When was the Fall Line Freeway constructed?

The Fall Line Freeway (FLF; also signed as State Route 540 (SR 540)) is a highway designed to span the width of the U.S. state of Georgia from the Alabama state line, in Columbus to Augusta, traveling through several cities including Macon, Milledgeville, and Sandersville. It is composed of both limited-access and high-speed divided highway portions. It is planned to become part of the proposed eastern extension of Interstate 14. As of August 2018, the Fall Line Freeway is 100% open to traffic. Between August 2017 and July 2018, the highway was completed. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) announced that the highway was officially signed as SR 540 on September 24, 2018.

Fall Line Freeway

Contrary to its description as a "freeway," the Fall Line Freeway is a four-lane divided highway, except a short section within Wrens and four freeway sections: following the J.R. Allen Parkway (part of US 80/SR 22), which is the bypass north of Columbus, Interstate 75 (I-75) from Byron to Macon, I-16 in Macon, and part of the Scottsboro–Sandersville segment. The highway is designed to assist the flow of commercial traffic, providing an easier path for freight trucks carrying goods between Columbus and Augusta avoiding Atlanta. Much of the route follows US 80, SR 96, SR 24, SR 88, and US 1/SR 4, while other parts are separate alignments, such as most of the portion between Scottsboro and Sandersville.

SR 540 and the FLF begin on an unnamed bridge over the Chattahoochee River, at the Alabama state line, on the Phenix City, Alabama–Columbus city line, concurrent with U.S. Route 80 (US 80) and SR 22. The state line is also the western terminus of SR 22. On the Alabama side of the state line, US 80 (and the unsigned designation Alabama State Route 8) travel on the J.R. Allen Parkway, a freeway into Phenix City. On the Georgia side, US 80, SR 22, SR 540, and the FLF utilize the parkway as a bypass of most of Columbus. They head to the east-northeast and curve to the northeast. Immediately, they have an interchange with the northern terminus of SR 22 Connector (SR 22 Conn.; Manchester Expressway). Just over later, they meet SR 219 (River Road). After an interchange with Bradley Park Drive, they meet Interstate 185 (I-185 and its unsigned companion designation SR 411) and US 27/SR 1 (Veterans Parkway). On the eastbound side is also access to Moon Road, which has a separate exit on the westbound side. The highways then meet Blackmon and Schomburg roads. After a curve to the southeast, the freeway ends, and the roadway changes to a divided highway. Almost immediately, they have an interchange with US 27 Alternate (US 27 Alt.) and SR 85. They curve to the east-northeast and then meet the eastern terminus of SR 22 Spur (Macon Road). They travel in a generally northeastern direction until entering Upatoi. There, they curve to the southeast. Then, they curve back to the east-northeast and cross over Baker Creek, where they leave the city limits of Columbus and Muscogee County and enter Talbot County.

The highways continue to the east-northeast and travel just to the north of Box Springs. After beginning to head to the northeast, they cross over Rockmore and Upatoi creeks and intersect the northern terminus of SR 355. They curve to an easterly direction and intersect SR 41, which joins the concurrency. US 80, SR 22, SR 41, SR 540, and the FLF curve to the northeast and enter Geneva. In the central part of the city, US 80, SR 22, and SR 41 make a left turn to the north-northwest at the western terminus of SR 96. Here, SR 540 and the FLF take the beginning of SR 96 to the northeast. Almost immediately, they intersect the western terminus of SR 240. The roadway curves to the east-southeast and leaves Geneva. The highways then intersect a former segment of SR 96. Then, they begin a gradual curve to the northeast. Right after they begin curving back to the south-southeast, they begin a concurrency with SR 90. Approximately later, SR 90, SR 96, SR 540, and the FLF intersect another former segment of SR 96. The highways then enter Junction City. They curve to the east-southeast and intersect Old Mauk Road, which leads to the main part of Junction City. They curve to the east-northeast and intersect the southern terminus of Buckner Road, which also leads to the main part of the city. At this intersection, SR 90 turns right to the south-southeast. The highways curve back to the east-southeast, leave the city limits of the city, and then enter Taylor County.

SR 96, SR 540, and the FLF travel through the southern part of Howard. Just after beginning a curve to the south-southeast, they intersect the western terminus of Old 96 Road, the former path of SR 96 through Butler. The highways travel on a southern bypass of the main part of the city. Just west of the city is an intersection with SR 137 (Charing Road). The highways then curve to the east-southeast. Just before an intersection with the northern terminus of Payne Farm Road and the southern terminus of Tower Street, they enter the southern part of Butler. There, they intersect US 19/SR 3 (South Broad Street). Just after leaving the city limits of Butler, the highways curve to the northeast. After a curve to the east-northeast, they intersect the eastern terminus of SR 96's former path through Butler. They curve to the southeast and enter Reynolds just before an intersection with the southern terminus of Hicks Road. They curve to the east and enter the main part of the city. They intersect SR 128 (Winston Street). Just west of Collins Street, the highways curve to the east-northeast. They curve to the east-southeast and leave the city limits of Reynolds just to the west of an intersection with the northern terminus of South General John B. Gordon Road. They curve to the southeast and then back to the east- northeast. Then, they cross over the Flint River on the Ward Edwards Bridge. Here, they enter Crawford County.

