Next week marks the 150th anniversary of the Fenian Invasion of Canada, when hundreds of people of Irish descent crossed the Niagara River in a plot for Irish independence. In advance of the anniversary, a special guest paid a visit to the Fenian Invasion monument in Buffalo's Tow Path Park.
In June 1866, the Irish-Americans who gathered in Buffalo - many of them battle-tested Civil War veterans - crossed the border with the intent to take over land in what was then still a British colony, and offer it back to the crown in exchange for Irish independence.
"The Fenians defeated the crown at the Battle of Ridgeway, outnumbered and outgunned," said State Senator Tim Kennedy at the Fenian Invasion monument Wednesday. "But they suffered a setback when President Andrew Johnson blocked the reinforcements and sent Generals Grant and Meade to quell the invasion."
The Fenians were later pardoned.
Joining Kennedy at the Fenian Invasion monument was Críona Ní Dhálaigh, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ireland. She presented a proclamation to members of the Black Rock Historical Society and noted the similarities of the Fenian Invasion of Canada and the 1916 Uprising in Ireland. Both, she noted, involved underarmed and undermanned attempts to take on the British crown in a bid for independence.
She also spoke of the relationship between Ireland, the United States and Canada.
"For years, North America has been the refuge for many Irish emigrants who had to leave Ireland because of political persecution, religious persecution and economic reasons," said the mayor. "And during the famine, they had to leave because they were literally starving to death."
Events planned by the Black Rock Historical Society include a musical "Hooley" celebration at the Buffalo Irish Center, "Living History" involving the Buffalo 7th Regiment of the Irish Army of Liberation, a parade on Saturday, June 4 along Niagara Street near Hertel and a reception at the society's museum on Niagara Street. For more information, email info@blackrockhistoricalsociety.com.
