In this talk by Dr David Doolin from neighbouring Lusk he shared his in depth knowledge of the Fenian Brotherhood in America and the meticulous planning of the invasions of Canada in 1866 and American British relations at the time. There were so many questions from the floor we could have stayed there for hours.This year marks the 150th Anniversary of the Fenian rising so it was timely to focus on this organisation which played a huge role in both national and international history. This talk focused on their invasions of Canada in 1866 and their importance in Canadian and US history.
Dr. David Doolin has taught courses in American, European, and Irish history at University College Dublin (UCD), Maynooth University, and the American College Dublin since his return to Ireland in September 2014, after spending the previous decade in the United States. His research and teaching focuses on both Ireland and America with a focus on the Irish in America, Irish American identity, the Fenian Brotherhood, American immigration, the American Civil War era, and aspects of American Empire and America at war.
This talk will be based on his book Transnational Revolutionaries: The Fenian Invasion of Canada 1866 where he investigates the significance of militant Irish Revolutionary nationalists, who managed to flourish in the United States during and immediately after the American Civil War, and the complexities of an Irish-American identity as an ethnic-American category, by taking a closer look at what is arguably a somewhat forgotten historical event. This book was was published in 2016, to coincide with the 150th year anniversary of that event and was launched by the Lord Mayor of Dublin Críona Ní Dhálaigh, in the presence of the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, Kevin Vickers at Dublin’s Mansion House.
