Derrynane House was the ancestral home of Daniel O'Connell, the Irish statesman who played an important role in gaining Catholic Emancipation in 1829. Today some 120 hectares of the lands of Derrynane, together with Derrynane House, make up Derrynane National Historic Park. Plantations and garden walks were laid out in the 18th and 19th Centuries, principally north and west of the house. Some features of the demesne are strongly associated with Daniel O'Connell, including the old summer house. The main area of the gardens, set inland and to the north of the house, can be reached through a tunnel under the road.