A major fund raising drive has begun in Manchester to restore one of this country's most significant Irish monuments. A dance will be held at St Ann's parish centre in Stretford on Saturday 22nd November 2008 with the proceeds going to the restoration of the monument to the Manchester Martyrs in St Joseph's cemetery in Moston.

The Manchester Martyrs - William Philip Allen, Michael O'Brien and Michael Larkin - were publicly hanged on Saturday 23rd November 1867 at the New Bailey jail in Salford. Their executions followed a Fenian raid on a prison van in Manchester which resulted in the rescue of two leaders of the Fenian movement and the death of a police sergeant. The Manchester Martyrs protested their innocence until their deaths and the English reformer, John Bright, described their executions as 'a great mistake'.

The deaths of the Manchester Martyrs had huge significance for Anglo-Irish relations. Two weeks after their executions a symbolic funeral was held in Dublin. Over 80,000 people walked in driving rain behind three empty hearses bearing the Martyrs' names. The cortege continued to Glasnevin cemetery where John Mitchell gave the oration. Similar ceremonies were held throughout Ireland. More memorials were erected to the Manchester Martyrs than to any others who had died for Irish freedom.

The Martyrs became a cause celebre for Irish throughout the world and the journalist, MP and future Lord Mayor of Dublin, TD Sullivan, wrote the ballad 'God Save Ireland' in their honour. For the next fifty years it was Ireland's unofficial national anthem.

A generation after the hangings - in 1897 - the Manchester Martyrs memorial committee was given permission to raise a monument to the three in St Joseph's cemetery in Moston. Each year, a commemoration was held on the Sunday closest to November 23rd, the date of the executions. This continued until the early 1970s when, with the outbreak of conflict in the Six Counties, it became a target for violent attack from right wing extremists. The Manchester Martyrs monument itself was badly vandalised but work has already begun on retoring it.

It is commonly supposed that the bodies of the Martyrs are buried beneath the monument in St Joseph's cemetery. However, the authorities have never released the bodies of Allen, Larkin and O'Brien. They were initially buried in the grounds of the New Bailey prison in Salford after they were executed. About two years later, when that building was demolished, their remains were re-interred in the grounds of the newly built Strangeways jail.

There they remained until 1991 when, following the Strangeways riots, the prison was redeveloped and the remains of Allen, Larkin and O'Brien were removed to Blackley cemetery in north Manchester. There is currently a campaign in Ireland to have the remains brought home to Ireland. This is being lead by Bandon councillor John Desmond who says,

In the context of the peace process it is heartening to see this renewed interest in the Manchester Martyrs. Tickets for the dance at St Ann's in Stretford are available in advance from St Ann's Social Club, Cross Street, Stretford 0161 865 3739 for 3 pounds or simply turn up on Saturday 22nd November 2008 where tickets can be had for 4 pounds.