The "Wearing of the Green," or The Prosecuted Funeral Procession — Reading Notes

The Emotional Aftermath of the Executions

The first section details the immediate public reaction to the Manchester hangings. The author emphasizes that even those who had opposed Fenianism joined in denouncing the executions. The description of Sunday masses—where priests announced the news and congregations burst into sobs—illustrates how religious practice became a vehicle for political mourning. The text notes that the victims were already being called “martyrs,” a term that signals the shift from legal judgment to popular canonization. The author’s own stance is clear: the verdict was a “blunder” and the act “savage.”

Legal Maneuvering and the Crown’s Strategy

The narrative shifts to the courtroom, where the crown attempted to try defendants in a venue more likely to convict. The author recounts a procedural skirmish over whether Richard Pigott could be removed from city to county jurisdiction. Counsel for the defense, Mr. Heron, outmaneuvered the crown by forcing Sullivan’s trial first—a case the government expected to lose. The text reveals that Sullivan initially planned to forgo legal defense and address the jury directly, but was persuaded otherwise. The description of jury-packing by the “stand-by” process underscores the uneven playing field.

Conviction and the Unrelenting Prosecution

Despite a relatively fair charge from Justice Fitzgerald, Sullivan was convicted on the press indictment. The crown, emboldened, proceeded with the funeral procession case even after securing a conviction. The author notes the surprise this caused, as many assumed the second charge would be dropped. The section ends with the arraignment of Sullivan and others in the city venue, setting the stage for a second trial. The text’s focus on legal tactics—such as the crown’s desire to avoid a Fenian-tainted jury—reveals how political considerations shaped the judicial process.

Readers should approach this work as a primary source from within the events it describes, not as a retrospective analysis. The author’s dual role as journalist and defendant gives the narrative immediacy but also partiality. Pay attention to the legal details—venue changes, jury selection, and procedural objections—as they reveal how the state used the courts to suppress dissent. The book is less about the funeral procession itself than about the contest over public memory and legal authority in post-Famine Ireland.

Reading about the Manchester Martyrs’ funeral procession, I kept thinking how a crowd’s grief can harden into something political. The same quiet shift seemed to stir in me while I later turned through New Forces in Old China: An Inevitable Awakening — Reading Notes. Both felt less like history and more like the slow, patient sound of change arriving at a door nobody had unlocked yet.