1. The Irish Republican Brotherhood & Fenians

2. Who were they? Irishmen who opposed the British occupation of Ireland.
They wanted independence for Ireland, free of British rule.

3. What did ‘Fenian’ mean?
The Fenian name comes from the legendary warriors, the Fianna led by Fionn Mac Cumhaill.
Fianna meaning: Semi-independent warrior bands who lived apart from society in the forests as mercenaries in Ireland.
The name ‘Fenians’ became an umbrella term to cover all the groups associated with wanting independence for Ireland. By the very nature of what they wanted, those elements within the Fenian movement who were prepared to use violence to advance their cause, had to remain secret.

4. The Great Famine
The Great Famine was caused by a fungus disease that rotted potato plants in the ground in 1845.
There were 5 million people living in Ireland at the time and many were affected by the famine.
Many thought the government in London would help solve Irelands problem but when no help whatsoever came, people decided the only hope Ireland had for its future was to separate from Great Britain.
More than half the potato crops in Ireland were destroyed.
The Famine lasted from

5. Uprising
In 1848 a group named Young Ireland launched an disorganized attack against the government.
The group was led by James Stephens and John O’Mahony.
The uprising was a complete failure.
Stephens and O’Mahony were accused of committing very serious crimes and fled to Paris where they were relatively safe.

6. Stephens & O’Mahony’s Return
O’Mahony went to America in 1853.
There he started a new organization called the Fenian Brotherhood which was a group who’s aim was independence for Ireland.
Fenianism according to O’Mahony was symbolized by two principles:
First that Ireland has a natural right to independence.
Secondly that that right could be won only by an armed revolution.
Stephen returned to Ireland in There he started a secret society that became known as the Irish Republican Brotherhood.

7. Growth
The Fenian movement led by Stephens and O’Mahony quickly attracted thousands of supporters from America and Ireland.
As the Fenian movement grew, so did the difficulty of controlling and organizing it from two separate continents.

8. Problems
O’Mahony and Stephens had different beliefs on how the Fenians should develop. O’Mahony thought they should develop in secrecy when Stephens felt that he should make as many people aware of the movement as possible. In 1863, Stephens founded a newspaper called the ‘Irish People’.
The Roman Catholic Church was not supportive of the Fenians which changed beliefs of many supporters because of their power over them.
British spies were also infiltrating the Fenians. The spies sent information back to the British which shut down any surprise attacks.

9. Fenians In Canada
The Fenians made several invasion attempts between in Canada West because the British had control over that area.
Their plan was to hold Canada hostage to be in a position to blackmail the United Kingdom to give Ireland its Independence.
These invasions reduced its supporters in North America.