Irish Home Rule In December 1867 members of the “Fenians,” an underground group dedicated to Irish independence from British rule, detonated a bomb outside Clerkenwell Prison in London. Their attempt to liberate Irish Republican activists failed. Though the bomb blew a hole in the prison walls, damaged nearby buildings, and killed twelve innocent bystanders, no Fenians were freed. The British labeled the event the “Clerkenwell Outrage,” and its violence evokes revealing parallels with the radical terrorist attacks of today.
(From Illustrierte Zeitung, Leipzig, Germany, 4 January 1868/akg-