2018-2019

News Release

REF NO.: 10

SUBJECT: PSA: Invading Canada: George Story lecturer examines 1865 Fenian threat

DATE: November 1, 2018

A professor of history and Celtic studies at the University of Toronto will deliver the 2018 George Story lecture at Memorial University.

Dr. David A. Wilson will speak on the topic of State Security and Civil Liberty: The Fenians and the Secret Police.

In October 1865, the Fenians — Irish revolutionaries in the United States, dedicated to the independence of Ireland and the destruction of the British Empire — drew up plans to invade Canada.

With deep historical reach, Dr. Wilson’s lecture will answer questions with significant contemporary resonance.

The Dr. George H. Story Lecture in Humanities takes place on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the Suncor Energy Hall, School of Music. A reception will follow and free parking is available in lot 15B.

The late Dr. George H. Story (1927-94) was one of Newfoundland’s most distinguished scholars and teachers, whose scholarship ranged from Erasmus through Christmas mummering in Newfoundland to the lexicography that resulted in the Dictionary of Newfoundland English. To commemorate and honour Dr. Story’s contribution to research and scholarship, Memorial University endowed the annual Dr. George H. Story Lecture in Humanities, which reflects the range and variety of Dr. Story’s intellectual interests.

- 30 -