Fenian - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fenian - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Fenian
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Supplement given with the Weekly Freeman of October 1883
Supplement given with the Weekly Freeman of October 1883

The name Fenians was first applied by John O'Mahony to the members of the Irish nationalist organization which he started in America in 1858.[1] The Fenians both the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood were fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. O'Mahony, who was a Celtic scholar, named the American wing of the movement after the Na Fianna, the legendary band of Irish warriors led by Fionn mac Cumhaill.

The term is still used today, especially in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Scotland, where its original meaning has continued and expanded to include all supporters of Irish nationalism. Irish Nationalists themselves, while honouring the 19th-century Fenians, commonly use other designations for themselves such as 'Nationalist' or 'Republican', terms also used by the Fenians themselves.
Contents
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* 1 Fenianism
* 2 Ireland
* 3 United States
* 4 Canada
* 5 Contemporary usage
o 5.1 Northern Ireland
o 5.2 Scotland"