It would be useful to read this article in conjunction with 'The Fenian Landing At Helvic' By Sylvester Murray. This article appears elsewhere on this site.

A Note On The Name Of The Ship: In the articles on this site the ship the Jacmel is frequently called 'The Jacknell', 'The Jacknel' or 'The Jacnell'. 'The Jacmel' is the correct name of the ship. The other forms are errors. Where the incorrect name is given in a contemporary document we have retained it. The Jacmel was renamed the 'Erin's Hope' by the Fenians in the course of their voyage across the Atlantic.

On April 12th 1867 a ship called 'Jacknell' left New York bound for Ireland. The men on board hoped to assist in a Fenian rising. These Fenians were captured as the waded ashore at Helvick outside Dungarvan. In this article we reproduce part of a book that recorded the exploits of the 'Jacknell' and her crew. The book is called 'The Dock And The Scaffold' and was published in Dublin by A. M. Sullivan, Abbey Street in 1868. The first part of the book concerns itself with the 'Manchester Tragedy' when Three Fenians were hung after being tried for attempting to help Thomas Kelly(a leading Fenian), escape from a prison van in Manchester. The second part of the book is called 'The Cruise Of The Jacknell' and is reproduced here in it's entirety with original illustrations.

The book was written and published by people sympathetic to the Fenian cause and the opinions expressed in the book are from a nationalist perspective. Of particular interest is the defence put forward by Colonel John Warren during his trial that he could not be tried for treason because he was an American Citizen and owed no loyalty to Britain.