History Happy Hour

Our guest is Christopher Klein, author of When the Irish Invaded Canada: The Incredible True Story of the Civil War Veterans Who Fought for Ireland’s Freedom Here are some other titles to look at.

John C. O’Neill: The Irish Nationalist and U.S. Army Officer Who Invaded Canada, Thomas Fox Biography of the incredible life of O’Neill. Born in Ireland, O’Neill eventually came to America where he served with distinction in the 5th Indiana Cavalry during the American Civil War. Never forgetting the land of his birth, after the Civil War O’Neill led three separate invasions of Canada at the head of a Fenian army. He then went on to be a major player in the colonization of the American West. Quite a life. Birth of the Fenian Movement: American Diary, Brooklyn 1859, James Stephens Stephens was one of the founders of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and a “founding father” of Fenianism. The writing is a bit Victorian and can be difficult to get through in places, but Stephen’s account is a wonderful window on some of the personalities and problems facing the early organizers of the Fenian movement. It also gives a very vivid picture of what life was like for Irish immigrants in 19th century America. Fenian Fire: The British Government Plot to Assassinate Queen Victoria, Christy Campbell Tells the fascinating, and oftentimes bizarre, story of Operation Jubilee, a plot hatched by the Fenian Brotherhood in New York to murder Queen Victoria. In telling this story, Campbell does a wonderful job of explaining some of the personalities and plots of the Fenian movement.