The struggle between the Catholic Church and the Fenians, as this evolved in the mid-nineteenth century, had its origins in the wider context of the church’s horror of revolution and revolutionary movements. The locus classicus for this antipathy was the experience of the French Revolution and its aftermath. Equally, the spectre of revolution haunted Europe … Read more
Women provided an important part of the material support for the Fenian movement. Fenian women not only assisted in tactical efforts but also in fund-raising and prisoner support. Their most visible work was the Ladies’ Committee, established in 1865 soon after the suppression of the IRB newspaper The Irish People and the arrests of many … Read more
TheFenian spirit is ever present in Ireland and needs at any time but alittle organisation to make it burst into renewed activity.’ So wroteJohn O’Leary in 1896. O’Leary had been a leading Fenian, playing asignificant editorial role on the Irish People, for which in 1865 he,alongside other leading figures, was convicted of treason-felony andsent into … Read more
Redmond the Parnellite Dermot Meleady (Cork University Press, €43.20) ISBN 9781859184233 In the tumult of 1916 and the War of Independence, it is easy to forget that an agreement had already been made to give Ireland autonomy over its own affairs. The role played by John Redmond, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) and … Read more
Remembering the Year of the French: Irish folk history and social memory Guy Beiner (University of Wisconsin Press, $49.95) ISBN 9780299218201 The Irish Folklore Commission, 1935–1970 Micheál Briody (Helsinki: Studia Fennica, €37.69) ISBN 9517469470 1916 in 1966: Commemorating the Easter Rising Mary E. Daly and Margaret O’Callaghan (eds) (Royal Irish Academy, €35) ISBN 9781904890270 Like … Read more