When the Irish Invaded Canada
Code: SL41502
Dates: March 16, 2023
Meets: 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Sessions: 1
Location: ONLINE
Course Fee: $39.00
Sorry, we are no longer accepting registrations for this course. Please contact our office to find out if it will be rescheduled, or if alternative classes are available.
Just over a year after the end of the Civil War, a band of Union and Confederate veterans fought side-by-side to undertake one of the most fantastical missions in military history: to hold the British province of Canada hostage and ransom it for Ireland’s independence. At this time, Ireland was Britains unwitting colony for 700 years. Hear the little-known story of the self-proclaimed Irish Republican Army that carried out five invasions of Canada—known collectively as the Fenian Raids—between 1866 and 1871.
ONLINE
Christopher Klein
I’m a total history geek. Favorite historical figure: Teddy Roosevelt. Favorite historical event: the Defenestration of Prague. (Go ahead, Google it.) I love writing about history because it allows me to indulge my passion, travel back in time, and constantly learn more about humanity’s incredible backstory. History helps to explain our present-day world and acts as our roadmap to the future. After all, how can we know where we are going without knowing where we’ve been? (Not to mention, writing about dead people means never having to worry about your subjects returning your phone calls.) I love to sweep away the cobwebs of history and introduce modern-day audiences to incredible figures who have begun to fade from our collective memory. My latest book is When the Irish Invaded Canada: The Incredible True Story of the Civil War Veterans Who Fought for Ireland’s Freedom, the outlandish, untold story of the Irish American revolutionaries who tried to free Ireland by invading Canada. I am also the author of Strong Boy: The Life and Times of John L. Sullivan, America’s First Sports Hero, Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands: A Guide to the City’s Hidden Shores, and The Die-Hard Sports Fan’s Guide to Boston. I have written more than 400 stories for History.com, the web site of the History Channel, covering everything from Harvard’s secret colonial-era body-snatching club to the surprisingly real history of Chef Boy-Ar-Dee. I often write about subjects from the past for the travel and Ideas section of the Boston Globe. I have also written for the New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Harvard Magazine, Red Sox Magazine, Preservation, Mental Floss, B Magazine, The Daily, The Boston Phoenix, GO, AAA Horizons, The Patriot Ledger, St. Petersburg Times, New England Travel, JSTOR Daily, Public Domain Review, ESPN.com, Biography.com, SI.com, Smithsonian.com, and AmericanHeritage.com. I have lectured at dozens of libraries and historical societies and have appeared on television and radio programs from Tokyo, Japan, to Yellowknife, Canada. I have also contributed to Lonely Planet’s Boston City Guide and National Geographic Traveler: Ireland. In addition to my historical and travel writing, I have more than 15 years of experience authoring business books, market research reports, and white papers for architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms. I have written articles for numerous industry newsletters and magazines, including The Zweig Letter, Professional Services Management Journal, SMPS Marketer, CE News, Structural Engineer, BE Magazine, and Construction Specifier. I graduated summa cum laude and with honors from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, in 1994. I am a member of the Authors Guild, Biographers International Organization, Boston Authors Club, and Irish American Writers & Artists.N/A
