One of the three Manchester Martyrs from the 1867 Fenian rebellion against Britsh rule in Ireland.  Three individuals, William Allen, Michael Larkin, and William O'Brien were hanged for their role in trying to free Fenian leader Thomas J. Kelly who was under arrest in Manchester, England.  A policeman was killed in the attempt and the three were quickly hanged on November 23, 1867, despite the fact that none of the three had killed the policeman.  Their mass funerals and events with the Land League focused the minds of the popular masses on the injustice of English rule in Ireland.  Public outrage at the executions, as well as agitation for an amnesty for Fenian prisoners, succeeded in mobilizing nationalist opinion to an extent that the rising itself failed to achieve, and provided a basis for the launching of the home rule movement.