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Patrick O'Donnell (Invincible)
Encyclopedia
Pádraig "Mhícheál Airt" Ó Domhnaill or Patrick O'Donnell, (born 1835, in Gweedore
, County Donegal
, Ireland
– 17 December 1883, London
, UK) was an Irish republican
who was responsible for killing James Carey, leader of the group that carried out the Phoenix Park Murders
in Dublin, Ireland
.
and the newly appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland
, Lord Frederick Cavendish – who was also the nephew of Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone
– were stabbed to death as they walked though the Phoenix Park
in Dublin.
, founded in the U.S. on St Patrick’s day, 1858, and widely known as the Fenians. The group perpetrated a number of attacks throughout the United Kingdom, targeting prisons and arsenals. Their expressed goal was full independence for Ireland and the creation of a Republic.
It was a splinter group of the Fenians, the Irish National Invincibles
, which plotted to assassinate Thomas Burke. The new Chief Secretary of Ireland was not an intended victim but was out walking with Burke at the time of the attack.
The National Irish Invincibles claimed responsibility for the murders. The hunt for the perpetrators was led by Police Superintendent John Mallon, who arrested a number of suspects. Among them, James Carey
, a town councilman in Dublin, was arrested but struck a deal and turned Queen's evidence. Although he was the leader in the assassination plot, he agreed to testify against his co-accused. Five men were hanged at Kilmainham Jail for the killings between May and June 1883 because of his testimony. They were: Joe Brady, Daniel Curley, Tim Kelly (19 years of age), Thomas Caffrey and Michael Fagan.
,_by_unknown_engraver,_pubd_1883.jpg)
As part of the deal, Carey was given a new identity and safe passage to South Africa
. He travelled under the assumed name "Power" on the steamer Kinfauns Castle, with his wife and seven children, and then on the Melrose for the second part of the voyage. O'Donnell, who had come from the United States via Donegal and London, travelled on the same ships, in the company of a young Donegal woman who purported to be his wife (although it is alleged he was still married to another woman). Carey kept up his assumed identity for most of the voyage, but later he let his guard drop, provoking a row in Cape Town and displaying his revolver. A barman there became aware of Carey's real identity, and informed O'Donnell.
The two men had been drinking together in the second class cabin aboard the Melrose before the shots were fired, somewhere between Table Bay
and Algoa Bay
. O'Donnell shot Carey in the neck and twice more in the back as he staggered away.
It was later suggested that O'Donnell was sent by the Invincibles to exact revenge upon the traitor but this is disputed by historians, the prevailing opinion being he discovered Carey's true identity while on board. This was a central debate at his trial.
O'Donnell was arrested and sent back to London to stand trial at the Old Bailey
and was executed for murder on the high seas, on 17 December 1883 at Newgate prison
, aged 48.
After the death sentence was passed and the Judge refused to let him speak O'Donnell shouted "Three cheers for old Ireland! Goodbye, United States! To hell with the British and the British Crown!"
from 30 November 1883 to 1 December 1883 and was the longest trial of its time. It took the jury just 2 hours deliberation to find O'Donnell guilty of wilful murder.
The proceedings were presided over by Judge George Denman. The prosecution was led by Sir Henry James
, Attorney General, and Messrs. Portland and Wright.
O'Donnell was represented by Sir Charles Russell
, MP, afterward Lord Chief Justice of England, A. M. Sullivan
, Mr. Guy and assisted by General Roger A. Pryor
, of the American bar, sent on behalf of the Irish-Americans.
General Pryor could not legally represent O'Donnell as he was not a member of the bar in the United Kingdom and took only an advisory role. In spite of this, he was strongly criticised in the United States among members of the press for not doing more to help in the defence.
As there was no proof that O'Donnell had set upon his voyage with the intention to murder James Carey, the case was made that the informer had been recognised by a fellow passenger on the Kinfauns Castle, Robert Thomas Cubbit. He testified that he had realised Power's real identity when he was shown a copy of the Dublin Weekly Freeman
with a portrait in it, along with a description of his involvement with the Invincibles. Cubbit told the court that he had shown this portrait to O'Donnell who then said "I'll shoot him". A similar portrait was later found in O'Donnell's possessions.
