The Fenian Memorial Committee of America will host Dr. Ruan O’Donnell of the University of Limerick this March 3 to raise funds for a memorial for Father Patrick McCabe.
A fundraising gathering at O’Lunney’s Times Square Pub will take place on Sunday, March 3 at 3 pm.
It will include a talk by Dr. Ruan O’Donnell of the University of Limerick and well-known author of numerous books on Irish history, including "A Short History of Ireland's Famine," "Patrick Pearse: 16 Lives" and "Robert Emmet and the Rising of 1803."
George McLaughlin, veteran activist and founder of the Fenian Memorial Committee of America, will also speak. The title of Dr. O’Donnell’s talk will be “Without the Fenians…?” and will trace the development of the Fenians in Ireland and America and their influence on the struggle for Irish Independence, including the Easter Rising of 1916.
McLaughlin will explain the work of the Fenian Memorial Committee of America, including its current campaign to erect a memorial stone at the grave of Father Patrick McCabe of Anagary, Lough Gowna, Co. Cavan, who was instrumental in the escape of the great Fenian, John Boyle O’Reilly and six military Fenians from Fremantle Prison in Western Australia to America aboard the whaling vessel the Catalpa which sailed from New Bedford, Massachusetts to rescue them and bring them to New York, before they dispersed to different parts of the U.S.
Father Patrick McCabe Gravestone, Saint Mary Cemetary, Waseca, MN
All funds raised will go towards the memorial for Father McCabe, who is buried in the hamlet of St. Mary, on the outskirts of Waseca, Minnesota, where he fled to from Australia—with the help of Archbishop John Ireland (from Burnchurch, County Kilkenny)—and to serve as the parish priest for mainly Irish immigrant farmers. The unveiling of the memorial stone and commemoration will take place on May 18, 2019, at St. Mary, Waseca.
The event is set for the O’Lunney’s Times Square Pub, 145 West 45th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues, and will run from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 3.
There is a suggested donation of $20.
For details call George McLaughlin at (401) 688-2463 or email him at [email protected] Donations by check may be made out to George McLaughlin and can be mailed to Fenian Memorial Committee of America, att: George McLaughlin, 127 Sinclair Avenue, Providence, RI 02907 or via PayPal using [email protected] as the email address. Donors will receive a receipt from George McLaughlin.
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