The steamer Keogh was transiting across to Cardiff when Shannon encountered her. The Fenian crew proclaimed her a prize of the Irish Navy before setting the crew adrift and sinking the Keogh. The Irish owned vessel and mostly Irish crew, naturally, took a dim view of their supposed liberators and as soon as they were back to shore immediately reported the incident to the navy. Incidentally, the ships off Cork had been looking for the lost fishermen and when they turned up with the crew of the Keogh, sortied and gave chase to the “Irish pirates” as the press dubbed them.
The pursuit was swift, and despite able sailing, the Keogh was soon sighted and captured when the crew realized they could not outrun the pursuing British frigates. Seized and sailed back to Cork, Kavanagh and his men were interned, but soon learned that they would not be so lucky as the crew of the St. Patrick. They had seized British shipping in British waters and carried destruction to her shores, all while not being protected as combatants. They would be charged as pirates, a sentence that carried the death penalty[2]…” - The Emergency of 1867, Howard Senior, 1986