The Sovereign People

This chapter explores the revolutionary political thought of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), or Fenians, who emerged in the 1850s as a radical alternative to constitutional nationalism. Rejecting parliamentary politics, the Fenians articulated a vision of Irish independence rooted in Rousseauian concepts of popular sovereignty and the ‘general will’, declaring themselves the provisional government of an Irish Republic. The chapter analyses how Fenianism, though often dismissed as lacking coherent political theory, developed a sophisticated critique of British rule by framing Ireland’s liberation as both a political revolt and a moral revolution. Unlike O’Connell’s loyalty to the Crown, the Fenians asserted that sovereignty inherently resided in the Irish people, making British rule illegitimate. Through examination of clandestine newspaper articles, proclamations, and memoirs, the chapter reveals how Fenianism combined militant separatism with democratic ideals, challenging prevailing models of representative government under the Union.