Carey's wife appeared as a witness and purported that O'Donnell had told her "I was sent to do it". Her son, Tom Carey, testified that O'Donnell had said either "Shake hands on it, Mrs Carey. I was sent to do it" or "I had to do it", but his testimony was discredited due to many inconsistencies between what he said at the trial and at the preliminary hearing. Among them was how his father's gun was in his possession after his murder. He alternately said he had run to their cabin to fetch the gun for his father; that he had the gun to keep it out of his mother's way. He denied he had told Walter Young, at Port Elizabeth, that he had run to get his father's gun "but it was not there; father had it".
The defence put forward an argument of self-defence. Witnesses only recall seeing one pistol, that in O'Donnell's possession. Sir Russell argued that this was surely because of poor light and that Carey most certainly had a gun on his person at all time, for his own protection; especially since his identity had been discovered. The defence council spoke for four hours and put it to the jury that Carey had most assuredly produced his pistol. The same pistol had been found to be in his son's possession, indicating that Tom Carey had taken the weapon to either kill O'Donnell later if he had the chance or to make it look like his father had been defenceless when he was shot.
The jury returned its verdict of wilful murder at 9pm on 1 December 1883 after which the death sentence was duly passed.
The President of the United States officially petitioned on behalf of O'Donnell, once it was determined he had acquired American citizenship. The veracity of the claim was brought into question and it was suggested he may have stolen another individual's papers.
After his execution the United States House of Representatives passed a bill requiring the Secretary of State to present all "communications, documents and papers in his possession relating to the trial, conviction, and execution of the late Patrick O'Donnell".
, an Irish secret society named after an Irish anti-landlord group of the same name, that militantly resisted discrimination and oppression in the coal fields. The O'Donnell family were top players in the organisation with involvement in some of the most well known incidents. A plot was hatched by their nemeses to kill the O'Donnells altogether, and some were either murdered or barely escaped in such an attack on their home known as the Wiggans Patch Massacre. Patrick O'Donnell was reputed to have come to his cousins to retaliate against informers. Patrick O'Donnell's links to the Mollies and his revenge against Carey is also claimed to be a possible inspiration in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's book The Valley of Fear
.
A plaque commemorating O'Donnell's execution stands at his birthplace in Mín an Chladaigh, Gweedore
. A huge crowd assembled in Gweedore, on 22 January 1884, to celebrate a mass for the repose of his soul. There followed a mock funeral and an empty coffin was placed in the O'Donnell family burial plot, his followers kneeling in prayer around the grave. Wreaths of immortelles were placed on the coffin which bore the inscription Sacred to the memory of Patrick O'Donnell, executed at London 17th of December, 1883.
, Gweedore
, in 1954 by a Fianna Fail committee. The committee consisted of 21 local Fianna Fail cumann members who held fund-raising events to finance the building of the cross. The Cross was officially unveiled by Cormac Breslin,T.D. The local priest at the time expressed his disapproval of a monument commemorating a man who committed murder. It stands tall, between the former town hall and a pub to commemorate the sacrifice of a local hero. The inscription on the cross reads as follows:
In 2004, fifty years to the day of its unveiling a re-dedication took place, five of the surviving six original committee members attended to witness the cross being re-dedicated not only to Patrick O'Donnell but to all Irishmen and women who gave there lives for Irish freedom and to the original Fianna Fail committee members who built the cross.
in Dublin. It reads "In Memory of Patrick O'Donnell. who heroically gave up his life for Ireland in London, England 17 December 1883. Not tears but prayers for the dead who died for Ireland". One member of the committee was Mary Byrne, who herself brought over the knives used in the assassination from England. His remains have been located in the London cemetery by the National Graves Association
. All executed prisoners are buried within prison grounds and when Newgate prison closed, the graves were moved. A plaque was placed on the site.
and by other important personalities abroad, notably in the United States. The US Library of Congress archives has a poster depicting a highly patriotic tribute to Patrick O'Donnell along with a popular song written in his honour. Many Irish republicans in County Donegal
and abroad would have sung it for their latest martyr.