SR 96, SR 540, and the FLF curve to the east-southeast and then gradually curve to the northeast. During a curve to the east-northeast, they enter Peach County. Just to the west of Aldridge Road, they re-enter Crawford County. Less than later, they re-enter Peach County. They curve to the northeast and intersect the southern terminus of SR 49 Conn. Here, SR 96 turns right to the southeast, towards Fort Valley, while SR 49 Conn., SR 540, and the FLF head to the northeast on a bypass of the city. They curve to the east-northeast. Just after an intersection with Peggy Drive, they pass Fort Valley Middle School. After a curve to the northeast, they pass Hunt Elementary School and intersect US 341/SR 7 (Hartley Road). They curve to a due-east direction before curving to the southeast, where they intersect SR 49. Here, SR 49 Conn. ends, and SR 540 and the FLF take SR 49 to the northeast. They curve to the east-northeast and then back to the northeast. They cross over Mule Creek and enter Powersville. There, they intersect the western terminus of SR 247 Conn. (Robert Ray Parkway) and the southern terminus of Newell Road. The highways curve to the north-northeast. They enter Byron. In the city, they intersect SR 42. At an interchange with I-75 (and its unsigned companion designation SR 401), SR 540 and the FLF split off of SR 49 and follow I-75 to the north. I-75, SR 401, SR 540, and the FLF curve to the north-northeast and leave Byron and then re-enter Crawford County. Just a short distance later, they cross over Echeconnee Creek into Bibb County.

The highways reach the Coach Billy Henderson Interchange with Sardis Church Road. Approximately later is an interchange with Hartley Bridge Road. About later, they meet the southern terminus of I-475 (and its unsigned companion designation SR 408). They curve to the northeast. At a bridge over Rocky Creek, they enter the city limits of Macon. Immediately, they have an interchange with US 41/SR 247 (Pio Nono Avenue). Within this interchange, I-75, SR 401, SR 540, and the FLF curve back to the north-northeast. Just after this interchange, they have a partial exit with Rocky Creek Road, which is only accessed from the westbound lanes. Access to US 41 north and SR 247 north for the westbound lanes is provided via this interchange. Approximately later, they curve to a nearly due-north direction and meet US 80/SR 22 (Eisenhower Parkway). At a bridge over Anthony Road, they curve to the north-northwest. Right after this bridge is an interchange with the eastern terminus of SR 74 (Mercer University Drive). Within this interchange, the highways curve to the northeast. They then meet US 41 Bus./SR 19 (Forsyth Street). This interchange also provides access to Hardeman Avenue. The highways then curve back to the north-northeast. Just after they travel under a bridge that carries US 23/SR 87 (Riverside Drive), they meet the western terminus of I-16 (and its unsigned companion designation SR 404) at the Major Bobby Jones MD POW–MIA Interchange.

Here, SR 540 and the FLF split off of I-75/SR 401 and begin a concurrency with I-16/SR 404. The highways travel to the east-southeast. Immediately, they cross over the Ocmulgee River. They curve to the southeast and then have an interchange with US 23/US 129/SR 49 (Spring Street). Within this interchange, the roadway curves to the south-southeast. Almost immediately is a westbound-only interchange with SR 22 (Second Street). About later, they meet US 80/SR 87 (known as M.L. King Jr. Boulevard south of I-16 and Coliseum Drive north of it) at the Phil Walden Memorial Interchange. Here, SR 540 and the FLF split off of I-16 and begin following US 80/SR 87. They travel to the northeast and pass the Macon Coliseum. Then they curve to the north-northeast and pass the Georgia Secretary of State's Professional Licensing Boards Division. An intersection with the appropriately-named Hospital Drive leads to Coliseum Medical Centers. Approximately later, they intersect US 23/US 129 Alt./SR 19 (Emery Highway). Here, US 80, SR 87, SR 540, and the FLF turn right onto the other highways. The six highways (plus Emery Highway and the FLF) travel due east. They curve to the east-northeast and enter the northern part of Ocmulgee National Monument. They reach the main entrance to the monument. This is also the southern terminus of Jeffersonville Road, which leads to Bowden Golf Course. The highways curve to the southeast and temporarily leave the monument boundary. Almost immediately, they re-enter the monument boundary. They cross over Walnut Creek, leave the monument boundary, leave the city limits of Macon and enter East Macon. Approximately later, they begin a curve to the east. Right after this, US 23, US 129 Alt., and SR 87 resume their southeasterly course, while US 80, SR 19, SR 540, and the FLF split off to the east. The highways curve to a northeasterly direction. They intersect the northern terminus of SR 87 Conn. (Ocmulgee East Boulevard) and the southern terminus of Jeffersonville Road. After a gradual curve to the east-southeast, they intersect the western terminus of SR 57 and the southern terminus of Hitchcock Road. Here, US 80 and SR 19 turned right to the south-southeast, while SR 540 and the FLF take SR 57 to the east-northeast. About later, the highways leave East Macon and enter Jones County.

SR 57, SR 540, and the FLF curve to the east-southeast. After beginning a curve to the southeast, they enter Twiggs County. They curve back to the east-southeast, travel just south of Harrisons Lake, and cross over Big Sandy Creek. Just before an intersection with the northern terminus of New Haven Church Road and the southern terminus of Old Griswoldville Road, they begin a curve to the east-northeast and travel north of Birdsong Pond. After this curve, they cross over Clear Creek. A short distance later, they enter Wilkinson County. Nearly later, the highways begin a curve to the north-northeast and intersect the western terminus of SR 243 and Maddox Road. Here, SR 57 turns right onto Maddox Road to the east-southeast, and SR 540 and the FLF take the beginning of SR 243 to the north-northeast. They function like a bypass of the main part of Gordon. They curve to the northeast and cross over Little Commissioner Creek. Just northwest of the city, the highways intersect SR 18 (Gray Highway). They curve to the east-southeast and enter the northern part of Gordon. They temporarily leave Gordon and curve to the east-northeast. They skirt through the extreme northeastern part of the city. When they again leave Gordon, they enter Ivey. The highways curve to the north-northeast and then cross over Lake Tchukolaho on the McCook Bridge. At a crossing over Beaver Creek on the O.L. "Red" Brooks Memorial Bridge, the highways leave Ivey. They begin a curve to the east-northeast to an intersection where SR 243 turns left onto Pennington Highway to the north-northeast, while SR 540 and the FLF continue to the east-northeast. A short distance later, they clip the southern corner of Baldwin County. The highways re-enter Wilkinson County. They curve to the northeast and cross over Black Creek. They curve back to the east-northeast to an interchange with US 441/SR 29. SR 540 and the FLF curve to the north-northeast and re-enter Baldwin County. They curve back to the northeast. Just after beginning to curve back to the north-northeast, they meet SR 112. The cross over Reedy Creek and curve to the northeast. They cross over the Oconee River at a point just southeast of the southeastern point of Milledgeville. They curve to the east-northeast and then to the southeast. They then begin a concurrency with SR 24. SR 540 and the FLF take SR 24 to the south-southeast. They curve back to the southeast and cross over Town Creek just after a curve to the east-southeast. The highways curve back to the southeast and cross over Gumm Creek, entering Washington County.

