Timothy Deasy (seated at the far left), in 1863 at Culpepper, Virginia during the American Civil War

Information on a Fenian who was involved in Millstreet’s turbulent past has come to light. Timothy Deasy had  partaken in the American Civil War, before returning to these shores and leave his mark on history:

… The most important and prominent of the Ninth’s Fenians was Timothy Deasy (also spelled Dacey), whose story MacNamara included in his regimental history. Deasy attained the rank of first lieutenant in the Ninth and received a wound at the Wilderness, As a Fenian overseas, he led an uprising at Millstreet, Co Cork, and was later assigned to oversee activities in Liverpool. At three o’clock in the morning on September 1867, Col Thomas J. Kelly and Deasy were arrested by the by the English while loitering on the street after a meeting of Fenian officers in Manchester. Both were brought before a magistrate, and the case was remanded for a week while a rescue attempt was organised. On September 18, the two prisoners were being transferred from the Manchester Court House to the county jail in a police van, handcuffed, separated and guarded by twelve unarmed police officers. As the van passed under a railway arch, thirty Fenians armed with revolvers stopped it, shot on of its horses, and called for the prisoners freedom. When this request went unheeded, the small mob shot Sergeant Charles Brett dead inside the van, took his keys, and released Kelly and Deasy. Despite a reward of three hundred pounds for their recapture, the liberated Irishmen escaped to America while three Fenians were executed for Brett’s death… [1].

Capt Timothy DeasyThe uprising was a raid upon the “Castle of Mount Leader”, and they took what arms were in it, as arms supplies promised from America were not forthcoming [2].

The three men executed for the death of Sergeant Brett famously became known as the Manchester Martyrs [3].

Links:
* [1] From The history of the ninth regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry – page 34-35
* [2] From an article called “THE FENIAN MOVEMENT: An Account of its Origin, Progress and Temporary Collapse” published in the BROOKLYN EAGLE August 16, 1885
* [3] See the the detailed article on the Manchester Martyrs on Wikipedia
* Booklet on Timothy Deasy: Captain Timothy Deasy patriot – Irish American ; on the occasion of the unveiling of a memorial.
*Photos of the memorial in Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Lawrence, Massachusetts

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