Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa: Unrepentant Fenian

by Shane Kenna

Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa died on June 29, 1915, in Staten Island, New York. On hearing of his death, Tom Clarke sent a transatlantic cable from Dublin to John Devoy in New York, with the simple message: "Send his body home at once." His funeral in Glasnevin Cemetery was one of the largest political funerals in Irish history, and is now accepted as the precursor to the Easter Rising. Patrick Pearse famously declared at Rossa's graveside, "The fools, the fools, the fools! They have left us our Fenian dead! And while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland unfree shall never be at peace!" This long-awaited biography of a hugely significant figure in Irish history examines the life of Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa. From modest origins in West Cork, he became passionately interested in national politics from an early age, founding the Phoenix National and Literary Society, which was, in fact, a subversive organization which would later merge with the newly founded Irish Republican Brotherhood. He was later arrested for his republican activities, spent hard time in the toughest of British prisons - including lengthy spells in solitary confinement - and was actually elected to the British House of Commons while still in prison. Effectively exiled to the United States, O'Donovan Rossa continued his involvement in republican organizations and set up the United Irishman newspaper. From the United States, he organized, funded, and masterminded the Fenian 'dynamite' campaign which was the first ever Irish bombing operation on British shores. He even survived an assassination attempt when he was shot in New York by an English woman so perturbed by the attacks on Britain. Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa was a complex character who was both a family and a political man. This book tells his story from the earliest years to his death and funeral - a figure whose life work was dedicated to the establishment of an Irish Republic. *** Librarians: ebook available on ProQuest and EBSCO [Subject: Biography, Irish Studies, Politics, History]

Genres: Irish Literature, Biography

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Ronan Lyons · Rating 2 out of 5]

On paper, this should work. O'Donovan Rossa bridges the gap between Daniel O'Connell, born in the 1770s, and Eamon de Valera, who died in the 1970s, having met both. Unfortunately, ODR was basically a terrorist. His strategy for securing Ireland's independence involved trying to kill innocents in Britain, despite overwhelming evidence that the vast majority of Irish people disagreed. He was a sort of tragi-comic terrorist, too: he increasingly tried to claim bombings in Britain that he had no involvement with.

This of course is no reason to give a book two stars. This is due to the book being poorly written and very poorly edited: expect rambling chapters, paragraphs that extend to two pages or more, and lots of small errors that grate.

It's not apparent from this book why ODR earned his reputation before being imprisoned, while his conduct for most of the rest of his life was, to any reasonable person, very hard to justify. In short: you're better off reading the Wikipedia page.