author
Michael Doheny
1805–1862
A fiery Young Ireland nationalist, lawyer, and writer, he spent his life pushing for Irish self-government and later carried that cause into exile in the United States. His memoir The Felon's Track remains one of the best-known firsthand accounts of the 1848 rebellion and its aftermath.
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About the author
Born in County Tipperary on May 22, 1805, he rose from a modest farming background to become a lawyer and an influential voice in Irish nationalist politics. He was closely involved with the Young Ireland movement, wrote for nationalist circles, and took part in the 1848 rising before escaping arrest.
After fleeing to the United States, he rebuilt his life in New York, where he continued to work as a lawyer and stayed active in Irish nationalist organizing. He is also remembered as an early figure in the movement that later developed into the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Fenian cause.
His lasting reputation comes in large part from The Felon's Track, a vivid memoir of political struggle, defeat, and exile. He died in Brooklyn on April 1, 1862, but his life still offers a striking window into the world of 19th-century Irish rebellion.