Irish Republican Brotherhood

The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) were an organisation formed to help make an independent democratic republic in Ireland. They were known as Fenians. They played an important role in the Irish fight for independence from Britain. This helped stage the 1916 Easter Rising.

Irish Republican Brotherhood poster

Formation

The IRB was started at the same time in Dublin and in New York in 1858. It was started by a number of men who had been connected with the 1848 rebellion in Ireland. They were a very mysterious organization. They believed the only way to get freedom for Ireland was by using force. The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) was formally established on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1858, in Peter Lanigan’s timber yard on Lombard Street, Dublin, by James Stephens. It was founded as a secret, oath-bound, revolutionary organization dedicated to establishing an independent Irish republic through force.

Key Details of the Formation:

• Founder: James Stephens, a veteran of the 1848 Young Ireland rebellion, established the IRB after returning from exile in France.
• Purpose: To prepare a grassroots movement and organize an armed uprising to end British rule in Ireland.
• Original Name: Initially known as the Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood before becoming the Irish Republican Brotherhood.
• Structure: It was a secret, oath-bound society (often referred to as Fenians) that organized into "circles" (small groups) to ensure secrecy.
• International Link: The organization was founded in conjunction with the Fenian Brotherhood (later Clan na Gael) in the United States, led by John O’Mahony, to provide funding and support.
• Core Figures: Alongside Stephens, early key figures included Thomas Clarke Luby, Peter Langan, and Joseph Denieffe.

The IRB emerged from the traditions of the 1790s United Irishmen and the 1840s Young Irelanders. It played a central role in Irish history until its dissolution in 1924, influencing the 1867 Fenian Rising, the 1916 Easter Rising, and the War of Independence

Irish Republican Brotherhood Media

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  Irish "Green Sunburst" flag

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  Thomas Osborne Davis

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  Image source John Mitchel's Jail Journel first published 1861

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  Thomas Clarke Luby was one of the founding members of the IRB

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  Denis Dowling Mulcahy, Thomas Clarke Luby and John O'Leary

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  Charles Joseph Kickham, journalist, novelist, Young Irelander, and member of the Fenian Brotherhood, circa 1870s

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  Michael Collins, the penultimate president of the IRB

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  Plaque on 25 Parnell Square commemorating an IRB meeting of 9 September 1914 that decided on a violent rebellion.

Other websites

• The Irish Republican Brotherhood, from the BBC History site
• Irish Nationalism and Anglo-American Naturalization: The Settlement of the Expatriation Question 1865-1872