Words to the poem by A.A. Walls featuring on the poster at the top of this page.
Gweedore
Gweedore is an Irish-speaking district located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. Gweedore stretches some 16 miles from Meenaclady in the north to Crolly in the south and around 9 miles from Dunlewey in the east to Magheraclogher in the west, and...
, County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
– 17 December 1883, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK) was an Irish republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
who was responsible for killing James Carey, leader of the group that carried out the Phoenix Park Murders
Phoenix Park Murders
The Phoenix Park Murders were the fatal stabbings on 6 May 1882 in the Phoenix Park in Dublin of Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Henry Burke. Cavendish was the newly appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland, and Burke was the Permanent Undersecretary, the most senior Irish civil servant...
in Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
The Phoenix Park murders and Carey's death
On 6 May 1882, the most senior Irish civil servant, the Permanent Undersecretary, Thomas Henry BurkeThomas Henry Burke
Thomas Henry Burke may refer to:*Thomas Henry Burke , Irish Catholic government official in Britain's Irish Office; victim of Phoenix Park Murders...
and the newly appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland
Chief Secretary for Ireland
The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, from the late 18th century until the end of British rule he was effectively the government minister with responsibility for governing Ireland; usually...
, Lord Frederick Cavendish – who was also the nephew of Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
– were stabbed to death as they walked though the Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 16 km perimeter wall encloses , one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the seventeenth...
in Dublin.
The Irish National Invincibles
In the height of Irish nationalist sentiment, a number of secret organisations were plotting acts of terror from the United States and within the United Kingdom. Among these was the Irish Republican BrotherhoodIrish Republican Brotherhood
The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the second half of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century...
, founded in the U.S. on St Patrick’s day, 1858, and widely known as the Fenians. The group perpetrated a number of attacks throughout the United Kingdom, targeting prisons and arsenals. Their expressed goal was full independence for Ireland and the creation of a Republic.
It was a splinter group of the Fenians, the Irish National Invincibles
Irish National Invincibles
The Irish National Invincibles, usually known as "The Invincibles" were a radical splinter group of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and leading representatives of the Land League movement, both of Ireland and Britain...
, which plotted to assassinate Thomas Burke. The new Chief Secretary of Ireland was not an intended victim but was out walking with Burke at the time of the attack.
The National Irish Invincibles claimed responsibility for the murders. The hunt for the perpetrators was led by Police Superintendent John Mallon, who arrested a number of suspects. Among them, James Carey
James Carey
James Carey was a Fenian and informer most notable for his involvement in the Phoenix Park murders.Carey was son of Francis Carey, a bricklayer, who came from Celbridge, in Kildare, to Dublin, where his son was born in James Street in 1845. He also was a bricklayer, and for 18 years continued in...
, a town councilman in Dublin, was arrested but struck a deal and turned Queen's evidence. Although he was the leader in the assassination plot, he agreed to testify against his co-accused. Five men were hanged at Kilmainham Jail for the killings between May and June 1883 because of his testimony. They were: Joe Brady, Daniel Curley, Tim Kelly (19 years of age), Thomas Caffrey and Michael Fagan.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He travelled under the assumed name "Power" on the steamer Kinfauns Castle, with his wife and seven children, and then on the Melrose for the second part of the voyage. O'Donnell, who had come from the United States via Donegal and London, travelled on the same ships, in the company of a young Donegal woman who purported to be his wife (although it is alleged he was still married to another woman). Carey kept up his assumed identity for most of the voyage, but later he let his guard drop, provoking a row in Cape Town and displaying his revolver. A barman there became aware of Carey's real identity, and informed O'Donnell.
