General John O'Neill
Irish Patriot
General John O'Neill founded O'Neill and Atkinson, Nebraska. Additional information about Atkinson can be found here. He also fought on the Union side in the civil war and organized the Irish Brotherhood to defeat the British in the Battle of Ridgeway which is on the border of Canada and the State of New York, in Canada, west of Buffalo. He helped settle the area that now bears his name. He is buried in Omaha, Nebraska at the Holy Sepulchre cemetery. You can read his own words here in acrobat pdf format or in MS Word.
General John O'Neill being arrested by US Marshal General George Foster
Near the Canadian border on May 25, 1870
NEW LINKS (APRIL 7)O'Neill and the Fenians contributed to creation of Canada. General John O'Neill's troops were the first to use the term, Irish Republican Army. Here is an IRA button worn on the troops of General John O'Neill. Here is a painting 19th century illustration of the Battle of Ridgeway with the flag marked with the letters IRA
Gerry O'Neill, descendant of the General, spoke about the man at the Omaha History Center on March 16, 2000. Here is his speech in pdf format and in MS Word.
The Holt County Historical Society has a museum that has a big huge Irish shamrock in front of it in the crossroads of an intersection in O'Neill. The Society has placed importance on Kinkaid, a homestead advocate and holds many items and information on Gen. John O'Neill. Unfortunately, the Society is strapped for cash. The windows of the building need to be replaced as well as a very warped wooden stair case. Donations, either for the general fund or designated to help preserve the history of Gen. John O'Neill, can be sent to the address below.
Holt County Historical Society
401 E. Douglas Street
O'Neill, NE 68763
Please note: O'Neill, Nebraska is a proud Irish town!
This page will feature more historical pictures soon.
The text of speech dedicating monument in Acrobat PDF format (2 minute download)and in MS Word.
The inscription reads:
Gen. John O'Neill
Hero of Ridgeway
Born in Ireland
March 9, 1834
Died at Omaha
Jan. 8, 1878
By nature a brave man, by principle a soldier of distinction, for his adopted country and was ever ready to draw his sword for his native land.
To perpetuate his memory this monument was erected by Irish Nationalists.
GOD SAVE IRELAND
Newspaper coverage meniton that the new Prime Minister of Ireland laid wreaths at the graves of Mulcahy, O'Brien and Butler whose received congressional honor as well as O'Neill which has a long inscription.
The oath of the Fenian Brotherhood
"I , _______________ , solemnly pledge my sacred word of honor as a truthful and honest man that I will labor with earnest zeal for the liberation of Ireland from the yoke of England and for the establishment of a free and independent government on Irish soil; that I will implicitly obey the commands of my superior officers in the Fenian Brotherhood, that I will faithfully discharge the duties of my membership as laid down in the constitution and bylaws thereof; that I will do my utmost to promote feelings of love, harmony, and kindly forbearance among all Irishmen; and that I will foster, defend and propagate the afore-said Fenian Brotherhood to the utmost of my power."
The best source about O'Neill, comes from Peter Beresofrd Ellis' novel, "THE RISING OF THE MOON. Derek Warfield sings a song about O'Neill on his album LIBERTE '98 available from Shanachie. Quoted in the album folder is O'Neill's words to British Canadians:
"TO THE PEOPLE OF BRITISH AMERICA, WE HAVE COME AMOUNG YOU AS THE FOES OF ENGLISH RULE IN IRELAND. WE HAVE TAKEN UP THE SWORD TO STRIKE DOWN THE OPPRESSORS ROD, TO DELIVER IRELAND FROM THE DESPOILER, THE TYRANT, AND THE ROBBER. WE HAVE REGISTERED OUR OATHS UPON THE ALTAR OF OUR COUNTRY IN FULL VIEW OF HEAVEN AND SENT UP OUR VOWS TO THE THRONE OF HIM WHO INSPIRED THEM. THEN LOOKING ABOUT US FOR AN ENEMY, WE FIND HIM HERE, HERE IN THE MIDST WHERE HE IS VULNERABLE AND CONVENIENT TO OUR STRENGTH."
Detailed history of the invasions
Ben Maryniak's article on Ridgeway
The following have been sent in by friends!
If anyone has a copy of THE IRISH SWORD with the chapter THE BATTLE OF RIDGEWAY, 2 JUNE 1866 by PETER BERRESFORD ELLIS, please let us know. He also put out a novel about the raids called THE RISING OF THE MOON. Another source. "The Year of the Fenians" by David Owen. We have some copies of these items and would like to get them.
1st Nebraska Volunteer Infantry
SPECIAL THANKS!
Several people helped make this page possible including Gerry O'Neill and the people of O'Neill City, but special thanks are in order for Jess Peterson, a history buff, and Ann Billesbach of the Nebraska State Historical Society for making much of the documents and graphics on this page possible.
Tom Fitzsimmons of Ireland deserves a great deal of thanks for transcribing pdf documents into MS Word. I have placed both formats on the site, since some prefer purity, while others prefer clarity.