Fenian

Fenian
—Fenianism, n.
/fee"nee euhn, feen"yeuhn/, n.
1. a member of an Irish revolutionary organization founded in New York in 1858, which worked for the establishment of an independent Irish republic.
2. (in late Irish legends) a member of a group of warriors always ready to defend Ireland against its enemies.
[1810-20; < Ir féinne (gen. of fiann band of Fenians) + -IAN; influenced by OIr féne ancient inhabitant of Ireland]

* * *

▪ Irish secret society
      member of an Irish nationalist secret society active chiefly in Ireland, the United States, and Britain, especially during the 1860s. The name derives from the Fianna Eireann, the legendary band of Irish warriors led by the fictional Finn MacCumhaill (MacCool). The society was founded in the United States by John O'Mahony and in Ireland by James Stephens (1858). Plans for a rising against British rule in Ireland miscarried, but the American Fenians staged abortive raids across the border into British Canada in 1866, 1870, and 1871 and were a cause of friction between the U.S. and British governments.

      The Irish wing of the society was sometimes called the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a name that continued to be used after Fenianism proper had virtually died out in the early 1870s. Arthur Griffith, a member of the Brotherhood, founded the Irish nationalist party Sinn Féin (“We Ourselves”) in 1905.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • fenian — ● fenian, feniane adjectif et nom (anglais fenian, de l irlandais fianna) Se disait du mouvement révolutionnaire de la Fraternité républicaine irlandaise. ⇒FENIAN, (FENIAN, FÉNIAN)subst. masc. Membre d une association politique américano… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • fenian — fenián s. n. (sil. ni an), pl. feniéni (sil. ni eni) Trimis de siveco, 10.08.2004. Sursa: Dicţionar ortografic  FENIÁN s.m. Adept al unui partid politic irlandez întemeiat în 1861, care avea ca ţel principal eliberarea Irlandei de sub dominaţia… …   Dicționar Român

  • Fenian — Fe ni*an, n. [From the Finians or Fenii, the old militia of Ireland, who were so called from Fin or Finn, Fionn, or Fingal, a popular hero of Irish traditional history.] A member of a secret organization, consisting mainly of Irishmen, having for …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Fenian — Fe ni*an, a. Pertaining to Fenians or to Fenianism. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Fenian — 1816, blend of O.Ir. feinne, pl. of fiann, name of a band of Irish warriors + O.Ir. Fene, name of the ancient inhabitants of Ireland. Reference to Irish American brotherhood of that name first attested 1864 …   Etymology dictionary

  • Fenian — [fē′nē ən, fēn′yən] n. [< pl. of Ir Gael Fiann, the old militia of Ireland, after Finn, Fionn, hero of Irish tradition: assoc. with OIr fēne, inhabitant of Ireland] 1. any of a group of legendary military heroes of ancient Ireland ☆ 2. a… …   English World dictionary

  • Fenian — The Fenians, both the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood, were fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The name Fenians was first… …   Wikipedia

  • Fenian — Fénien Fénien (anglais : fenian) désigne généralement et depuis la fin du XIXe siècle les nationalistes irlandais qui choisissent la violence pour lutter contre la présence britannique. Il fait également référence aux membres de l Irish …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Fenian — noun Etymology: Fen (probably in part from Middle Irish Féni freeholders, legendary settlers of Ireland, in part from Irish fiann, genitive singular féinne band of warriors) + ian Date: 1816 1. a member of a legendary band of warriors defending… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Fenian — noun fē nē ən|fēn′yən a) An or . b) A member of the or the , Irish republican organizations active in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Syn: taig, Tim See Also: Fenian Cycle …   Wiktionary

  • fenian — (entrée créée par le supplément) (fé ni an) adj. m. Feu fenian, sulfure de carbone tenant en dissolution du phosphore ; c est une composition inflammable …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”