John Keegan "Leo" Casey (1846 – 17 March 1870), known as ''the Poet of the Fenians'', was an Irish poet, orator and

republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

who was famous as the writer of the song " The Rising of the Moon" and as one of the central figures in the

Fenian Rising The Fenian Rising of 1867 ( ga, Éirí Amach na bhFíníní, 1867, ) was a rebellion against British rule in Ireland, organised by the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). After the suppression of the ''Irish People'' newspaper in September 186 ...

of 1867. He was imprisoned by the English and died on St. Patrick's Day in 1870.

Early life

He was born in Mount Dalton, County Westmeath to a teacher during the height of the

Great Hunger The Great Famine ( ga, an Gorta Mór ), also known within Ireland as the Great Hunger or simply the Famine and outside Ireland as the Irish Potato Famine, was a period of starvation and disease in Ireland from 1845 to 1852 that constituted a h ...

of 1846. Eight years later he moved to Gurteen, near

Ballymahon Ballymahon () on the River Inny is a town in the southern part of County Longford, Ireland. It is located at the junction of the N55 National secondary road and the R392 regional road. History Ballymahon derives its name from the Irish lang ...

in County Longford, when his father was given the post of head master at the local school. Casey's work would come to be closely associated with Ballymahon. As a teenager he worked as an assistant to his father and was expected to follow him into teaching; however, he was disillusioned by the insufficiently nationalistic nature of the curriculum and spent a great deal of time writing poetry. It was at this time, reputedly at the age of fifteen, that he wrote his best-known song, "The Rising of the Moon", which commemorates the

Irish Rebellion of 1798 The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary group influenced ...

Fenians

Following the increasing popularity of his songs and ballads at nationalist gatherings, he moved to Dublin in the 1860s and became active in the Fenian movement. He was a major contributor to ''The Nation'' newspaper, for which he assumed his pen-name of 'Leo'. In 1866, at the age of 20, he published a collection of poems, entitled ''A Wreath of Shamrocks''; most of the poems therein had already been published elsewhere, primarily in ''The Nation''. The further fame engendered by the success of the book led him to be sought after as a speaker; he addressed mass rallies in Dublin,

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

that year, in the lead up to the

in 1867.

Imprisonment

When the uprising failed, he was imprisoned without trial for eight months in

Mountjoy Prison Mountjoy Prison ( ga, Príosún Mhuinseo), founded as Mountjoy Gaol and nicknamed ''The Joy'', is a medium security men's prison located in Phibsborough in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. The current prison Governor is Edward Mullins. History ...

. Casey was released on the understanding that he would leave for Australia and not return to Ireland. However, he chose to stay on in Summerhill, Dublin in disguise, living as a Quaker and continuing to write and publish in secret.

Death

He married Mary Josephine Briscoe in January 1868 and she bore a son Michael, who died shortly after birth in October 1869. His health had been broken by the treatment he had received in prison. He fell from a cab on or near O’Connell Bridge in the centre of Dublin in 1870. He died from his injuries. Following his death, on St. Patrick's Day in 1870, he was buried in

Glasnevin Cemetery Glasnevin Cemetery ( ga, Reilig Ghlas Naíon) is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum. Location The cemetery is located in Glasne ...

. The newspapers reported that between fifty and one hundred thousand mourners walked in his funeral procession.

Bibliography

*''Tell me Shawn O'Farrell: the life and works of John Keegan Casey'', by Sean Cahill and Jimmy Casey; the John Keegan Casey Society, Ballymahon, Ireland, 2002,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Casey, John Keegan 1846 births 1870 deaths Irish poets Members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood Irish songwriters