Approximately later, SR 24, SR 540, and the FLF curve to the east-southeast and intersect the northern terminus of SR 272. They cross over Bluff Creek and then curve back to the east-northeast. Along the way to Sandersville, they cross over Buffalo Creek. Just west of the city, the highways intersect the eastern terminus of SR 68 (Tennille–Macon Road) and the southern terminus of SR 24 Spur (Yank Brown Road). SR 24, SR 540, and the FLF travel on a northern bypass of the main part of the city. They curve to the northeast and cross over Limestone Creek. Then they intersect the western terminus of SR 242 (West Church Street). They curve back to the east-northeast and intersect Deepstep Road, which leads to Oconee Fall Line Technical College. This intersection is on the edge of the city limits of Sandersville. Almost immediately, the highways enter the northern part of the city. They then intersect Linton Road, which leads to the Linton community, T.J. Elder Middle School, and Brentwood School. The highways curve to the southeast and intersect SR 15 (Sparta Road). A short distance later, they leave the city limits of the city. They curve to the east-northeast and intersect Ridge Road. Here, SR 24 turns right to the south-southwest, while SR 540 and the FLF take the beginning of SR 88 to the east-northeast. They cross over Williamson Swamp Creek before intersecting the northern terminus of SR 231 (Tree Nursery Road). Then, they cross over the Ogeechee River to enter Jefferson County.

After curving to the north-northeast, they enter the Grange community. There, they intersect SR 171 (Grange Road). Then, the highways cross over Rocky Comfort Creek. After that, they curve to the northeast. Just before an intersection with the southern terminus of Hadden Pond Road, they curve back to the east-northeast. SR 88, SR 540, and the FLF cross over Duhart Creek, curve to a northeasterly direction, and intersect SR 296. They cross over Big Creek and curve back to the northeast. After beginning a curve to the east-southeast, they enter Wrens. They intersect US 1, US 221, SR 4, and SR 17 (Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway). SR 88, SR 540, and the FLF turn left onto the other highways. US 1, US 221, SR 4, SR 17, SR 88, SR 540, and the FLF travel to the north-northeast, into the main part of the city. At an intersection with the western terminus of Howard Street, SR 17 departs the concurrency to the north-northwest on Thomson Highway. In downtown Wrens, they intersect SR 80 (Broad Street), where SR 88 departs the concurrency to the east-northeast. They curve to the northeast and intersect the eastern terminus of SR 47. Here, US 221 departs the concurrency, with it and SR 47 traveling to the north-northwest. After leaving Wrens, US 1, SR 4, SR 540, and the FLF cross over Reedy Creek on the Floyd L. Norton Memorial Bridge. They curve to the north-northeast and cross over Brier Creek, entering Richmond County and the city limits of Augusta.

US 1, SR 4, SR 540, and the FLF curve to the east-northeast and cross over Boggy Gut Creek. After curving back to the northeast, they cross over Sandy Run Creek. Then, they curve to the east, before curving to the east-northeast. The highways enter the city limits of Blythe. They intersect the western terminus of Church Street, which leads to Blythe city hall, a U.S. Post Office, and Blythe Elementary School. They begin a curve to the northeast. On this curve they intersect SR 88 and the southern terminus of Hoods Chapel Road. They leave Blythe and re-enter Augusta. They curve to the north-northeast and cross over South Prong Creek. The concurrency begins to curve back to the northeast. On this curve, they cross over Spirit Creek. This crossing is just south of Gordon Lakes Golf Course. They intersect the northern terminus of Willis Foreman Road before an interchange with Tobacco Road. They cross over Butler Creek and curve to the east-northeast to an intersection with the northern terminus of Meadowbrook Drive and the southern terminus of Barton Chapel Road. The roadway begins a curve back to the northeast. At an interchange with I-520 (Bobby Jones Expressway; and its unsigned companion designation SR 415), both SR 540 and the FLF end, while US 1 and SR 4 continue into the heart of Augusta.

The roadway that would eventually become SR 540 (Fall Line Freeway) was established at least as early as 1919 as part of SR 22 in the northern part of the Columbus area, SR 49 from Fort Valley to Byron, SR 24 in the western part of the Sandersville area, and an unnumbered road from Wrens to Augusta. By the end of 1921, SR 22 was shifted southward to travel between Columbus and Geneva. SR 19 was established from Macon to East Macon. SR 57 was established between East Macon and Gordon. SR 24 was placed on the Wrens–Augusta segment. By October 1926, US 80 was designated on the Columbus–Geneva segment. US 1 was designated on the Wrens–Augusta segment. By October 1929, SR 24 was removed from the Wrens–Augusta segment and was replaced with SR 4. In 1931, SR 96 was established between Geneva and Reynolds. In 1937, SR 96 was shifted to the southeast, onto the Reynolds–Fort Valley segment. Between January 1945 and November 1946, SR 243 was designated between Gordon to south-southwest of Milledgeville. Between June 1960 and June 1963, I-75 was proposed in the Byron area. An unnumbered road was built from SR 171 northwest of Louisville to Wrens. By 1966, I-75 was completed from Byron to the I-475 interchange and proposed from there to the I-16 interchange. I-16 was proposed in Macon. SR 88 was established on the Sandersville–Wrens segment. In 1966, I-16 was completed in Macon. The next year, US 80/SR 22 was proposed to be shifted southward in the Macon area.

