John Philpot Curran was an Irish orator, politician, wit, and lawyer renowned for employing his skills in defence of civil and political liberty. He first won popular acclaim in 1780, as the only lawyer in his circuit willing to represent a Catholic priest horsewhipped by an Anglo-Irish lord. In the 1790s he was celebrated as a champion of Catholic emancipation and reform in the Irish Parliament and as defence counsel in court for United Irishmen facing charges of sedition and treason. He was vocal in his opposition to Britain’s incorporation of Ireland in a United Kingdom.

Newmarket, historically known as Aghatrasna, is a town in the barony of Duhallow, County Cork, Ireland. It is situated at the junction of the R576 and R578 regional roads. Newmarket is within the Cork North-West Dáil constituency