• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar

New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Adirondacks & NNY
  • Capital-Saratoga
  • Mohawk Valley
  • Hudson Valley & Catskills
  • NYC & Long Island
  • Western NY
  • History
  • Nature & Environment
  • Arts & Culture
  • Outdoor Recreation
  • Food & Farms
  • Subscribe
  • Support
  • Submit
  • About
  • New Books
  • Events
  • Podcasts

Irish Fenians In The North Country

August 11, 2016 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

fenian meetingToday we would label them a “paramilitary organization.” In the years immediately following the American Civil War, life in the Adirondacks was briefly interrupted by the Fenians, also known as the Fenian Brotherhood.

The Fenian Brotherhood was an Irish Republican organization founded in New York in 1858 by John O’Mahoney. Their name is derived from legends about ancient Irish warriors called the Fianna.

Their goal was an Irish Republic free of British rule.

Following the American Civil War, and with an increasing number of members who had served on both sides of that conflict, many Fenians had prior military experience. A plan developed – to invade and hold Canada “hostage” until Britain freed Ireland.

Between 1866 and 1870, a number of invasions of Canada were planned from points in Maine, Vermont, New York, North Dakota and Washington state. Fenians crossing from Buffalo won a victory against Canadian troops at Ridgeway, Ontario, but soon returned to the United States.

In Malone, more than 3,000 Fenians gathered for an anticipated invasion of Canada, just 12 miles to the north. Their expected shipment of arms, however, was confiscated and, as Federal troops approached Malone, the Fenians disbanded.

In the spring of 1870, a second invasion was planned and this time, arms were carefully hidden in barns around Chateauguay, Fort Covington and Hogansburg.

Fenians gathered again in Malone and advanced over the border. In a skirmish with Canadian forces near the Trout River, one Fenian was killed before most retreated.

Agitation and invasion plans continues through the 1870s without success. Although never successful as a strategy for liberating Ireland, the invasions proved to be a catalyst for the formation of the Canadian Confederation.

William L. McKone, President of the Fenian Historical Society, will present a program on the Fenians at the Hancock House in Ticonderoga on August 13, 2016. The evening will feature a concert by “Hair of the Dog,” the well-known Celtic band with a large fan base across the United States and Europe. Opening for the band is the popular local trio “Loose Monkeys.”  Learn more about the event here.

A version of this post was first published at Adirondack Almanack.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Filed Under: Events, History Tagged With: Fenians, Irish History, Military History

About Editorial Staff

Stories written under the Editorial Staff byline are drawn from press releases and other notices. Submit your news to New York Almanack here.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Help Support Our Work

Subscribe to New York Almanack

Subscribe! Follow the New York Almanack each day via E-mail, RSS, Twitter or Facebook updates.

Recent Comments

  • Pat Boomhower on Comments On Increasing Adirondack Park Road, Snowmobile Trail Mileage Sought
  • Alice Smith Duncan on A Saratoga County Odd Fellows Hall Is Now A Place For History
  • Jerome Lafayette Narramore on 1920s KKK Recruiting Efforts in Northern New York
  • Edythe Ann Quinn on 1920s KKK Recruiting Efforts in Northern New York
  • Bob Meyer on 1920s KKK Recruiting Efforts in Northern New York
  • Jerome Lafayette Narramore on 1920s KKK Recruiting Efforts in Northern New York
  • Edythe Ann Quinn on 1920s KKK Recruiting Efforts in Northern New York
  • Bob Meyer on 1920s KKK Recruiting Efforts in Northern New York
  • James S. Kaplan on Grant to Jacob Leisler Institute to Fund Lectures, Internships
  • Jerome Lafayette Narramore on 1920s KKK Recruiting Efforts in Northern New York

Recent New York Books

crossroads of rockland history
ben franklins world podcast
Spaces of Enslavement and Resistance in Dutch New York
ilion cover
Spare Parts
new yorks war of 1812
a prison in the woods cover
Visitors to My Street
Greek Fire
Building THe Ashokan Reservoir

Secondary Sidebar

preservation league
Protect the Adirondacks Hiking Guide