Fenian rising of 1867 to be remembered with events across Ireland

Several counties marking 150th anniversary of the rebellion against British rule

A contemporary illustration of the Battle of Tallaght from the London Illustrated News
A contemporary illustration of the Battle of Tallaght from the London Illustrated News

Events will take place across the country over the weekend to mark the Fenian rising of 1867.

On March 5th, 1867 members of the Fenian movement staged a rising across Ireland. Though militarily a disaster, the rising would have profound historical consequences for Ireland.

The focus of the rebellion was on Tallaght, then a village 20km outside Dublin. Rebels on their way to muster at Tallaght Hill to march on Dublin were stopped by a contingent of police and two were killed in an armed stand-off.

There were also rebellions in Limerick, Tipperary, Cork, Monaghan and Louth, but they were merely skirmishes by comparison.

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The march to Tallaght Hill will be remembered with a gathering which be led by the Cabra Historical Society from the City West Luas Stop at 2pm on Sunday.

They will march through areas where 150 years previous, thousands of Dublin Fenians travelled on their way to join in the planned rising. The event is being organised by Sinn Féin.

Lissadell House in Co Sligo will unveil a new exhibition on Sunday which focuses on the rebellions against British rule from 1798 to 1916.

The March of a Nation exhibition takes its name from Charles Stewart Parnell's remarks in 1885, "No man has the right to fix the boundary to the march of a nation".

The exhibitions will be opened at 2pm by James Connolly Heron, the great grandson of James Connolly. With him will be David Ceannt, the grand nephew of Eamonn Ceannt; Honor O' Brolchain, the grand niece Joseph Plunkett; Rosa Mylonas, the grand niece, and Pat Mc Dermott, the grand nephew of Sean MacDiarmada.

An Claoímh re-enactors will be present all day doing ‘show and tell’ from 17th century to the 1916 Irish rebels.

Ormond Historical Society and Borrisoleigh Historical Society is hosting an event on Sunday afternoon at 2pm in the Glenkeen Cemetary/Borrisoleigh Community Centre in Co Tipperary.

Taking from the successful celebration of the centenary of the 1916 Rising last year, the intention is to engage communities in this commemoration and to highlight Fenian activity in Tipperary.

On Sunday afternoon, The Old Drogheda Society has organised a walk and talk in Drogheda to commemorate the rising.

The walk will begin outside the Westcourt Hotel in West Street Drogheda at 3.00pm where local historian Brendan Matthews will reveal new research on the connections between Drogheda and the Fenian leadership.

In Limerick, re-enactors will recreate the attack on Ardagh Barracks by the Fenians during the rebellion on Sunday at 2pm.

The St Kieran's Heritage Association have published a commemorative booklet to mark the occasion.

Schoolchildren are being encouraged to dress up in old-style costumes to view the re-enactment and also to participate in the old-style fair day being organised for the afternoon.

On Sunday at 3pm the James Connolly Society Monaghan will hold a commemoration at Tyholland Parish Church. There is a Celtic Cross in the churchgrounds dedicated to the Fenians of that era. The main speaker on the day will be John Crawley.

Tyholland is where the Monaghan men made their stand during the 1867 Rising, under the guise of the Movements 'Head Centre' in that area, James Blayney Rice who came from a strong republican tradition.

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy is a news reporter with The Irish Times