A new study of the Fenian movement in America has been published by a Belfast-based author. The book, titled 'The Fenian Empire: A Hemispheric History of Irish Republican Nationalism', was written by Patrick J. Mahoney and published by New York University Press.

The work draws on original archive materials in Irish and Spanish, including records from the Cuban National Library in Havana. It examines the Fenian movement in the United States during the late 1860s and 1870s, a period when Irish immigrants and their descendants sought to pressure Britain over Irish independence.

The book records the participation of Black volunteers in the movement. It tells the story of Ira Garrett, a porter from Chicago, who joined the Fenians after hearing about Ireland's situation from his Irish employer. The work also describes a St Patrick's Day procession in Cincinnati in 1871, when an all-Black militia battalion led a parade honouring a former Fenian prisoner.

The Fenian movement in America was divided into two rival organisations. Both were vulnerable to informers and faced internal conflict. Nevertheless, Fenian forces crossed into Canada in 1866 and won the Battle of Ridgeway, although the invasion did not lead to any lasting gains due to opposition from the American government.

The book is available from An Ceathrú Póilí in An Chultúrlann on the Falls Road in Belfast. The author is an Irish speaker who moved to West Belfast from Connecticut.