There is a GAA club and a housing estate dedicated to him in Tralee but it is the love life of Protestant nationalist John Mitchel that will be the main focus of the latest episode of a new television series.
Episode four of the second season of Scéalta Grá na hÉireann, to be screened on TG4 next Wednesday (8.30pm), charts the love story of Mitchel and Jenny Verner who eloped from Newry to England because she was underage.
Pursued by her parents and punished by the law, Mitchel experienced his first stint in prison, becoming another illustrious name in a long line of patriots to grace the cells of Kilmainham jail.
As soon as he was released they ran away again, this time to Drumcree Church in Newry, the seat of the Orange Order of which Jenny’s family were founding members.
They were married in Drumcree church and it is there that their marriage certificate can be found today. “The marriage certificate and the romance between Mitchel and Verner endured through a series of global adventures, conflicts and personal tragedies.
John Mitchel’s outspoken opposition to the British government saw him become one of the most revered nationalists in Irish history. However, in stark contrast to his fight for Irish freedom and the freedom of the Irish Catholic peasant was his outspoken, abhorrent views on slavery.
In an 1850’s New York Mitchel found himself isolated due to his pro-slavery views and his views became more extreme, even advocating for the reopening of the slave trade.
This Mitchel is completely at odds with the hero that is worshipped by the likes of Patrick Pearce and Eamon De Valera in the Ireland of the early 20th century.
There were many who didn’t want to admit to the major flaws evident in one of Ireland’s heroes and this is why a repositioning of Mitchel’s legacy is needed.
The programme makers said Ireland need to acknowledge the wrongdoing and reposition Mitchel’s place in Irish history. Wiping these stories from the record and not speaking about people with extreme views does not help in bringing a fuller and truer history of our nation to the fore.
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