The two men had been drinking together in the second class cabin aboard the Melrose before the shots were fired, somewhere between Table Bay
Table Bay
Table Bay is a natural bay on the Atlantic Ocean overlooked by Cape Town and is at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula, which stretches south to the Cape of Good Hope. It was named because it is dominated by the flat-topped Table Mountain.Bartolomeu Dias was the first European to explore this...
and Algoa Bay
Algoa Bay
Algoa Bay is a wide inlet along the South African east coast, some 425 miles east of the Cape of Good Hope. It is bounded in the west by Cape Recife and in the east by Cape Padrone. The bay is up to 436 m deep...
. O'Donnell shot Carey in the neck and twice more in the back as he staggered away.
It was later suggested that O'Donnell was sent by the Invincibles to exact revenge upon the traitor but this is disputed by historians, the prevailing opinion being he discovered Carey's true identity while on board. This was a central debate at his trial.
O'Donnell was arrested and sent back to London to stand trial at the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
and was executed for murder on the high seas, on 17 December 1883 at Newgate prison
Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison was a prison in London, at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey just inside the City of London. It was originally located at the site of a gate in the Roman London Wall. The gate/prison was rebuilt in the 12th century, and demolished in 1777...
, aged 48.
Jubilation throughout Ireland
On hearing of Carey's murder, there was jubilation on the streets throughout Ireland. Eight huge bonfires were lit around his home in Dublin, effigies in his likeness were burned and bands playing nationalist tunes marched followed by hordes of people.After the death sentence was passed and the Judge refused to let him speak O'Donnell shouted "Three cheers for old Ireland! Goodbye, United States! To hell with the British and the British Crown!"
O'Donnell's Trial
The trial took place at the Old BaileyOld Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
from 30 November 1883 to 1 December 1883 and was the longest trial of its time. It took the jury just 2 hours deliberation to find O'Donnell guilty of wilful murder.
The proceedings were presided over by Judge George Denman. The prosecution was led by Sir Henry James
Henry James, 1st Baron James of Hereford
Henry James, 1st Baron James of Hereford GCVO, PC, QC , known as Sir Henry James between 1873 and 1895, was an Anglo-Welsh lawyer and statesman. Initially a Liberal, he served under William Ewart Gladstone as Solicitor General in 1873 and as Attorney-General between 1873 and 1874 and 1880 and 1885...
, Attorney General, and Messrs. Portland and Wright.
O'Donnell was represented by Sir Charles Russell
Charles Russell, Baron Russell of Killowen
Charles Arthur Russell, Baron Russell of Killowen, GCMG, PC, was an Irish statesman of the 19th century, and Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.-Early life:...
, MP, afterward Lord Chief Justice of England, A. M. Sullivan
Alexander Martin Sullivan (Irish politician)
Alexander Martin Sullivan was an Irish politician, lawyer and journalist from Bantry, County Cork.He was the son of Daniel and Ann Sullivan, and brother to Timothy Daniel Sullivan, who was Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1886 to 1888....
, Mr. Guy and assisted by General Roger A. Pryor
Roger Atkinson Pryor
Roger Atkinson Pryor was both an American politician and a Confederate politician serving as a congressman on both sides. He was also a jurist, serving in the New York Supreme Court, a lawyer, and newspaper editor...
, of the American bar, sent on behalf of the Irish-Americans.
General Pryor could not legally represent O'Donnell as he was not a member of the bar in the United Kingdom and took only an advisory role. In spite of this, he was strongly criticised in the United States among members of the press for not doing more to help in the defence.
As there was no proof that O'Donnell had set upon his voyage with the intention to murder James Carey, the case was made that the informer had been recognised by a fellow passenger on the Kinfauns Castle, Robert Thomas Cubbit. He testified that he had realised Power's real identity when he was shown a copy of the Dublin Weekly Freeman
Freeman's Journal
The Freeman's Journal was the oldest nationalist newspaper in Ireland. It was founded in 1763 by Charles Lucas and was identified with radical 18th century Protestant patriot politicians Henry Grattan and Henry Flood...
with a portrait in it, along with a description of his involvement with the Invincibles. Cubbit told the court that he had shown this portrait to O'Donnell who then said "I'll shoot him". A similar portrait was later found in O'Donnell's possessions.
Carey's wife appeared as a witness and purported that O'Donnell had told her "I was sent to do it". Her son, Tom Carey, testified that O'Donnell had said either "Shake hands on it, Mrs Carey. I was sent to do it" or "I had to do it", but his testimony was discredited due to many inconsistencies between what he said at the trial and at the preliminary hearing. Among them was how his father's gun was in his possession after his murder. He alternately said he had run to their cabin to fetch the gun for his father; that he had the gun to keep it out of his mother's way. He denied he had told Walter Young, at Port Elizabeth, that he had run to get his father's gun "but it was not there; father had it".
The defence put forward an argument of self-defence. Witnesses only recall seeing one pistol, that in O'Donnell's possession. Sir Russell argued that this was surely because of poor light and that Carey most certainly had a gun on his person at all time, for his own protection; especially since his identity had been discovered. The defence council spoke for four hours and put it to the jury that Carey had most assuredly produced his pistol. The same pistol had been found to be in his son's possession, indicating that Tom Carey had taken the weapon to either kill O'Donnell later if he had the chance or to make it look like his father had been defenceless when he was shot.
The jury returned its verdict of wilful murder at 9pm on 1 December 1883 after which the death sentence was duly passed.
The President of the United States officially petitioned on behalf of O'Donnell, once it was determined he had acquired American citizenship. The veracity of the claim was brought into question and it was suggested he may have stolen another individual's papers.
After his execution the United States House of Representatives passed a bill requiring the Secretary of State to present all "communications, documents and papers in his possession relating to the trial, conviction, and execution of the late Patrick O'Donnell".
The Invincibles
It was assumed at first that O'Donnell had been a member of the Invincibles, sent to exact revenge upon a traitor. Not least because the news of Carey's death seemed to have reached Ireland before it was known in Britain. His membership in the Invincibles, however, is speculation. Given the ample opportunity to otherwise assassinate Carey undetected, it is more plausible that the murder was either self-defense, as claimed, or spontaneous.Molly Maguires connection
Patrick O'Donnell spent time in the United States in the anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania staying with cousins who were members of the Molly MaguiresMolly Maguires
The Molly Maguires were members of an Irish-American secret society, whose members consisted mainly of coal miners. Many historians believe the "Mollies" were present in the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania in the United States from approximately the time of the American Civil War until a...
, an Irish secret society named after an Irish anti-landlord group of the same name, that militantly resisted discrimination and oppression in the coal fields. The O'Donnell family were top players in the organisation with involvement in some of the most well known incidents. A plot was hatched by their nemeses to kill the O'Donnells altogether, and some were either murdered or barely escaped in such an attack on their home known as the Wiggans Patch Massacre. Patrick O'Donnell was reputed to have come to his cousins to retaliate against informers. Patrick O'Donnell's links to the Mollies and his revenge against Carey is also claimed to be a possible inspiration in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's book The Valley of Fear
The Valley of Fear
The Valley of Fear is the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story was first published in the Strand Magazine between September 1914 and May 1915, and the first book edition was published in New York on 27 February 1915.- Part I: The Tragedy of Birlstone...
.
Memorial
Gweedore
Gweedore is an Irish-speaking district located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. Gweedore stretches some 16 miles from Meenaclady in the north to Crolly in the south and around 9 miles from Dunlewey in the east to Magheraclogher in the west, and...
. A huge crowd assembled in Gweedore, on 22 January 1884, to celebrate a mass for the repose of his soul. There followed a mock funeral and an empty coffin was placed in the O'Donnell family burial plot, his followers kneeling in prayer around the grave. Wreaths of immortelles were placed on the coffin which bore the inscription Sacred to the memory of Patrick O'Donnell, executed at London 17th of December, 1883.
The Celtic Cross
A monument was erected in DerrybegDerrybeg
Doirí Beaga is a Gaeltacht village and townland in the civil parish of Tullaghobegly in County Donegal, Ireland. It includes a Roman Catholic church, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta regional studios, a Gaelic Athletic Association club and a golf club.-References:...
, Gweedore
Gweedore
Gweedore is an Irish-speaking district located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. Gweedore stretches some 16 miles from Meenaclady in the north to Crolly in the south and around 9 miles from Dunlewey in the east to Magheraclogher in the west, and...
, in 1954 by a Fianna Fail committee. The committee consisted of 21 local Fianna Fail cumann members who held fund-raising events to finance the building of the cross. The Cross was officially unveiled by Cormac Breslin,T.D. The local priest at the time expressed his disapproval of a monument commemorating a man who committed murder. It stands tall, between the former town hall and a pub to commemorate the sacrifice of a local hero. The inscription on the cross reads as follows:
I ndíl chuimhe ar Phádraig Ó Domhnaill as paróiste Gaoth Dobhair a cuireadh chun báis i bpríosún Newgate i Londain ar an 17 Nollaig 1883 de thairbhe a ard dílseacht d'Éirinn;
which translates as :
In memory of Patrick O'Donnell from the parish of Gweedore who was put to death in Newgate Prison in London on the 17 December 1883 because of his high loyalty to Ireland.
In 2004, fifty years to the day of its unveiling a re-dedication took place, five of the surviving six original committee members attended to witness the cross being re-dedicated not only to Patrick O'Donnell but to all Irishmen and women who gave there lives for Irish freedom and to the original Fianna Fail committee members who built the cross.
Glasnevin Cemetery
A memorial in his honour was erected by a Ladies committee from New York and the newspaper Irish World at Glasnevin CemeteryGlasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery , officially known as Prospect Cemetery, is the largest non-denominational cemetery in Ireland with an estimated 1.5 million burials...
in Dublin. It reads "In Memory of Patrick O'Donnell. who heroically gave up his life for Ireland in London, England 17 December 1883. Not tears but prayers for the dead who died for Ireland". One member of the committee was Mary Byrne, who herself brought over the knives used in the assassination from England. His remains have been located in the London cemetery by the National Graves Association
National Graves Association
The National Graves Association is an Irish non-governmental organisation which seeks to maintain the graves of Irish republicans who died in the pursuit of a united Ireland...
. All executed prisoners are buried within prison grounds and when Newgate prison closed, the graves were moved. A plaque was placed on the site.
Tribute by the Irish-Americans
Several pleas were made for his life by Victor HugoVictor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
and by other important personalities abroad, notably in the United States. The US Library of Congress archives has a poster depicting a highly patriotic tribute to Patrick O'Donnell along with a popular song written in his honour. Many Irish republicans in County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
and abroad would have sung it for their latest martyr.
Words to the poem by A.A. Walls featuring on the poster at the top of this page.
- Long, Long shall his name in our memory remain,
- And the words that he uttered, our hearts will inflame.
- The shot that he fired, caused traitors to shake;
- He dearly loved Ireland, and died for her sake.
- While they pinioned his arms, he smiled on the slave,
- And his cruel executors admitted him brave.
- Oh! had we ten thousand such heroes as he,
- Our country no longer in bondage would be.
- Cursed be the Saxon! how could they deny,
- The remains of our hero in Ireland to lie.
- And in the grave of his Fathers, why not let him rest,
- In the land of the Shamrock, with those he loved best.
- But O'Donnell has gone! he has died for our cause!
- He was brutally murdered by England's vile laws.
- May his soul rest in Heaven with the Angels of Light,
- Is the prayer that we offer up, morning and night.
External links
- "My name is Patrick O'Donnell". In Irish.
- Irish Republican Brotherhood 150th anniversary - An Phoblacht website
- The Phoenix Park Murders: Conspiracy, Betrayal And Retribution, at Post.ie
- Old Bailey Online NEW the trial records online
- O'Donnell's cenotaph at IrishGraves.com
- Library of Congress
- Another version of the song to Patrick O'Donnell - others also
- An account of General Pryor's involvement in the trial, by his wife in her "Reminiscences of a Long Life"