The horrors of the Great Famine nourished the ideal of an independent Ireland.
The Fenian Brotherhood was the first modern organisation to use the name Fenian or Fenian Movement, which became the umbrella term for all groups striving for an independent Ireland. The Fenian Brotherhood was founded in the United States by ex-deportees and immigrated Irish.
The original Fenians, or Fianna Éireann, was a legendary elite-corps which served the Ard Rí, or High King, made up from members from many different tribes which crossed the country protecting the peace under the Kings of Ireland. Some scholars are claiming that the Fenian Cycle, the collected legends of Fionn MacCumhail and the Fianna Éireann, served as the basis for the Arthurian sagas.
On Ireland the Young Ireland movement got organised again. The leaders of Young Ireland founded the Irish Republican Brotherhood.