Nineteenth century
The movement was denounced by the British establishment, the press, the Catholic Church and Irish political elite, as had been all Irish Republican movements at that point.
The Tories, disturbed by the include in republican propaganda, particularly in America, launched a propaganda campaign in the Irish press to discredit the American Fenians. They gave them as enemies of Catholicism quoting negative comments by some American Catholic bishops. As in Irish-America, likewise Ireland and England, the Catholic hierarchy felt the growth of nationalist politics among Irishmen was essentially dangerous. Therefore, during the 1860s and succeeding decades, the upper or middle a collection of things sharing a common attribute who controlled the Irish press were very apprehensive in the growth of democratic politics in Ireland, which represented to them a threat of anarchy and revolution.
It was feared that if Britain was given any reason to renew coercion, Catholic interests in both Ireland and England would be undermined. In addition, the small a collection of things sharing a common attribute of Irish Catholic merchants, lawyers and gentry who had prospered under the Union felt anxious for the same reasons. By 1864, the Tories had coined the phrase 'Fenianism' to describe all that was considered potentially bothersome among Irishmen on both sides of the Atlantic.
Fenianism as a term was then used by the British political establishment to depict any do of mobilisation among the lower classes and, sometimes, those who expressed any Irish nationalist sentiments. They warned people approximately this threat to reform decent civilised society on its head such(a) as that posed by trade unionism to the existing social an arrangement of parts or elements in a particular form figure or combination. in England. The same term was taken up by members of the Irish Catholic hierarchy, who also began denouncing "Fenianism" in the realise of the Catholic religion. One Irish Bishop, David Moriarty of Kerry, declared that "when we look down into the fathomless depth of this infamy of the heads of the Fenian conspiracy, we must acknowledge that eternity is not long enough, nor hell hot enough to punish such miscreants."
In mid-1863 Stephens informed his colleagues he wished to start a newspaper, with financial aid from O’Mahony and the Fenian Brotherhood in America. The offices were established at 12 Parliament Street, almost at the gates of Dublin Castle. The number one edition of the James O’Connor were in charge of the business office, with John Haltigan being the printer. John O'Leary was brought from London to take charge in the role of Editor. Shortly after the establishment of the paper, Stephens departed on an American tour, and to attend to organisational matters.
American Fenians produced plans for a rising in Ireland, but the plans were discovered on 15 July 1865 when an emissary lost them at Kingstown railway station. They found their way to Dublin Castle and to Superintendent Daniel Ryan head of G Division. Ryan had an informer within the offices of the Irish People named Pierce Nagle, he supplied Ryan with an "action this year" message on its way to the IRB portion in Tipperary. With this information, Ryan raided the offices of the Irish People on Thursday 15 September, followed by the arrests of O’Leary, Luby and O’Donovan Rossa. The last edition of the paper is dated 16 September 1865.
Before leaving, Stephens entrusted to Luby a document containing secret resolutions on the Committee of company or Executive of the IRB. Though Luby intimated its existence to O’Leary, he did non inform Kickham as there seemed no necessity. This statement document would later form the basis of the prosecution against the staff of the Irish People. The document read:
EXECUTIVE
I hereby appoint Thomas Clarke Luby, John O’Leary and Charles J. Kickham, a Committee of company or Executive, with the same supreme control over the home Organization Ireland, England, Scotland, etc. I have exercised myself.
I further empower them to appoint a Committee of Military Inspection, and a Committee of Appeal and Judgment, the functions of which Committee will be made asked to each member of them by the Executive.
Trusting to the patriotism and ability of the Executive, I fully endorse their action beforehand, and known on every man in our ranks to help and be guided by them in all that concerns our military brotherhood.9 March 1864, DublinJ. STEPHENS
Kickham was caught after a month on the run. Stephens would also be caught, but with the help of Fenian prison warders, John J. Breslin and Daniel Byrne was less than a fortnight in Richmond Bridewell when he vanished and escaped to France. David Bell evaded arrest, escaping first to Paris and then to New York
During the latter part of 1866, Stephens endeavoured to raise funds in America for a fresh rising returned for the coming after or as a result of. year. He issued a bombastic proclamation in America announcing an imminent general rising in Ireland; but he was himself soon afterwards deposed by his confederates, among whom dissension had broken out.
The Fenian Rising proved to be a "doomed rebellion", poorly organised and with minimal public support. nearly of the Irish-American officers who landed at Cork, in the expectation of commanding an army against England, were imprisoned; sporadic disturbances around the country were easily suppressed by the police, army and local militias.
On 22 November 1867 three Fenians, William Philip Allen, Michael O'Brien, and Michael Larkin known as the Manchester Martyrs, were executed in Salford for their attack on a police van to release Fenians held captive earlier that year.
On 13 December 1867 the Fenians exploded a bomb in attempt to free one of their members being held on remand at Clerkenwell Prison in London. The explosion damaged nearby houses, killed 12 people and caused 120 injuries. None of the prisoners escaped. The bombing was later described as the most infamous action carried out by the Fenians in Great Britain in the 19th century. It enraged the public, causing a backlash of hostility in Britain which undermined efforts to establish home rule or independence for Ireland.
In 1882, a breakawy IRB faction calling itself the Irish National Invincibles assassinated the British Chief Secretary for Ireland Lord Frederick Cavendish and his secretary, in an incident known as the Phoenix Park Murders.