Irish Republican Army invades Canada??

Subject: Irish Republican Army invades Canada??
From: Red Eye
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 08:20 PM

I remember my mother telling me that the IRA 'invaded, Canada in the 1800's. Has anyone else heard this and if so what is the story.

Subject: RE: Irish Republican Army invades Canada??
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 08:50 PM

Improbable as it may sound the stories are grounded in fact. After the American Civil War, there were several raids (invasion seems too strong a term) by Irish-American veterans in sympathy with the Fenian movement, on the Canadian border in 1866 and 1867. For some more information try these sites The Fenian invasions of Canada
or Fenian invasions of Canada

Subject: RE: Irish Republican Army invades Canada??
From: Red Eye
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 08:53 PM

Thanks Mathew.

Subject: RE: Irish Republican Army invades Canada??
From: Monny
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 09:37 PM

There are details also in Terry Golway's biography of John Devoy titled "Irish Rebel". I believe its available in paperback now. Cheers, Monny

Subject: RE: Irish Republican Army invades Canada??
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 09:52 PM

There was also a 1998 thread on the Fenian Invasions of Canada. I've found 2 songs so far.

All the best,
Dan Milner

Subject: RE: Irish Republican Army invades Canada??
From: artbrooks
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 09:55 PM

There is a good article about it in the February 2000 issue of "Military History" magazine, which might be available in/through your public library.

Subject: RE: Irish Republican Army invades Canada??
From: Fiolar
Date: 10 Jul 01 - 09:13 AM

If my memory is correct the ballad "Deep in Canadian Woods we've meet, from one bright island flown" deals with it. As already pointed out it was the a Fenian foray and not IRA as that body was not formed until the 20th century. One of the reasons that Thomas Darcy Magee was murdered was the fact that he condemned the Canadian incursion.

Subject: RE: Irish Republican Army invades Canada??
From: sian, west wales
Date: 10 Jul 01 - 09:35 AM

My history teacher always said that the Fenians invading Canada was rather like a terrier chasing acar. What in hell was he gonna do with it if he caught it? My 'patch' - the Niagara Penninsula - was a big favourite of the Fenians, invasion-wise. Guess they liked to do a bit of pick-your-own fruit while they were there ...

sian

Subject: RE: Irish Republican Army invades Canada??
From: GUEST,willie-o
Date: 10 Jul 01 - 12:13 PM

It was the same kind of thinking as the Bay of Pigs, in a way. The planners were convinced that we were all under the thumb of the British oppressors and would rise up in a general rebellion if they sparked it.

They did capture a grain mill or something for a couple of days...

but those armed insurrections are just not the way we do things. Just go blow up a couple of mailboxes, then we'll talk about it for thirty years or so, till we're sick of it...

w-o

Subject: RE: Irish Republican Army invades Canada??
From: ChrisHall
Date: 10 Jul 01 - 01:58 PM

In reference to the IRA connection, I believe that this little scuffle produced one of, if not the first time people fought under an IRA banner.

Cheers

Chris Hall

Subject: RE: Irish Republican Army invades Canada??
From: Finn McCool
Date: 10 Jul 01 - 10:10 PM

Give me a break! There was no IRA until Michael Collins founded the organization in the nineteen teens, followed by the "five glorious years". Canada is safe!!

BTW, I am interested to know if our British friends take offense at hearing *old* IRA songs at folk gatherings. I can certainly understand British objections to "Provie" songs, but has suffcient time elapsed to consider 1920's to 1950's IRA tunes as inoffensive historical curiosities? IMO, there is some *great* folk music there.

Sorry for the thread drift.

--Finn

Subject: RE: Irish Republican Army invades Canada??
From: artbrooks
Date: 10 Jul 01 - 10:27 PM

Perhaps there were more than one organization with (coincidently or not) the same name and similar aspirations. The Fenian forces that advanced on Ridgeway (Ontario) on 2 June 1866 were designated as the 7th (New York), 13th(Tennessee), 17th(Kentucky) and 18th(Ohio) Irish Republican Army regiments, and their colors (as shown in a painting dating from 1869) were a golden harp on a green field, with the letters "IRA" in gold above the harp.

Subject: RE: Irish Republican Army invades Canada??
From: sian, west wales
Date: 11 Jul 01 - 03:41 PM

See? What did I tell ya? Who'd want to capture Ridgeway, of all places???

Oh, and Finn ... careful with the 'British'. I think you'd find some regional and political variations on the acceptability of IRA songs ... not always on an informed basis ...

sian

Subject: RE: Irish Republican Army invades Canada??
From: Bluebeard
Date: 12 Jul 01 - 12:00 AM

artbrooks is right. I took part in the re-enactment at Old Fort Erie three weeks ago. It is a wonderful bit of history that is not well known. The Fenians had no quarrel with the people of Upper Canada, it was their English "rulers" they were after. The Fenian Raids were a catalyst in Canada becoming a country, rather than a collection of provinces.

"Ireland Boys Hurrah" was actually first published in 1857.

Slainte