In 1970, I-75 was completed just south of I-16. The next year, I-75 was completed in the Macon area. In 1983, the J.R. Allen Parkway, the freeway bypass of the main part of Columbus, was proposed along its current path. By the beginning of 1986, this freeway was under construction from the Alabama state line to just east of US 27/SR 1. A southeastern bypass of Macon, designated as SR 758, was proposed from US 80/SR 22 at US 41 Bus./US 129 Alt./SR 11 in the southern part of the city east-northeast, northeast, and north-northeast to US 23/US 80/US 129 Alt./SR 19/SR 87 east of Ocmulgee National Monument in what is now East Macon. In 1988, it was completed, with US 80/SR 22 shifted onto it. The northern bypass of Fort Valley, designated as SR 49 Connector, was proposed on its current path. Also, the northern bypass of Sandersville, designated as SR 816, was proposed from Deepstep Road northwest of the city to SR 88 east-northeast of it. In 1989, SR 816's proposed path was extended westward to SR 24 west of Sandersville.

In 1991, the Sandersville bypass was completed and redesignated as a westward extension of SR 88. The next year, SR 49 Conn. was completed. In 1993, a southern bypass of Butler, designated as SR 827, was proposed from SR 96 west-northwest of the city to SR 96 east of it. In 1997, the western part of SR 758 was completed. In 1999, this bypass's proposed designation, SR 827, was canceled. In 2000, all of SR 758, except for the completed portion, was canceled. At this time, the Butler bypass was completed, but no route number was designated. In 2004, a new roadway, from SR 243 north-northeast of Ivey to SR 24 southeast of Milledgeville, was proposed. Also, SR 758 was re-proposed on its previous path. The next year, SR 758's proposed path was again canceled. Also, the proposed roadway between Ivey and Sandersville was also canceled. In 2006, SR 96 was shifted onto the Butler bypass. Also, SR 758 was decommissioned.

Between 2011 and 2013, SR 243 was extended southward as a western bypass of Gordon. The highway's final section of new roadway between SR 24 and US 441 south of Milledgeville in Baldwin and Wilkinson counties, as well of the widening of SR 24 to the Sandersville bypass, was awarded to Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, Inc. of Fleming Island, Florida in January 2013. It appears as though GDOT has delayed plans to address the highway's passage through the city of Wrens, where it reduces to a two-lane road through downtown with a center turn lane. According to GDOT's GRIP maps, the section through Wrens is considered complete. Other documents suggest that GDOT has entertained the idea of a Wrens bypass, however. The highway was estimated to cost $75.3 million. Between 2013 and 2015, a new road was built from SR 243 south-southwest of Scottsboro and US 441/SR 29 south-southeast of that community. The segment between the Scottsboro and Sandersville areas was completed and opened to traffic in October 2016. Between August 2017 and July 2018, the highway was completed. GDOT announced to the public that the highway was officially signed as Georgia State Route 540 on September 24, 2018. In October 2018, GDOT began installing SR 540 shields in Columbus.

The Fall Line Freeway, including portions of US 80 is proposed to be included in an extension of I-14, which currently extends from Copperas Cove to Belton, Texas and may be extended to Augusta.


When did William O'Brien die?

William O'Brien (2 October 1852 – 25 February 1928) was an Irish nationalist, journalist, agrarian agitator, social revolutionary, politician, party leader, newspaper publisher, author and Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. He was particularly associated with the campaigns for land reform in Ireland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries as well as his conciliatory approach to attaining Irish Home Rule.

William O'Brien

William O'Brien was born at Bank Place in Mallow, County Cork, as second son of James O'Brien, a solicitor's clerk, and his wife Kate, the daughter of James Nagle, a local shopkeeper. On his mother's side he was descended from the distinguished Norman family of Nagles, long settled in the vicinity of Mallow giving their name to the nearby Nagle Mountains. He was also linked through his mother with the statesman Edmund Burke's mother's family, as well as with the poet Edmund Spencer's family.
The Nagles however, no longer held the status or prosperity they once had. In the same month thirty-eight years earlier Thomas Davis was born in Mallow. O'Brien's advocacy of the cause of Irish Independence was to be in the same true tradition of his esteemed fellow-townsman. Following in his footsteps he acknowledged the existence of many strands of Irishness.

O'Brien shared his primary education with a townsman with whom he was later to have a close political connection, Canon Sheehan of Doneraile. He enjoyed his secondary education at the Cloyne diocesan college, which resulted in his being brought up in an environment noted for its religious tolerance. He greatly valued having had this experience from an early age, which strongly influenced his later views for the need of such tolerance in Irish national life.

Financial misfortune in 1868 caused the O'Brien family to move to Cork City. A year later his father died, and the illness of his elder and younger brother and his sister resulted in him having to support his mother and siblings. Always a prolific writer, it quickly earned him a job as newspaper reporter, first for the "Cork Daily Herald". This was to be the primary career which first attracted attention to him as a public figure. He had begun legal studies at Queen's College, later University College Cork, but although he never graduated, he held a lifelong attachment to the institution, to which he bequeathed his private papers.

From an early age O'Brien's political ideas, like most of his contemporaries, were shaped by the Fenian movement and the plight of the Irish tenant farmers, his elder brother having participated in the rebellion of 1867. It resulted in O'Brien himself becoming actively involved with the Fenian brotherhood, resigning in the mid-1870s, because of what he described in 'Evening Memories' (p. 443–4) as "the gloom of inevitable failure and horrible punishment inseparable from any attempt at separation by force of arms".

