The Irish Republican Brotherhood: From Fenian Rising to Easter 1916

Before the Easter Rising, before the IRA, there was the Irish Republican Brotherhood — a secret revolutionary society founded in 1858 with the single goal of winning Irish independence by force. In this episode, Lucas and Luna trace the IRB's shadowy origins in Dublin and New York, its role in the failed Fenian Rising of 1867, the daring Catalpa rescue of Fenian prisoners from Australia, and the bombing campaign in Victorian England. They explore how the Brotherhood kept the flame of rebellion alive through decades of defeat, how it infiltrated the Irish Volunteers, and how its inner circle — including Tom Clarke and Seán MacDermott — eventually orchestrated the 1916 Easter Rising. Along the way, they discuss key figures like James Stephens, John O'Mahony, Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa, and the Manchester Martyrs. A story of oaths, informers, transatlantic networks, and the long road to insurrection. #IrishRepublicanBrotherhood #Fenians #FenianRising1867 #CatalpaRescue #ManchesterMartyrs #JamesStephens #JeremiahODonovanRossa #TomClarke #SeánMacDermott #EasterRising #IrishHistory #19thCentury #SecretSociety #Rebellion #Dublin #NewYork #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo