When the Irish Invaded Canada

December 15, 2018
Civil War veterans plot to win Irish independence by kidnapping Canada.By the end of the American Civil War, the movement for national liberation was moribund in Ireland, where the populace was debilitated, demoralized, and disarmed in the wake of the Great Hunger 15 years earlier. America, however, teemed with refugees from that disaster, resentful of England and now armed and battle-hardened. What could they do for their native land? Union general Thomas Sweeny of the Fenian Brotherhood had an idea: Attack poorly defended Canada, then still a colony of the crown, and trade the captured territory back to Britain in exchange for Irish independence. What could possibly go wrong? Everything, as it turned out. Under several different leaders, Fenians raided Canada from New Brunswick to Manitoba in several incidents between 1866 and 1871. None succeeded in holding Canadian territory for more than 48 hours; their principal accomplishment was to encourage Canadian confederation as an enhancement to national security. Clearly an enthusiast of Irish nationalism, Klein (Strong Boy: The Life and Times of John L. Sullivan, America's First Sports Hero, 2013, etc.) manages to keep a straight face as he narrates this opéra bouffe of delusional and incompetent commanders sponsored by bitterly competing groups riddled with spies, leading tiny armies against the combined forces of the British, Canadian, and American governments. But there was nothing funny about the costs to idealistic working men in the ranks who paid for these follies with their money and, in a few cases, their lives. The author offers a thoroughly researched and engagingly written account of the leaders of America's feuding Irish émigré groups, earnest patriots all, whose clashing egos and strategies kept their groups splintered and weak. He takes the preparations for the hopeless invasions as seriously as did the men involved, although he knows as well as readers that they are all doomed to humiliating failure.A well-presented, little-known sidebar to the struggle for Irish independence.

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March 1, 2019

Klein (Strong Boy: The Life and Times of John L. Sullivan) has written a very readable history of the attempts by 19th-century Irish American nationalists (the Fenian Brotherhood) to invade, or at least threaten, Canada. After the American Civil War, U.S.-based Irish nationalists wished to take advantage of recent military training and the ease of availability of arms supplies and find a way to "strike a blow for Irish freedom." The author details how, with involvement from Irish nationalists in America and Ireland, the idea emerged to attack Canada, at the time a British colony. More than one effort--mostly planned from New York and executed across the northern borders of Maine and Vermont--failed quite dramatically, never getting more than a few miles across the international border. A last attempt in 1871 didn't even manage to reach Canadian territory. These incidences make for dramatic history, though, featuring well-known figures including American actor James Stephens and Irish author John Mitchel. VERDICT This is solid popular history; fans of Irish historian Tim Pat Coogan will find it most enjoyable.--Hanna Clutterbuck-Cook, Harvard Univ. Lib., Cambridge, MA

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2019
In the Civil War's immediate aftermath, some Irish American soldiers from both sides of the conflict turned their attention to the plight of their old country. Having barely laid down their arms, soldiers from both North and South wanted to take action to release their kinsmen from centuries of British dominion. One way they thought they could help was to launch attacks on British fortifications north of the border and thus divert British troops from Ireland to defend Canada. In 1866, John O'Neill led troops out of Buffalo across the Niagara River. These battle-hardened soldiers outfought inexperienced Canadian volunteers and British troops, but their victories were short-lived. Another group crossed the border in Maine onto Campobello Island, others marching toward Winnipeg, all suffering defeats that contributed nothing to Irish homeland independence. Ironically, the vulnerability Canadians perceived from these raids contributed to a greater sense of Canadian nationalism, uniting provinces into the 1867 Canadian Confederation. Klein's (Strong Boy, 2013) history includes a few illustrations and an extensive bibliography.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)