The creation of IFfF Global had its beginnings in the genealogical interests of its founder, Erica Veil. Intrigued by her Irish history on her maternal side, she learned of a notable ancestor, her great-great-grandfather, Colonel Thomas J. Kelly, a veteran of the Civil War and co-founder of the Fenian Brotherhood in New York City. After learning more about her remarkable ancestor, she began a lifelong journey of collecting information about him, noting over time that less was written about him in newly published works. Determined to write a biography to preserve his story and this part of her heritage, she pursued research as time and resources permitted.
In the year 2015, Veil began to devote her time fully to researching and writing Colonel Kelly’s biography. A telephone conversation with a distant cousin and historian who descended from Colonel Kelly’s eldest brother, Patrick, started her on an journey of discovery involving both intensive online research and travel across six European countries and five US states – a journey that ultimately led her to uncover a much more expansive story than solely that of her ancestor. The story that she unearthed was that of the Irish fight for freedom – a largely secretive movement that spanned both the US and Ireland and many other European countries. And, much to her astonishment, she discovered that her great-great-grandfather, who had orchestrated the Fenian Rising of 1867 in Ireland, was at the heart of it all.
In recognition of this much larger story waiting to be told and kept alive for future generations – the story of the broad cast of characters in Ireland’s global fight for freedom – Veil founded IFfF Global, Inc. in September of 2016. This website was created as a portal to provide the means to engage with and invite others to help in preserving this important role in Irish history by sharing their stories and/or volunteering to maintain the history.
To volunteer or share your part of the story, please contact us.
To read more on the history IFfF Global, Inc., please click here.