Organizations  --  Clan na Gael  Part 1 No other political group in Irish-American history was as influential, famous and infamous as Clan na Gael.  It was Clan na Gael, or rather it's New York City head, John Devoy, that made Ireland's fight for independence an international cause.  In order to understand the group, it's important to understand it's most famous leader. John Devoy was born in Kill, County Kildare in 1842, but grew up in Dublin.  His family was fiercely nationalist, and John followed suit.  He received a beating from a schoolmaster at age 10 for refusing to sing "God Save the Queen."  He joined the Nationalist Petition movement in 1861, and traveled to France.  While there, he joined the French Foreign Legion and served in Algeria for a year.   Upon his return to Ireland, Devoy became a Fenian organizer in Kildare.  In 1865, he was appointed Chief Organiser of Fenians in the British Army.  He was arrested and tried for treason in November 1866 and sentenced to 15 years.  At Portland Prison, he organized strikes and was moved to Millbank Prison.  In 1871, he was released and exiled to America.  When Devoy arrived in the US, he received an Address of Welcome from the US House of Representatives. Devoy once said that he would never touch Irish politics again.  He took a job as a journalist at the New York Herald, and seemed to live up to his words.  However, Ireland was never far from his heart and the Irish-American population was looking for a leader.  Devoy fit the bill. It's unknown exactly when Clan na Gael was formed, but most agree that it was around 1871 in Philadelphia.  It's mission was "complete and absolute independence of Ireland from Great Britain, and the complete severance of all political connections between the two countries by unceasing preparation for armed insurrection in Ireland."  Membership was open to anyone who fervently believed in Irish independence. Devoy became the head of the New York City chapter, which would grow to be the largest in the US.  He pleaded with Americans to give the Irish "genuine democracy and authentic republicanism." The exploits of Clan na Gael are legendary in Irish-American history, due, in no small part, to Devoy.  They were the largest single financier of the Easter Rebellion and the ensuing War of Independence in Ireland.  Devoy contacted Germany during World War I, defying American neutrality, in order to secure arms for the Easter Rebellion.   Devoy published "Land of Erin" in 1882 and welcomed Padraig Pearse to his home in 1914.  He addressed Dail Eireann in 1919, and believed the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty to be a grave disappointment.  He founded and edited New York City's "Gaelic-American" newspaper from 1903-1928.  He was a regular political contributor to the "Irish-American" newspaper. In later years Devoy lost his hearing and his sight, but this didn't slow him down.  He thought that Eamonn De Valera was a dangerous amateur in politics, although he supported De Valera's fundraising attempts in the US.  However, their dislike of each other led to an intense rivalry between Clan na Gael and Sinn Fein. John Devoy, a confirmed bachelor, died in poverty in Atlantic City in 1928.  His remains were transported back to Ireland, where he was interred in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.  The Irish 'cause' and its supporters, owe a great deal to this man and his vision of a free and united Ireland. Suggested Reading: John Devoy.  "Recollections of an Irish Rebel."  New York.  1929. T. Golway.  "Irish Rebel: A Biography of John Devoy."  March 1999. NEXT: The Catalpa Expedition