As a journalist his attention was attracted in the first place to the suffering of the tenant farmers. Now on the staff of the "Freeman's Journal", after touring the Galtee Mountains around Christmas 1877 he published articles describing their conditions, which later appeared in pamphlet form. With this action he first displayed his belief that only through parliamentary reform and with the new power of the press that public opinion could be influenced to pursue Irish issues constitutionally through open political activity and the ballot box. Not least of all, responding to the hopes of the new Irish Home Rule movement.

In 1878 he met Charles Stewart Parnell MP at a Home Rule meeting. Parnell recognised his exceptional talents as a journalist and writer, influencing his rise to becoming a leading politician of the new generation. He subsequently appointed him in 1881 as editor of the Irish National Land League's journal, "United Ireland". His association with Parnell and the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) led to his arrest and imprisonment with Parnell, Dillon, William Redmond and other nationalist leaders in Kilmainham Gaol that October.

During his imprisonment until April 1882 he drafted the famous Land War "No Rent Manifesto" – a rent-withholding scheme personally led by O'Brien, escalating the conflict between the Land League and Gladstone's government.

From 1883–1885 O'Brien was elected MP for Mallow. Following the abolition of that constituency he represented Tyrone South from 1885 to 1886, North East Cork from 1887–1892, and Cork City from 1892–1895 and from 1901–1918, in the House of Commons. There were three periods of absence: 1886-7, from 1895–1900, and eight months in 1904. Amid the turmoil of Irish politics in the late 19th century he was frequently arrested and imprisoned for his support for various Land League protests.

In 1884, through the newspaper "United Ireland" he incited a sensational homosexual scandal involving officers at Dublin Castle.

In 1887 O'Brien helped to organise a rent strike during the Plan of Campaign at the estate of Lady Kingston near Mitchelstown, County Cork. On 9 September, after an 8,000-strong demonstration led by John Dillon MP, three estate tenants were shot dead, and others wounded, by police at the town's courthouse where O'Brien had been brought for trial on charges of incitement under a new Coercion Act. This event became known as the Mitchelstown Massacre. Later that year, thousands of demonstrators marched in London to demand his release from prison, and clashed with police at Trafalgar Square on Bloody Sunday (13 November).
Even in prison, O'Brien continued his protests, refusing to wear prison uniform in 1887. Being left without clothes, a Blarney tweed suit was smuggled in. He occasionally wore this much publicised suit in the Commons when confronting his incarcerator, Arthur Balfour. His imprisonment also inspired protests – notably the 1887 'Bloody Sunday' riots in London. In 1889 he escaped from a courtroom but was sentenced "in absentia" for conspiracy. He fled to America accompanied by Dillon who was on bail, then to France where both held negotiations with Parnell at Boulogne-sur-Mer over the leadership of the party. When these broke down, both returned to Folkestone giving themselves up, subsequently serving four months in Clonmel and Galway gaols. Here O'Brien began to reconsider his political future, having already been prosecuted nine times over years, using the time to write an acclaimed novel, a Fenian romance with a land reform theme set in 1860: "When We Were Boys", which was published in 1890.

In 1890 he married Sophie Raffalovich, sister of the poet Marc André Sebastian Raffalovich and the economist Arthur Raffalovich, and daughter of the Russian Jewish banker, Hermann Raffalowich, domiciled in Paris. It was to mark a major turning point in O'Brien's personal and political life. His wife brought considerable wealth into the marriage, enabling him to act with political independence and providing finances to establish his own newspapers. His wife (1860–1960) who survived him by over 30 years, gave him considerable moral and emotional support for his political pursuits. Their relationship added an abiding love for France and attachment to Europe to his life, where he often retired to recuperate.

By 1891 he had become disillusioned with Parnell's political leadership, although emotionally loyal to him he tried to persuade him to retire after the O'Shea divorce case. On Parnell's death that year and the ensuing IPP split, he remained aloof from aligning himself with either side of the Party, either the rump pro-Parnellite Irish National League (INL) led by John Redmond MP or with the anti-Parnellite Irish National Federation (INF) group under John Dillon, although he saw the weight of strength in the latter. O'Brien worked hard in the 1893 negotiations leading to the Commons passing Gladstone's Second Home Rule Bill, which the Lords however rejected. ( on the First Home Rule Bill had beseeched parliament not to reject it).

Distancing himself from the party turmoils, he retired from parliament in 1895, settling for a while with his wife near Westport, County Mayo, which enabled him to experience at first hand from his Mayo retreat the distressed hardship of the peasantry in the West of Ireland, trying to eke out an existence in its rocky landscape.

Believing strongly that agitational politics combined with constitutional pressures were the best means of achieving objectives, O'Brien established on the 16. January 1898 the United Irish League (UIL) at Westport, with Michael Davitt as co-founder and John Dillon present. It was to be a new grass-roots organisation with a programme to include agrarian agitation, political reform and Home Rule. It coincided with the passing of the revolutionary Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 which broke the power of the landlord dominated "Grand Juries", passing for the first time absolute democratic control of local affairs into the hands of the people through elected Local County Councils.

The UIL was explicitly designed to reconcile the various parliamentary fragments existing since the Parnell split, which proved very popular, its branches sweeping over most of the country organised by its general secretary John O'Donnell, dictating to the demoralised Irish party leaders the terms for reconstruction, not only of the party but the nationalist movement in Ireland. The movement was backed by O'Brien's new newspaper "The Irish People".

