The unnamed secret society later to be…

The unnamed secret society later to be known as the Fenian Brotherhood, whose members bind themselves by an oath of allegiance to the Irish Republic and swear to take up arms when called upon and to obey their superior officers, is founded by by John O'Mahony around 1858.

After the collapse of William Smith O'Brien's attempted rising in Ireland in 1848, O'Mahony and James Stephens had gone to the Continent to avoid arrest.

Impoverished in Paris, they had supported themselves by teaching and translation work and planned the next stage of "the fight to overthrow British rule in Ireland."

O'Mahony had emigrated to America in 1854, joining John Mitchel in New York City, and has taken part in the Emigrant Aid Association, the Emmet Monument Association, and other Irish organizations.