[1]
In 1780, Daly married Lady Henrietta Maxwell (d. 1852), the only daughter of Robert Maxwell, 1st Earl of Farnham and Henrietta Cantillon, widow of the 3rd Earl of Stafford. Together, they were the parents of two sons and six daughters, including:
His widow died at a great age in 1852.
Through his eldest son James, he was grandfather of seven, including Denis Daly, 2nd Baron Dunsandle and Clanconal and Skeffington Daly, 3rd Baron Dunsandle and Clanconal.[4]
Through his daughter Katharine, he was a grandfather of John Robert Godley (who married Charlotte Griffith-Wynne and was the father of Arthur Godley, 1st Baron Kilbracken) and William Godley (who married Laura Bird and was the father of Gen. Sir Alexander Godley).[4]