Around 1900 O'Brien, an unbending social reformer and agrarian agitator, was the most influential and powerful figure within the nationalist movement, although not formally its leader. His UIL was by far the largest organisation in the country, comprising 1150 branches and 84,355 members. The result of the rapid growth of his UIL as a national organisation in achieving unity through organised popular opinion, was to effect a quick defensive reunion of the discredited IPP factions of the INL and the INF, largely fearing O’Brien's return to the political field. He can nevertheless be regarded as the architect of the settlement of 1900. The unity under John Redmond disturbed O’Brien, as it resulted in most of the ineffective party candidates being re-elected in the 1900 general election, preventing the UIL from using its power in the pre-selection of candidates. Within a few years the IPP was however, to tactically adjunct the UIL under its wing manoeuvering it out of O'Brien's control.

O'Brien next intensified the UIL agitation for land purchase by tenant farmers, pressurising for compulsory purchase. He formed an alliance with constructive unionists which resulted in the calling of the December 1902 Land Conference, an initiative by moderate landlords led by Lord Dunraven for a settlement by conciliatory agreement between landlord and tenant. The tenant representation was led by O'Brien, the others were John Redmond, Timothy Harrington and T. W. Russell for the Ulster tenants. After six sittings all eight tenant's demands were conceded (one with compromise), O’Brien having guided the official nationalist movement into endorsement of a new policy of "conference plus business". He followed this by campaigning vigorously for the greatest piece of social legislation Ireland had yet seen, orchestrating the Wyndham "Land Purchase Act (1903)" through parliament, which effectively ended landlordism, solving the age old Irish Land Question.

This masterful strategy of bringing about agreement on land purchase between tenants and landlords under the Act, resulted in a rush of landlords to sell and of tenants to buy. Though the Act was approved by Redmond, his deputy Dillon disfavoured the Act because he opposed any co-operation with landlords and Michael Davitt objected to peasant proprietorship under the Act, demanding land nationalisation. Together with Thomas Sexton editor of the party's "Freeman's Journal", all three campaigned against O’Brien, fiercely attacking him for putting Land Purchase and Conciliation before Home Rule. O'Brien appealed to Redmond to suppress their opposition but it went unheeded. Declaring that he was making no headway with his policy, he resigned his parliamentary seat in November 1903, closed down his paper the "Irish People" and left the party for the next five years. It was a serious setback for the party. It also turned once intimate friends into mortal enemies. His Cork electorate however, insisted on pushing through his re-election eight months later in August 1904. O’Brien had failed in his intention of shocking the party to its senses.

During 1904 O'Brien had already embarked on advancing full scale implementation of the Act in alliance with D. D. Sheehan MP and his Irish Land and Labour Association (ILLA), when they formed the Cork Advisory Committee to help tenants in their negotiations. Their collaboration became the new organisational base for O'Brien's political activities. This new alliance aggravated the Dillonite section of the IPP further. Determined to destroy both of them "before they poison the whole country", Dillon and the party published regular denunciations in the "Freeman's Journal", then coupéd O'Brien's UIL with the appointment of its new secretary, Dillon's chief lieutenant, Joseph Devlin MP, Grandmaster of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Devlin eventually gaining organisational control over the entire UIL and IPP organisations.

O'Brien had in the mean time engaged with the Irish Reform Association, together with Sir Anthony MacDonnell, a Mayo Catholic originally appointed by Wyndham, and head of the Civil Service in Dublin Castle, anxious to do something for Ireland. MacDonnell helped the reform group to draft a scheme on the possible extension of the principle of self-government for Ireland. On 31 August 1904 the Reform Association released a preliminary report calling for the devolution of larger powers of local government for Ireland. The limited scheme was quickly and equally condemned by O'Brien's opponents, who regarded it nevertheless as a step in the right direction.

Britain had two bills to pay for past wrongs. After financing tenant land purchase, tenant farmers were now proud proprietors largely in control of local government. The next bill to pay was for extensive rural housing of the tens of thousands of migrant farm labourers struggling to survive in stone cabins, barns or mud hovels. This was a long-standing demand by the ILLA branches and D.D. Sheehan. In 1904 O'Brien then joined forces with Sheehan's ILLA organisation, identifying himself with labourer's grievances and Sheehan's demand for agricultural labourers' housing, who up to then were dependent on limited provision of cottages by local County Councils or landowners at unfavourable terms.

Following demonstrations of amazing extent addressed by O’Brien and his friends during 1904 which fought and won the field in Charleville and Macroom (counties Cork), Kilfinane and Dromcolliher (counties Limerick), Tralee and Castleisland (counties Kerry), Scariff co. Clare, Goolds Cross co. Tipperary and Ballycullane co. Wexford, a breakthrough occurred when a scheme was made public at ""the largest labour demonstration ever held in Ireland"" ("Cork Examiner"), a memorable rally in Macroom on Sunday 11 December 1904 addressed by William O'Brien. Preaching a gospel of social justice, his concepts became known as the `Macroom programme´. O'Brien grasped the prime importance of its principles and measures, when during 1905 he pressed and negotiated together with support from Sir Anthony MacDonnell (the Under-Secretary for Ireland) for what was subsequently carried into law and after the January 1906 general election became the unprecedented Bryce "Labourers (Ireland) Act (1906)".

The Second Phase of the Labourers Acts (1906–1914) began after the 1906 Labourers Housing Act, long demanded by the ILLA, was implemented, for which both the Redmondite and O'Brienite factions were zealous in claiming credit. The labourer-owned cottages erected by the Local County Councils brought about a major socio-economic transformation, by simultaneously erasing the previous inhuman habitations. O'Brien saying that the Labourers Acts – "were scarcely less wonderworking than the abolition of landlordism itself". In 1904 Davitt going so far as to declare the foreseen Labourers Act constituted – "a rational principle of state Socialism". This Act had enormous positive long-term consequences for rural Irish society.

