Item 2 - Address of the Chief Executive and Council of the Fenian Brotherhood, 10 November 1869

2pp

This 1869 statement by the Fenian Brotherhood, adopted at its November 1869 council meeting and signed by Chief Executive John Savage, reflects the organisation’s assessment of political conditions in Ireland and its commitment to the goal of Irish self-government. It expresses satisfaction with the growing strength and unity of Irish nationalist movements, particularly the consolidation of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), which is presented as evidence of increasing organisational effectiveness and political purpose.
The document welcomes the disestablishment of the Anglican Church in Ireland but argues that this reform did not fully address broader inequalities. It identifies several major grievances that, in the Brotherhood’s view, continued to affect Ireland: the landlord system, the administration of justice, and taxation policies. The authors contend that land ownership arrangements disadvantaged the Irish population and advocate a system in which cultivators would have greater rights to hold land. They also criticise the legal and administrative structures of the period, arguing that political and judicial authority remained concentrated in the hands of a narrow social and religious elite.
A central theme of the address is the claim that these problems originated in British rule over Ireland. The Brotherhood maintains that meaningful and lasting reform could only be achieved through Irish self-government and national independence.
The statement also calls attention to the treatment of Fenian political prisoners, describing their conditions as severe and arguing for a general amnesty. It rejects the British government’s view that the continued existence of Fenianism justified their imprisonment.
More broadly, the document presents Fenianism as the successor to earlier Irish nationalist traditions associated with figures such as Wolfe Tone, Robert Emmet, and the leaders of the 1848 Young Ireland movement. It portrays the movement as combining nationalist ideals with greater organisational discipline and strategic planning.
The address concludes by expressing confidence in the future of the nationalist cause and encouraging continued support from Irish communities abroad, particularly in the United States, in pursuit of Irish autonomy and independence.