1.1.5.2 1867 Fenian Rising and Aftermath

• The conclusion of the American Civil War allowed many American soldiers claiming Irish heritage to travel to Ireland to support a planned uprising in 1865
• The original uprising was postponed because the IRB only had 6,000 weapons for the 50,000 people willing to fight. In 1867 a rising was staged after James Stephens was arrested and forced to leave the country
• Without the organisation of Stephens, the 1867 uprising was poorly coordinated. The leaders of the IRB did not employ guerilla tactics and instead preferred to fight in an open engagement despite their little strength, meaning they were quickly defeated
• After the uprising failed, 2 IRB leaders, Thomas Kelly and Timothy Deasy, travelled to Britain to revive the movement there. They were transferred to prison and eventually rescued by the IRB in an incident where a policeman was killed
• Many Irishmen in Manchester were targetted, with 5 being charged and put on trial, including William Allen, Michael Larkin and Michael O'Brien. They were executed in front of a crowd of more than 8,000, with 2,500 police officers on duty
• By taking such a hard line, the government was sending out a warning to anyone opposing them in the future, The executions only created martyrs to the Irish cause who developed a harder attitude towards Britain