Causes of the Fenian Movement Irish history is filled with many successes, but largely outweighed by tragedies and failures of all types. Beginning in the 1840s, Ireland faced numerous events that led to a movement that changed the history of Irish nationalism. “Starting in 1847, the potato plague sowed famine and death everywhere; emigration was excessive and disaffection widespread, but the British government did little to alleviate the deplorable conditions. (Walker 2) One of the most important events of the time was the Fenian movement. This movement was led by the people to take back what belonged to them, their land and their rights. Although many events may have contributed to the Fenian movement, named after the legendary Gaelic hero Finn Mac Cumhail (de Nie 215), the four main contributors were The Great Potato Famine; The Rising of Young Ireland; the civil war; and the growing oppression of Britain. In 1845, the Irish's main crop was under attack. A plague that slowly killed potatoes from the inside out has hit the country hard. With the devastation of the dying potatoes, much of the population found itself in a situation of starvation. The disease, which already existed in the country, attacked those weakened by the famine they faced, and many died. The disaster of the Famine radicalized a generation of mostly Catholic young men of modest social origins, some of whom eventually managed to form an open and widespread almost conspiratorial community aimed at overthrowing British rule in Ireland (Gavin 471). . This led to the emigration of many people to other countries in order to leave the sick country. The famine also caused many Irish people to question the control that Britain had over their country. Britain provided no form of aid to the devastated Irish population. With potatoes being Ireland's main export, the British decided to tax and charge for the potatoes they never received. They also used religion as a tool to discourage the Irish. The dominant concern of English Catholics: that Irish nationalism was supplanting Catholicism in the hearts and minds of England's Catholic population, which was largely composed of working-class Irish migrants… Most Irish people ranked their Catholicism with nationalism while English Catholics saw themselves as a refined Catholic minority in a vulgar Protestant country (Dye 358).