International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest

Extract

The Fenian movement – revolutionary secret societies dedicated to gaining independence for Ireland – arose when nineteenth-century Irish nationalists created the Fenian Brotherhood, named after the Gaelic hero Fionn mac Cumhail. The movement, which was active in both Ireland and America, was committed to liberating Ireland through “physical force”; its position was that revolution should be “sooner or never.” The movement originated with veterans of the 1848 revolt of Young Ireland . In the wake of that uprising's defeat two of its leaders, James Stephens and John O'Mahony, fled to Paris. In 1853 O'Mahony traveled to America with the intention of gaining political support from Irish refugees, and in 1858 he founded the Fenian Brotherhood in the United States. Also in 1858 Stephens returned to Ireland with the aim of establishing a similar organization; his efforts resulted in the creation of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Stephens created the party journal of the Fenians, the Irish People , in Dublin in 1863. The Fenians targeted artisans rather than the agrarian population for support. They faced stiff opposition in Ireland not only from the British authorities but also from the Catholic Church. In 1865 British officials made a concerted effort to suppress the Fenians, and Stephens was arrested. He escaped, however, and fled to the United States, where the Fenian Brotherhood ... log in or subscribe to read full text