Voyage of Erin's Hope

Background
 

Because of the close ties and interdependencies of the IRB and the Fenian Brotherhood, any possibility of launching an uprising in Ireland took a backseat to the   American Civil War that lasted from 1861 through 1865.

After the Civil War ended in 1865, the Fenians⁽¹⁾ began preparing for the uprising.  The IRB in Ireland was well along in its recruitment campaign that included a covert effort to recruit Irish soldiers serving in the British army. In the United States, the Fenian leadership increased its fundraising effort and started planning to send an expeditionary force to Ireland to support the uprising. They collected about 6,000 firearms and had as many as 50,000 men willing to fight.

Unfortunately for the Fenians, the British became aware of their plans when a Fenian emissary lost them at Dun Laoghaire railway station.  Aware of the planned uprising and ongoing updates from their informer, Pierce Nagle, who worked in the IRB’s newspaper office, the British, at the opportune time, raided the newspaper office and arrested several of the IRB leaders including John O’Leary, Thomas Clarke Luby and O’Donovan Rossa.  Shortly afterwards, Stephens and several other leaders were also arrested. Within two weeks of his arrest. Stephens was sprung from Richmond prison in Dublin by prison wardens J. J. Breslin and Daniel Byrne, both of whom were Fenians.

After his escape, Stephens hid out in Ireland for several months before making his way to France. After a stay of six weeks in France he set sail for New York. On arriving there he found himself in the middle of a Fenian power struggle between two factions, one headed by John O’Mahony and the other by William R. Roberts. His efforts to reunite the faction failed.  In a last-ditch effort to force the factions to resolve their differences, he announced that he was returning to Ireland, in short order, "to unfurl the flag of rebellion".

Having failed to follow through after an interval of several weeks, he was accused of having lost his nerve and deposed as head of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. He was replaced by Colonel Thomas J. Kelly who immediately began to prepare for an uprising.

On March 5, 1867 the uprising started in Dublin, Drogheda and Cork. From the onset, nothing went right for the Fenians. Unbeknownst to the men in the field, General Massey, who was in command of the uprising was betrayed by the traitor J. J. Croydon, arrested and imprisoned. Without a central command the uprising failed to spread as anticipated.

 Kelly, who was stationed in London, sent word to America for more arms and expertise. In answer to his call, Erin’s Hope sailed from Sandyhook the following month carrying three cannon and 5,000 modern rifles with a million and a half rounds of ammunition.
The last battle of the uprising was fought in Kilclooney Wood in Co. Cork on March 31, 1867, where Peter O'Neill Crowley, a local Fenian, lost his life.

The Voyage
 

On April 12, 1867, 50 or so Fenians, many of whom were Civil War veterans, boarded the Jackmel, a 200-ton brigantine-type vessel docked at Sandy Hook in New Jersey. The commander of the expedition was a former U.S. army officer who assumed the name ‘John F. Cavanagh’ to hide his identity and further allay any suspicion as to the true nature of the Jackmel's destination.  James Kerrigan was in command of the Fenians.  William J. Nagle and John Warren were his assistants. Costello was one of the eight other officers on board.

The consignment paperwork in possession of the captain indicated that the vessel was preparing to sail to the Caribbean with merchandise for a merchant firm in Cuba. The purpose of the subterfuge was to hide from the authorities that the intended destination of the Jackmel was Ireland and that the men and cargo aboard were to support a Rising by the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a sister organization of the U.S.-based Fenians. The arms and ammunition were concealed in piano cases, sewing machine cases and wine barrels.

After a day’s sailing southwards, out of Sandy Hook, the Jackmel changed course for Ireland.  After nine days sailing the men aboard hoisted a Fenian flag and renamed the vessel Erin’s Hope. After that Captain Cavanagh opened his sealed orders that directed him to sail to Sligo Bay where he was to land his men and arms. If he could not land there, he was to find sail to another location. On May 10th, they arrived in Sligo Bay and for the following six days sailed from Sligo Bay to Donegal Bay sending unanswered signals to the shore. When questioned by Captain Cavanagh, local fishermen were not aware of a Fenian Rising.

While traversing the Sligo coastline between Sligo and Donegal bays a suspect crew member, Daniel Buckley, discharged a weapon injuring several men. It turned out that Buckley was a British informer who testified against his former comrades.   After two weeks of sailing off the Sligo coastline, Captain Cavanagh received Richard O'Sullivan Burke on board who informed him that the insurrection was in disarray and ordered him to proceed to Skibbereen in Co. Cork where Captain Lomasney was still active.  His overdue departure from Sligo Bay narrowly avoiding a confrontation with an English gunboat sent there to investigate the 'on and off presence’ of Erin’s Hope in Sligo Bay.

Erin’s Hope arrived offshore near Skibbereen on May 27th.  For the following three days, it cruised between Toe Head Bay and the Galley Head near Rosscarbery in Co. Cork in hopes of contacting Captain Lomasney and effecting a landing there. Unable to contact onshore Fenians Captain Cavanagh decided to send John Warren ashore to ascertain the situation and to replenish provisions that were running low. Before he could act, two coastguard vessels appeared on the scene forcing him to hold off. The following day he tried again but was forced to sail eastwards due to heavy winds.

Early on Saturday, June 1st, Erin’s Hope arrived off Helvic Head at the mouth of Dungarvan Bay where they sighted a fishing boat. Captain Cavanagh asked the skipper, Paud O'Faolain, to take some men ashore, which he agreed to do. However, when he pulled alongside Erin’s Hope, 32 men climbed aboard the fishing boat, dangerously overloaded the small boat. Afraid to wait for evening to drop them as directed by Cavanagh, O'Faolain proceeded to shore and dropped them on the beach near Ballinagoul pier where they were spotted by the coastguard who alerted the police stations in and around Dungarvan. All the men, except  four who escaped the police dragnet, were arrested and held in Waterford Jail pending trial. After some time in Waterford Jail they were transported to Kilmainham Jail in Dublin.

After having put the Fenians ashore Captain Cavanagh sailed off into the Bristol Channel, with the remaining Fenians including the leader, Kerrigan. They cruised off Land's End for a few' days and returned to Minehead on June 6th where they seem to have expected instructions on what to do with the arms on board. After waiting several days without any communication with the men put ashore some days earlier, Cavanagh concluded that were either in hiding or captured leaving him with no option other than to abandon the mission and set sail for New York.

The Erin’s Hope may not have rendezvoused with the onshore Fenians but her Captain had outmaneuvered the English navy in Ireland for over three weeks, landed men, exchanged communications and, after a voyage of over 9,000 miles, returned safely with his ship and cargo. The craft made three landings in Ireland and one in England, during which time they came close to capture several times. At no time were they over twelve miles from a British man-of-war, a frigate, ram, or gunboat, and were continually harassed by pilots. They were at sea 107 days in which they sailed a grand total of 9,265 miles.
In the wake of the Erin’s Hope three gunboats which had attempted to capture her were sunk: the gunboat ‘Lapwing lost in Killala Bay, the ‘Revenge wrecked on Daunte’s Rock and another gunboat which foundered in a gale off Cape Clear.
 

Notes:
(1)    The name “Fenians” was an umbrella term used to describe the transatlantic partnership of the Fenian Brotherhood in America and the Irish Republican Brotherhood in Ireland. A member of either organization was generally referred to as a “Fenian”.  
 

Contributed by Tomás Ó Coısdealha