The Seattle Meeting of the Irish Martyrs
Pro-nationalist activists gathered at Turner Hall to honor Irish martyrs and condemn British rule.
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A meeting was held on 24th street, in Turner Hall, today, to raise money for the families of the Irish martyrs: Brady, Cavendish, Fagan, and Kelly. A speaker addressed the crowd, comparing the Irish martyrs to John Brown and arguing that the Irish should support the violent expulsion of British governors. He suggested that if the Irish showed the British that they would murder a governor sent from England, it would prove that Ireland is no child's play to govern. The speaker openly advocated for war and dynamite as legitimate tools of the Irish resistance, and the room of attendees responded with enthusiastic applause. At the close of the meeting, a considerable sum was raised by subscription for the martyrs' families.
“The duty of Irish-Americans is to sympathize and support the martyrs' families and convince England, by a few more such incidents as Cavendish and Burke, that it is no child's play to govern Ireland.”
This meeting highlights the international reach of 19th-century Irish nationalism, which often found a passionate, if militant, audience in the American West. Today, these debates about the legitimacy of anti-colonial violence remain historical touchstones in the complex relationship between diaspora movements and their homelands.
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