The term Fenian refers to an Irish revolutionary nationalist movement that used violence to fight British occupation. The term developed mainly in Ireland, but also in the United States, where the fight for the Irish cause was waged from a distance. The Fenian movement includes large armed militias, such as the IRB, an underground nationalist army that fought for Irish independence for many years.
The term Fenian has only existed since the end of the 19th century, when tensions between the British and Irish were growing. Many Irish nationalists use every means at their disposal to combat the UK’s presence on Irish soil, and resort to violence. These nationalists would later be known as “Fenians”.
The latter have the particularity of rejecting diplomatic channels in favor of armed struggle. The latter then used the IRB, a secret militia with revolutionary tendencies, to make their demands heard.
The Fenian cause quickly gained momentum. So much so, in fact, that in 1858, the company began exporting its products to the United States. John O’Mahony, Michael Doheny and James Stephens took it upon themselves to make the Irish-Americans aware of the explosive situation in Ireland. There, they organized numerous fund-raising campaigns, which they then sent to Ireland, and campaigned with conviction on behalf of the nationalists to raise American awareness of this age-old conflict.
The funds raised by the United States and the savings of the Fenians in Ireland enabled them to organize a future revolt in 1915, scheduled for Easter (1916). The Fenians succeeded in negotiating arms deals with Germany and saw their ranks swell considerably with supporters of the Fenian cause.
At that time, the main leaders of this Insurrection were :
All are part of the Fenian movement, and are fully convinced that the only way out is through violence.
Unfortunately for them, the revolt turned out to be a complete failure, and most of them were executed. Despite this, the Fenian movement never lost its superb reputation, and counted many followers during the War of Independence and the Civil War. It was only a few years later that the movement lost its intensity and became a rather discreet presence.
