Editing Thomas D'Arcy McGee (section)

==Early life==
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Widely known as '''D'Arcy McGee''', he was born on 13 April 1825 in [[Carlingford, County Louth|Carlingford, Ireland]], and raised as a [[Roman Catholic]]. From his mother, the daughter of a [[Dublin]] bookseller he learned the [[history of Ireland]], which later influenced his writing and political activity. When he was eight years old, his family moved to [[Wexford]],<ref>https://macsphere.mcmaster.ca/bitstream/11375/12273/1/fulltext.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> where his father, James McGee, was employed by [[Irish Coast Guard|the Irish coast guard]] (then under [[His Majesty's Coastguard]] and likely at the Wexford Town Station near Customs House Quay.<ref name="Demeter 1997 535">{{cite book|first=Richard |last=Demeter|title=Irish America: The Historical Travel Guide|volume=I: United States, Northern Atlantic States, District of Columbia, Great Lakes Region and Canada |url=https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=%22+Either+by+purchase,+conquest,+or+stipulation,+Canada+must+be+yielded+by+Great+Britain+to+this+Republic.%E2%80%9D%22|year=1997 |publisher=Cranford Press |isbn=978-0-9648253-3-8 |page=535}}</ref>

In Wexford he attended a local [[hedge school]], where the teacher, Michael Donnelly, fed his hunger for knowledge and where he learned of the long history of opposition to [[British rule in Ireland]], including the [[Irish Rebellion of 1798]]. In 1842 at age 17, McGee left Ireland with his sister due to a poor relationship with their stepmother, Margaret Dea, who had married his father in 1840 after the death of his mother 22 August 1833. In 1842 he sailed from Wexford harbour aboard the brig ''Leo'', bound for the United States. On the ''Leo'' he wrote many of his early poems, mostly about Ireland.<ref name="Demeter 1997 535"/>

He soon found work as assistant editor of [[Patrick Donahoe]]'s  ''[[The Pilot (Massachusetts newspaper)|Boston Pilot]]'', a Catholic newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts.  He specialized in articles expounding the movement for Irish [[self-determination]] led by [[Daniel O’Connell]].  He became the lead editor in 1844, While writing widely as well on Irish literature and politics. He advocated the union of Canada into the United States, saying, "Either by purchase, conquest, or stipulation, Canada must be yielded by Great Britain to this Republic."<ref name="Demeter 1997 535"/>

In 1845, he returned to Ireland where he became politically active and edited ''[[The Nation (Irish newspaper)|The Nation]]'', the voice of the Young Ireland movement.  In 1847, he married Mary Theresa Caffrey; they had six children but only two daughters survived their father. His involvement in the [[Irish Confederation]] and [[Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848]] resulted in a warrant for his arrest. McGee escaped disguised as a priest and returned to the United States.<ref name=boy>{{cite book|last=Boylan|first= Henry |year=1998|title=A Dictionary of Irish Biography|edition=3rd |page= 246|publisher= Gill and MacMillan|isbn = 0-7171-2945-4}}</ref>