Forward by Michael Ruddy (Feb 2007)

Patrick J. Meehan (born in Limerick in 1831) was a leader in the Fenian organization and, when, partially attributable to Meehan's carelessness, British arrests of the IRB leaders in September of 1865 brought about a split the organization, Meehan became a leader of the Senate Wing opposition to John O'Mahony. The GA obituary is written from the viewpoint of the Clan na Gael of 1906 which had [and still has] its own ax to grind in the interpretation of Fenianism, but, aside from what may be GA editor John Devoy's opinions, the facts are accurate as far as Meehan's life. The assassination attempt on Meehan by James Keenan referred to in the obituary occurred when Keenan, a fellow who had been chosen by General John O'Neill for the post of Secretary of Civilian Affairs in the Fenian organization, was rejected by the Fenian Senate Council. Meehan secured the dismissal of Keenan, characterizing Keenan as an "obnoxious partisan" [William DÁrcy p. 342] of O'Neill. Keenan, who was listening to the debate from another room, followed Meehan outside and shot him.
The year 1870 saw the beginning of the total disintegration of the Fenians. O'Neill, who was president of the Senate Wing split from the organization in order to lead the 1870 Canadian attack which was not supported by the Senate or the Savage Wings. The attack was a dismal failure. O'Neill ended up with his few supporters in the Savage Wing (O'Mahony's group). The Senate, after O'Neill's antics, attempted to transform itself into a unified Irish nationalist organization. The Savage Wing was not interested in joining. A recruiting campaign by the fledgling Clan na Gael more or less finished off the Senate Wing which went from calling itself "The United Irishmen" to "The Irish Confederation" and finally disbanded into oblivion. The Savage Wing hung on for years but The Clan na Gael from 1874 on was in the driver's seat of Irish American Nationalism.

Obituary of P. J. Meehan

[from the Gaelic American, April 28 1906]

Mr. Patrick J. Meehan, editor of the Irish-American, died at his residence in Jersey City on Friday, April 20, of bronchitis, in his seventy-fourth year. Mr. Meehan was for many years a prominent figure in Irish national politics, and his paper was at one time the chief organ of Irish opinion in the United States.

Born in Limerick, in 1832, he came to this country in early manhood, and was connected with the Irish-American, most of the time as editor, for fifty-four years. When the Civil War broke out he threw the influence of the paper decisively on the side of the Union and took an active part in organizing the Irish regiments which went to the front from New York. He was a Democrat in politics, but never held a p0ulic office and never sought one.

Aside from the editorship of the Irish-American, Meehan was best known to Irishmen in connection with the Fenian movement, although many have erroneous views as to the part he played in it. He was the leading spirit on one side of a great split, which occurred at the crisis of the movement, and led to acrimonious discussions, prolonged over many years, and he was therefore subjected by his opponents to more bitter criticism than any other leader on either side. So as these criticisms refer to his honesty or the sincerity of his patriotism, they were wholly without foundation, and time has done him full justice. As to the wisdom of his course, it may be impugned without any reflection on his character or motives.

DIFFERED WITH O’MAHONY

He did not come into the Fenian movement at its inception, bu t almost from the moment he entered it he found himself more or less in disagreement with John O’Mahony, the founder and head of the movement. O’Mahony had a fine intellect and a better historical knowledge of Ireland than any man of his day, as it is clearly shown by his annotations to his translation from the Irish of Keating’s History of Ireland. He had also, perhaps, a clearer conception than any Irishman of his day of the theoretical plans by which the Irish people could be organized for the overthrow of British domination. But O’Mahony was temperamentally a dreamer and most unpractical in the ways of the world. Meehan had a very thorough knowledge of Ireland and had a clear, business head, but he lacked O’Mahony’s breadth of view, so that each looked at Irish affairs from different standpoints. Different views of policy were sure to come, and that came in the shape of a split which wrecked the movement after it had grown to enormous proportions, Meehan’s side insisting on an invasion of Canada, while O’Mahony’s partisans stood by the old policy of aiding the people of Ireland to strike for liberty on Irish soil. This was the real cause of the failure of the movement in Ireland and is the real lesson left by Fenianism.

Mr. Meehan and his friends were not satisfied with the Home Organization, and were constantly urging O’Mahony to demand specific information, changes of plan and compromise with such public men as George Henry Moore, John Martin, P. J. Smyth, The O’Donoghue and Alexander M. Sullivan, of the Dublin Nation, some of whom were friendly to the principle of the movement, but others opposed to it and bitterly hostile to its leaders. This provoked resentment in Ireland and led to friction between the Home Organization and the leaders in America. Almost an open rupture was created by the presentation of a sort of ultimatum by the American organization thirty-two pages long, which was rejected by a meeting fully representative of the men at home and presided over by Charles J. Kickham.

EXONERATED FROM GUILT

In 1865 P. J. Meehan and P. W. Dunne (father of the present Mayor of Chicago) were sent to Ireland as envoys, and Mr. Meehan unfortunately lost on the platform of the railroad station at Kingstown a document which he had pinned to the top of his drawers. It was picked up by a girl employed in the telegraph office and given to the manager, who, being a loyalist, gave it to the police. The document was intrinsically of no importance, but it supplied to the Government the connecting link between the Home Organization and the one in America. Coupled with a letter entrusted for delivery in Tipperary to Pierce Nagle, a British spy who had secured employment in the office of the Dublin Irish People, and which he gave up to the castle, it made the evidence on which the Government determined to act with vigor. The police swooped down on the office of the paper on September 15, 1865, seized its plant and every scrap of paper found in the office and arrested a number of the leaders. But even then, with the document lost by Meehan, the letter supplied by Nagle and the latter’s oral evidence, the Government would have been unable to convict any of the prisoners of any more serious offence that sedition, involving not more than a year or two of imprisonment, but for the documents found in the houses of the prisoners themselves and an important document foolishly brought from American by a returning Fenian and found on his person when arrested in Queenstown. These are the facts about these documents, and there was never any justification for any charge of treachery or dishonesty in connection with their loss, although there was undoubtedly negligence.

THE DISASTROUS SPLIT

It may be well to add here that a thorough investigation of all the circumstances by the organization resulted in clearing Mr. Meehan of all guilt in the matter. Some impetuous men in Dublin wanted him killed, but Stephens sternly repressed them, and his verdict as to Mr. Meehan’s action was the verdict of the organization and settled the question for good. Mr. Meehan returned to America, the disastrous split broke out at the close of the same year, and the incident was used by those who differed with him as an argument against the side he took. Later Mr. Meehan was shot by a medical student with whom he had personal differences, and the cry was raised that the act was the result of the Kingstown incident, but it had no connection whatever with it, the man who fired the shot being on Mr. Meehan’s own side. He survived the wound, but carried the bullet in his body to the day of his death. He acted most generously to his assailant, and joined in a movement to secure his release from prison which after some years succeeded.

During the years that have elapsed since Fenianism was reorganized under another form, Mr. Meehan’s activities have been mainly connected with the conduct of the Irish-American. A widow and eight children survive him. He celebrated his golden wedding two years ago, and, as a mark of the esteem which his services to the Church were held, Bishop O’Connor, of Newark, sent him permission to have the jubilee mass said in his own residence.