The so called 'Labourers Act' provided large scale funding for extensive state sponsored housing to accommodate rural labourers and others of the working classes. The programme financed and produced during the course of the next five years, the erection of over 40,000 working-class cottages, each on an acre of land, a complete'municipalisation' of commodious dwellings dotting the rural Irish countryside. This unique social housing programme unparalleled anywhere else in Europe brought about an unsurpassed agrarian revolution, changing the face of the Irish landscape, much to O'Brien's expressed delight.
Renewed publication of O'Brien's newspaper "The Irish People" (1905–1909) exalting the cottage building, its editorials equally countermanding the IPPs' "Dublin bosses" attempts to curtail the programme, fearing settled rural communities would no longer be dependent on Party and Church. Munster took full advantage, erecting most of the cottages, additional funding providing for a further 5,000 houses under Birrell's. The bulk of the labourers' cottages were erected by 1916, resulting in a widespread decline of rampant tuberculosis, typhoid and scarlet fever.

In the interest of political unity, O'Brien and other excluded MPs temporarily rejoined the Parliamentary Party when Redmond summoned a unity meeting in the Mansion House, Dublin in April 1908. Later that year, during negotiations for additional funding of land purchase under an amending bill, Redmond called a further UIL National Convention for 9 February 1909 in Dublin to regulate the issues, claiming the bill over-burdened the British Treasury and the rate payers. Over 3000 delegates attended. Devlin had the hall filled in advance with forces of his "militant Mollies", so that when O'Brien and his followers tried to speak in favour of the bill, they were battoned into silence. The convention then dubbed the 'Baton' Convention by O'Brien. It was ""probably the stormiest meeting ever held by constitutional nationalists"".

The bill eventually passed into law as Birrell's "Land Purchase Act (1909)", but falling far short in its financial provisions.

As an outcome of the "Baton Convention" O’Brien felt himself again driven from the party. He foresaw that the IPP, undermined by the AOH, was on a fatal radical path which would frustrate any All-Ireland Home Rule settlement. As a counter measure he set about establishing a new League, which was to build on the success his combined "doctrine of conciliation" with "conference plus business" achieved during the 1902 Land Conference with landlords and the ensuing 1903 Land Purchase Act. Following his engagement with the Irish Reform Movement 1904-5 and support of the 1907 Irish Council Bill which he viewed as a step in the right direction, or "Home Rule by instalments", he firmly believed all moderate unionists could still be won over to All-Ireland Home Rule. For many nationalists on the other hand, the adoption of a conciliatory approach to the "hereditary enemy" involved too sharp a deviation from traditional thinking.

In March 1909 he inaugurated the All-for-Ireland League (AFIL) in Kanturk with James Gilhooly MP as Chairman and D. D. Sheehan Hon. Secretary. The AFIL's political objective was the attainment of an All-Ireland parliament with the consent rather than by the compulsion of the Protestant and Unionist community, under the banner of the "Three Cs", for Conference, Conciliation and Consent as applied to Irish politics. The League was supported by many prominent Protestant gentry, leading landlords and Munster business figures. The political activist Canon Sheehan of Doneraile was also a founder member and wrote in a very long editorial for the first issue of the League's new newspaper its political manifesto.

Ill-health striking O’Brien, he departed for Florence, Italy to recuperate, returning for the January 1910 general election, in which the Cork electorate returned eight "O'Brienite" MPs. Throughout 1910 his AFIL movement opposed an Irish Party supported by the Catholic clergy. It returned eight independent AFIL MPs in the December 1910 general election to be O'Brien's new political party. From July 1910 until late 1916 O’Brien published the League's newspaper, the "Cork Free Press". Election results published by it showed Independents throughout Ireland had won 30% of votes cast.

O’Brien saw it opportune for a co-operative understanding with Arthur Griffith's moderate Sinn Féin movement, having in common – attaining objectives through "moral protest" – political resistance and agitation rather than militant physical-force. Neither O’Brien nor Griffith advocated total abstentionism from the Commons, and regarded Dominion Home Rule, modelled on Canada or Australia, as acceptable. Although Griffith favoured co-operation, a special Sinn Feín executive council meeting called to consider co-operation regretted it was not possible because its constitution would not allow it. In the following years O’Brien and his party continued to associate themselves with Griffith's movement both in and out of parliament. In June 1918 Griffith asked O’Brien to have the writ moved for his candidacy in the Cavan-east by-election (moved by AFIL MP Eugene Crean) to which Griffith was elected with a sizeable majority.

On 2 November 1911 O'Brien proposed full Dominion status similar to that enjoyed by Canada, in an exchange of views with Asquith, as the only viable solution to the "Irish Question". Home Rule became technically assured after a new Home Rule bill was introduced in 1912 with the IPP holding the balance of power at Westminster. During the 1913–14 parliamentary debates on the Third Home Rule Bill, O'Brien, alarmed by Unionist resistance to the bill, opposed the IPP's coercive "Ulster must follow" policy, and published in the "Cork Free Press" end of January 1914 specific concession, including a suspensory veto right, which would enable Ulster join a Dublin Parliament "any price for an United Ireland, but never partition". William O'Brien resigned his seat as MP again for a fourth time in January and re-stood to test local support for his policies, after the All-for-Ireland League suffered heavy defeats in the Cork City municipal elections.

After the opening of parliament in February 1914 the threat of rebellion in Ulster gave O'Brien the opportunity to make an eloquent speech on the 24 February calling for generous concessions towards Ulster, but warning he would'strenuously oppose exclusion'. When the Ulster Volunteers armed in April to resist likely "Rome Rule", Redmond's Irish Volunteers armed likewise to ensure enactment of all-Ireland self-government. During the final stages of the second reading and debate on the Third Home Rule Bill in the House of Commons, which was accompanied by Asquith's guarantee that it would never be enforced without an Amending Bill enacting the exclusion of the six Ulster counties with a Protestant majority, O'Brien made a powerful lengthy speech on 1 April 1914 reiterating at length his proposals to enable Ulster remain within an All-Ireland settlement, by means of a suspensory veto upon any bill passed by a Dublin Parliament, amongst other rights and protections. Stating "I condemn and abhor with all my heart the preparations of the Ulster Volunteers for even the possibility of slaughter between Irishmen and Irishmen". Otherwise Ireland once divided would remain divided and 'the line on which you are presently travelling will never bring you anything except division and disaster'.

