Ricard O'Sullivan Burke (24 January 1838 – 11 May 1922) was an Irish nationalist, Fenian activist, Union American Civil War soldier, U.S. Republican Party campaigner, and a public-works engineer.

Burke was born on 24 January 1838 at Cloonareague, Kinneigh (Irish: Cluain Aimhréidh, Cinn Eich), in County Cork, Ireland.

The family was evicted from their farm by Lord Bandon possibly after Denis Burke supported the Chartist former member of parliament Feargus O'Connor.

Devoy said that Burke was actually ashamed to go home as the Militia had dissolved in 1856 - it had effectively been a recruiting ground for the Crimean War (now ended, hence the dissolution) and was full of "corner-boys, tinkers and wastrels".

Later, he continued overland to South America, surviving poison-laced wine and eventually joining a mostly-Irish militia or cavalry in Chile fighting native Americans.

[3][9][7] After mustering out, he offered his services to John O'Mahony (head of the Fenian Brotherhood in New York), biding his time working as a bookkeeper before being sent to Ireland some months later.

Once there, Thomas Kelly (who ousted James Stephens as head of the Irish Republican Brotherhood) sent him to England to purchase arms, but funding was hampered by Fenian divisions in the U.S.

[10][11] On 27 November 1867, Burke was arrested by police related to an incident involving Joseph Theobald Casey in St Pancras, London.

While he was on remand at Clerkenwell Prison, London, on 13 December 1867, Fenians used gunpowder to blow up the wall of the exercise yard for Burke's escape; this was their second attempt.

group set up by Burke, and who had managed to exchange notes with him in gaol; the signal for the imminent detonation was a white rubber ball thrown over the wall.

[13][3][5][14][15][16][17][18][19] Burke, Casey, and Mullady were charged with treason-felony at the Old Bailey because of the escape of Kelly and testimony from arms merchants and informers about weapons purchases and reports of their involvement at Fenian meetings.

He lectured on Irish nationalism when he could,[22] and he campaigned for the Republicans, including at Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he stayed for some time in rooms.

On 14 February 1883, in addition to a few compliments, Burke's life is described as a "racket" with the rank "colonel" gained from a Fenian attack on Canada and even the title "general" taken from his alleged activities in Chile.

It described his hurried escape back to Fort Wayne from creditors in Mexico, having frittered local funding on a lavish new hotel in Monterrey, where he entertained Americans and Europeans with frequent parties and enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle.

In January 1888, Burke's friend, Dr. Patrick Cronin, disappeared and he suspected foul play at the hands of 'the triangle', a presumptuous cabal of Clan na Gael (the successor to the Fenian Brotherhood) in Chicago made up of Alexander Sullivan supported by Michael Boland and Denis Feely.

Cronin - whose faction in Clan na Gael Burke supported, and who had accused Sullivan's triangle of stealing hardship money for Fenian activists - was found murdered in a sewer in May 1889.

[3] On 12 July 1919, the future Irish president, Éamon de Valera, visited Burke briefly during his glad-handing tour of Chicago.

[1][29] His friend and fellow Fenian, John Devoy, said the story of his life "reads more like a romance than a record of actual facts" and related his ability to charm his hosts.

[7][3] It has been said he helped John Philip Holland build a submarine: Fenians provided funds but - after an internal financial dispute - stole the craft, which they were incapable of operating thereafter.