On the morning of 4 November 1729 one of the largest funeral processions seen in Dublin departed from a large house on Capel Street, on the north side of the city. This was the funeral of William Conolly, the wealthiest commoner in Ireland, speaker of the Irish house of commons, revenue commissioner, and ten times a lord justice. His house on Capel Street, demolished in the 1780s, was one of the finest, and largest, private dwelling houses in the city. It had been the centre of his political and domestic life for over twenty years, serving both as his primary residence, and as a regular venue for political and governmental cabals and cabinets. On the day of his funeral the main reception rooms and staircase were draped in black, in an ostentatious demonstration of his widow Katherine's mourning. Outside the official funeral party had gathered. The procession was led by one of seven funeral managers accompanied by six constables of the city, whose job it was to keep the anticipated crowds at bay. They were followed by sixty-seven poor men dressed in black, each one symbolising a year in Conolly's life. Next came the lord lieutenant, Lord Carteret, in his coach, followed by the lord mayor of Dublin, members of the Irish houses of lords and commons, marching two by two, and then the coffin carried by pall bearers drawn from the ranks of the privy council. There were over 700 mourners in total, each of whom was given a linen scarf, a gesture of support to the Irish linen industry that began a tradition which was to continue throughout the century.

Described by a contemporary as ‘the finest funeral seen in this kingdom, for many a year’, the procession continued down Capel Street, towards Essex Bridge. Alongside the bridge was a statue of George I, whom Conolly had served as de facto prime minister of Ireland for twelve years; across the river was Thomas Burgh's Custom House where Conolly had dominated proceedings as first commissioner of the revenue for the previous fifteen years; while just visible above the houses in the foreground was Dublin Castle, the centre of the British administration in Ireland.