Opposing O'Brien's proposals and initiatives, the Redmond-Dillon-Devlin (IPP-UIL-AOH) hardline alliance remained uncompromising with their standpoint – "no concessions for Ulster". In the Commons on 25 May O'Brien stated that "we are ready for almost any conceivable concession to Ulster that will have the effect of uniting Ireland, but we will struggle to our last breath against a proposal which will divide her, and divide her eternally, if Ireland's own representatives are once consenting parties..." after which he and his followers holding true to their pledge, abstained from the final vote passing the Home Rule Act 1914, denouncing the bill as a "ghastly farce" ultimately as a "partition deal" after Sir Edward Carson leader of the Ulster Unionist Party forced through an amendment mandating the partition of Ireland, the Irish Nationalists' confrontation course with Ulster ending in fiasco.

With the outbreak of World War I on 4 August 1914, Asquith proposed a Suspensory Bill for the Home Rule Bill. It received Royal Assent simultaneously with its counterpart, the Government of Ireland Act 1914, on the 18 September. Although the two controversial Bills had now finally reached the statute books, the Suspensory Act ensured that Home Rule would be postponed for the duration of the conflict. In the debate on 15 September in the House of Commons concerning the Suspensory Bill, O'Brien made it again clear ""that while we are prepared to pay almost any other price for a general national settlement, there is one price which some of us, at all events, will never in any possible circumstances consent to pay, and that is the dismemberment of our ancient Irish nation"". He concluded by turning to 'our fellow countrymen in Ulster' in proposing to secure for them a position of undiminished citizenship in this Empire under some projected scheme of federalism.

O'Brien saw the outbreak of World War I in August as an opportunity to undertake a last crusade to preserve at any price the unity of Ireland, by uniting the Green and Orange in a common cause, declaring himself on the side of the Allied and Britain's European war effort. O'Brien was the first Nationalist leader to call on Irish Volunteers for the front. Towards the end of August he had an interview with Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, and laid before him a scheme for raising an Irish Army Corps embracing all classes and creeds, South and North. Kitchener (incidentally a Protestant and born in County Kerry) favoured the idea. O’Brien immediately summoned a meeting held in the Cork Town Hall under the auspices of the All-for-Ireland League on 2 September, the hall packed with an enthusiastic audience of men and women. In a speech that far exceeded Redmond's in favour of its adherence to England cause, he said:- :

O'Brien later wrote: "Whether Home Rule is to have a future will depend upon the extent to which the Nationalists in combination with Ulster Covenanters, do their part in the firing line on the fields of France". He stood on recruiting platforms with the other National leaders and spoke out encouragingly in favour of voluntary enlistment in the Royal Munster Fusiliers and other Irish regiments.

O'Brien, alarmed at the increased activity of Sinn Féin in 1915, predicted the danger of a potential republican eruption, culminating in the IRB 1916 Rebellion, in which however Sinn Féin were not involved. He was forced to cease publication of his "Cork Free Press" in 1916 soon after the appointment of Lord Decies as Chief Press Censor for Ireland. Decies warned the press to be careful about what they published. Such warnings had little effect when dealing with such papers as the "Cork Free Press". It was suppressed after its republican editor, Frank Gallagher, accused the British authorities of lying about the conditions and situation of republican prisoners in the Frongoch internment camp.
O'Brien accepted the Rising and the ensuing changed political climate in 1917 as the best way of ridding the country of IPP and AOH stagnation. Home Rule had been lost in 1913, an inflexible IPP long out of touch with reality, reflected by Britain's two failed attempts to introduce Home Rule in 1916 and again in 1917. O'Brien refused to participate in the Irish Convention after southern unionist representatives he had proposed were turned down. The Convention ended as he predicted in failure when Britain attempted to link the enactment of Home Rule with conscription.

During the anti-conscription crisis in April 1918 O'Brien and his AFIL left the House of Commons and joined Sinn Féin and other prominentaries in the mass protests in Dublin. Seeing no future for his conciliatory political concepts in a future election, he believed Sinn Féin in its moderate form had earned the right to represent nationalist interests. He and the other members of his All-for-Ireland League party stood aside putting their seats at the disposal of Sinn Féin, its candidates returned unopposed in the December 1918 general elections. In an address to the election he had said: ""We cannot subscribe to a programme of armed resistance in the field, or even of permanent withdrawal from Westminster; but to the spirit of Sinn Féin, as distinct from its abstract programme, the great mass of independent single-minded Irishmen have been won over, and accordingly they ought now to have a full and sympathetic trial for enforcing the Irish nation's right of self-determination.""

O'Brien disagreed with the establishment of a southern Irish Free State under the Treaty, still believing that Partition of Ireland was too high a price to pay for partial independence. He wrote in 1923, "It is now obvious enough that, had the Irish Council Bill been allowed to pass in 1907, the Partition of Ireland would never have been heard of." Retiring from political life, he contented himself with writing and declined Éamon de Valera's offer to stand for Fianna Fáil in the 1927 general election. He died suddenly on 25 February 1928 while on a visit to London with his wife at the age of 75. His remains rest in Mallow, and one of the principal streets in the town bears his name to this day. His head-bust overlooks the town Council's Chamber Room and one of his finest portraits hangs in University College Cork.

In 1920 Arthur Griffith said of O'Brien:" "The task of William O’Brien's generation was well and bravely done, had it not been so the work we are carrying out in this generation would have been impossible. In that great work none of Parnell's lieutenants did so much as William O’Brien." "

O'Brien's books, a number of which are collections of his journalistic writings and political speeches, include: