Fenian Brotherhood and O'Donovan Rossa

An inventory of the Fenian Brotherhood Records and O'Donovan Rossa Personal Papers at The American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives

Historical Note

Fenian Brotherhood

The Fenians were established in Ireland, where they were also known as the Irish Republican Brotherhood, and the United States in 1858 with the avowed purpose of overthrowing British rule in Ireland and establishing an Irish Republic. The Fenians in the United States grew to include over 50,000 members and hundreds of thousands of sympathizers by the end of the Civil War. The American wing mounted two short-lived invasions of Canada in 1866 and 1870 and the Irish Fenians launched a small rebellion in Ireland in 1867 but, internal factionalism and the military power of the British Empire, prevented them from achieving their aims. The American Fenians faded out of prominence after the last unsuccessful assault on Canada. Many Irish and Irish American nationalists, first recruited to the cause as Fenians, continued to fight for Ireland's independence after the order's decline. The organization was completely dissolved by the year 1886.

Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa

Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa was born in Rosscarbery, County Cork, 1831. As a child he witnessed the devastation brought upon the Irish people by the 1840's Potato Famine. As a young man he moved to Skibbereen where he ran a grocery store. In 1856 while living in Skibbereen, he founded the Phoenix National and Literary Society, a Irish nationalist group which aimed to remove the British from Ireland through any means necessary, including armed struggle. In 1858 Rossa was found guilty on conspiracy charges resulting from a Phoenix Society demonstration, and spent almost a year in prison. In 1863 Rossa began working for The Irish People , a Irish Nationalist newspaper.Rossa was convicted of treason against Great Britain and sentenced to life in prison for his part in planning the "Fenian Uprising" of 1865. He would later tell of his horrific experiences while incarcerated in his 1874 book Prison Life. Rossa served part of his sentence and in 1871 was exiled to America, where he lived until his death in 1915. Upon arrival in New York City, Rossa became editor of the New York edition of the United Irishman, an Irish Nationalist newspaper. He became an extremely active member of the American Fenian movement, and in 1877 was elected Head Centre. He was to be the last official Head Centre. By 1880 the Fenian Brotherhood had begun to disappear, and the group no longer had the financial support or membership it had once enjoyed.

Rossa also owned and managed a hotel in Manhattan. Even after the Fenians had ceased to operate, Rossa was an outspoken critic of the British occupation of Ireland. He ran for NY State Senate in 1871, but lost in a closely contested and questionable election. Rossa toured the country performing readings of his books and giving recounts of his involvement in the Fenians and his fight against the British. He died in New York in 1915. His body was sent to Dublin where he was remembered as a hero. Thousands of people attended his funeral to pay their respects. A monumentin Skibereen and a bridge in Dublin are named after Rossa. In 1981 the Irish government commissioned a postage stamp that honored him as an Irish patriot.

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Scope and Contents

Fenian Brotherhood Papers

The collection is divided into two series. The Fenian Brotherhood Papers contain documents related to the activities of the Fenian Brotherhood in the United States. The Personal Papers of Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa contain documents related to the personal affairs of O'Donovan Rossa, outside of his role in the Fenian Brotherhood.

The first subseries in the Fenian Brotherhood Papers consists of correspondence to and from various prominent people involved in the formation of the Brotherhood. In addition to J. O'Donovan Rossa (1831-1915), there is correspondence to and from several of the founders and co-founders of the Fenian Brotherhood. They include Thomas Clarke Luby (1821-1901), Charles Kickham (1828-1882), John Mitchel (1815-1875), John O'Mahony (1816-1877),and James Stephens (1825-1901). The correspondence is arranged chronologically starting in 1850 and ending in 1909. This series also contains undated and fragmented correspondence, as well as a small grouping of correspondence related to the "Irish Confederation (1865-1880)".

The second subseries (Circle reports and meeting minutes) consists of "Circle Reports" and notes from circle meetings which document the activities of the Fenian "Circles" (local groupings). The reports include information concerning attendance, dues, expenses, and topics of meetings. There are also speeches and open letters from General John O'Neill (1843-1878) and John Savage (1828-1888)

The third subseries (Fenian Military) contains items related to the military branch of the Brotherhood.There is a 100+ page roster which lists Officers in the "Fenian Army of New York State". There is related correspondence dealing with military actions between military personnel. There are also Fenian letters of marquee and letters of reprisal.

The fourth subseries (Fenian Financial) consists of Fenian Brotherhood financial records. There areledgers containing financial accounts for the movement on the national level, but they also contain information regarding local circles, and the names of individuals who contributed to the cause. There are also "Irish Republic Bonds" which were printed and sold to raise money for the cause.

The fifth subseries (Fenian Publications) consists of official Fenian Brotherhood publications and other printed materials which discuss the activities of the Fenians. This includes proceedings of Fenian Conventions, versions of the Fenian Constitution, versions of the Fenian By-Laws, and speeches made to the organization. There are a few chromolithographs and cartes de visite photographs.

The sixth subseries consists of "oversized documents". There are two sets of documents detailing the trials related to legal charges brought against Rossa as a result of his activity with the Fenians. In addition, there is a 21 March 1859 letter from John O'Mahony to cousin Thomas O'Mahony donated in 2013.

The Personal Papers of J. O'Donovan Rossa

The J. O'Donovan Rossa Papers are divided into three subseries. The first subseries contains correspondence that is not related to the Fenian Brotherhood that span 1850-1909. The second subseries consists ofpersonal papers related to O'Donovan Rossa's businesses and personal activities. These materials include the account book for Rossa's hotel in Manhattan, lists of subscriptions to The United Irishman, his personal address/appointment book for 1876, and a scrapbook detailing his unsuccessful run for NY State Senate. The last subseries consists of newspapers and other publications from 1863 to 1921 which address a wide range of topics in Irish history and Irish nationalism.

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Arrangement

The Fenian Brotherhood Records and O'Donovan Rossa Personal Papers consists of two series:

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

None.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Primarily donated by Fr. William D'Arcy O.F.M., 1946-1952, with a small donation by Paul J. Culhane in 2013.

Processing Information

Processing completed in 2002 by Patrick Cullom. EAD markup completed in 2003 by Washington Research Library Consortium. Additional EAD markup completed in 2006 by Jordan Patty. Finding aid and EAD markup edited in 2008 by Robin C. Pike. Minor revisions in 2012-2013 by W.J. Shepherd

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Related Material

Fenian Brotherhood Digital Collection

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Index Terms

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Detailed Description of the Collection