Irish Scene May June 2016

Registered with Australia Post PP100003914

Western Australia’s

Vol 18 Number 4

May/June 2016

www.irishscene.com.au

Welcome to Perth Mark!

In this issue • Rose of Tralee • Awards for Joan & Tony • Bob and U2 Story • Henry the Fine Artist • Masonmill • GAA Reports • St Patrick’s Day Parade • Meet Joe Carroll • Fairbridge Festival

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BUSINESS CONTACTS / PAGE INDEX BAGGAGE (UNACCOMPANIED) 85 Australian International Express 9243 0808 67 Exportair Tel: Geoff 9477 1080 BUTCHERS 86 McLoughlin’s Northside Meats Tel: 9249 8039 60 Meat Connoisseur Tel: 9309 9992 CAFE/DELI: 46 Mooney’s Irish Sandwich Bar Tel: 9221 4872 CAR RETAILERS: 27 John Hughes, Vic Park - Tel: 9415 0110 CELEBRANT: Marian Bryne Tel: 0410 345 224 CIVIL ENGINEERS: Neo Infrastructure Tel: 0407475033 COMPUTER System Engineering: Nick McNamara | MCN Technology Tel: 0424 515 337 DRAFTING: Eala Drafting Tel: 0478 593 643 EMPLOYMENT: 63 All Force Labour Solutions Tel: 0457824916 Final Trim Operators Tel: 1300 083 599 Reliance Professionals Tel: 1300 224 222 ENTERTAINMENT: Fiona Rea - 0404 831 445 58 Fiddlestick - David MacConnell 0413 259 547 ENGINEERING: Green Engineering Tel: 0419911 737 FINANCE/ADVICE: 54 The Loans Café-Nik Silsby Tel: 0402 284594 FLOORS: Floorit WA Tel 0417602359 FREIGHT HANDLERS: 85 Australian International Express 9243 0808 67 Exportair - Tim Hawdon Tel: 9477 1080 FUNERALS: 47 McKee Funerals Tel: 9401 1900 HAIR & BEAUTY: Saron Beauty Tel: 9387 5725 IMMIGRATION ADVICE: ASC Migration Tel: 9301 5905 5 EasiVisa: Carol-Ann Lynch 9429 8860 Land Down Under Visas: 0467243603 17 McGovern Migration Tel: 6161 8854 Gallagher Migration Tel: 04140498 910 IRISH FOOD & GIFTS: Taste Ireland Sydney - Tel: 02 9386 5522 Hetty’s Scullery Tel: 0416365099 Irish Gift Hob www.irishgifthob.ie 46 Mooney’s Irish Sandwich Bar: 9221 4872 Mrs Brolly’s Confectionary Tel 0497105763

JEWELLERS: 6 Tighe Jewellery Studio: Graham Tighe 0414309274 MECHANICS: 1 Killarney Autos - Neil Lenihan 0439 996 764 39 BVM Autos - Mike Barton Tel: 0413 889 501 PUBS, CLUBS & RESTAURANTS: An Sibin Tel: 9328 8930 Bailey Bar & Bistro Tel: 9300 0633 92 Breakwater, Hillarys Tel: 9448 5000 Carnegies, Perth Tel: 9481 3222 47 Celtic Club, West Perth Tel: 9322 2299 14 Durty Nelly’s, Perth Tel: 9226 0233 13 Fenian’s/Novotel Tel: 9425 1634 Friar Tuck’s, Wannanup Tel: 9534 4788 96 Irish Club of WA, Subiaco Tel: 9381 5213 JB O’Reilly’s, Leederville Tel: 9382 4555 Paddy Maguire’s, Subiaco Tel: 9381 8400 37 Paddy Malone’s Joondalup 2 Rosie O’Grady’s Northbridge Tel: 9328 1488 12 The Mighty Quinn, Tuart Hill Tel: 9349 9600 22 The Cure Northbridge Tel: 9227 9055 The Skye Bar, Northbridge Tel: 9228 2200 Voyage Kitchen Tel: 9447 2443 Woodvale Tavern, Woodvale 9309 4288 83 Woodbridge Hotel, Guildford Tel: 9377 1199 REAL ESTATE: O’Rourke Real Estate Tel: 9341 6611 16 Professionals Kelly Team YokineTel: 9344 5544 ROOF PLUMBING Mick’s Maintenance 0418 917 050 SHOE REPAIR / NEW SHOES: 59 Reids Bootmakers: Tel 9361 5301 SOLICITORS & LEGAL: Equitas Lawyers Tel: 9228 2881 9, 83 Kavanagh Lawyers - Tel: 0430 960 859 51 Your LegalHQ Tel: 94459200 SPORT - CLUBS AND INFORMATION: 91 GAA - Barney McKenna 0408 904 419 94 Irish Golf Club of WA Martin 0419934681 90 Shamrock Rovers 95 St Gabriel’s Hurling Club THEATRE: 70 Irish Theatre Players TRAVEL & TOURISM: 31 British Travel - Jenny Allen Tel: 9285 8182 Flightworld Michael Deering Tel: 9322 2914 TYRES, BATTERIES, BRAKES WHEELS: 31 Tyrepower: Perth City - Fiona: Tel: 9322 2214 WEDDING RECEPTIONS / FUNCTIONS: 47 The Celtic Club, West Perth Tel: 9322 2299 21 Masonmills Gardens - Tel: 9293 5112

Welcome Mark!

A huge Western Australian welcome to Mark O’Brien of Arbour Hill Prison in Dublin. Mark and his wife Carmel will be in Perth for the Famine Commemoration in York on Sunday May 8th. It will also be an opportunity for him to meet the descendants of Mary Ann Taylor.

Mark coordinated the Travel Box making program at Arbour Hill and will be here for the official handing over to York Residency Museum.

The Travel Box is dedicated to Mary Ann and the other Irish girls who arrived in WA from a workhouse in Co Galway in 1853.

THE IRISH SCENE

Publisher/Advertising: Fred Rea 0418 943 832 Editor: Lloyd Gorman 0479 047 250 - gormanlloyd@hotmail.com Proof Reading: Jack Cullen and Imelda Gorman Publisher: Gaelforce Promotions, 12 Dysart Court, Kingsley WA 6026 Email: fred@irishscene.com.au Tel/Fax 9309 3167 www.irishscene.com.au Disclaimer: Opinions expressed by contributors in articles, reproduced articles, advertisements or any other printed material contained in Irish Scene magazine or on www.irishscene.com.au are those of the individual contributors or authors and as such are not necessarily those of Gaelforce Promotions. The publisher and editor reserve the right to accept, reject, edit or amend submitted material in order to make it appropriate or suitable for publication. Irish Scene welcomes submissions, ideas and suggestions for articles and features as well as photographs of events happening around and within the Irish community in Western Australia.

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Award Winners

Joan Ross Popular Winner Brendan Award The Australian Irish Heritage Association of Western Australia is proud to announce that the recipient of the 2016 Brendan Award is Northern Ireland born Joan Ross, President of the Claddagh Association of WA. The Claddagh Association was formed in 1997, when concerned members of the Irish community of WA perceived the need to help young people residing in or passing through, Western Australia, who found themselves in a crisis situation. Joan is one of the founder members of the Claddagh Association and has served for many years as President. She holds an Honours Degree in Humanities and a Post Graduate Diploma in Frontline Management.

A happily married mother of two children and five grandchildren, she has managed to balance family, work and her commitment to the Claddagh Association most efficiently. She is a lady of steely determination, who does not waiver in her efforts to find a resolution to the many difficult and varied problems that present themselves. She is forever appreciative of the support of those who have served on the committee since its formation.

Even when visiting family in Ireland, she still finds time to promote the work of the Association and has made time to visit many of the families who have been recipients of support from the Association’s endeavours.

She has been received by the Northern Ireland Assembly Parliament at Stormont Castle and the President of Ireland at Aras an Uachtarain, where she promoted the Association’s booklet ‘Information on moving to Western Australia’.

The Claddagh Association is forever grateful to the Irish Government, the Irish Embassy Canberra, and long-time corporate and individual financial supporters and of course the continuing support of the Irish population of Western Australia.

DENIS BRATTON

President Australian-Irish Heritage Association

L-R: Joan Walsh Smith, Joan Ross, Charlie Smith and Irish Ambassador HE Noel White.

Manea Award to Tony Costa Congratulations to Tony Costa on being the recipient of the Ernie Manea Award at the John Boyle O’Reilly weekend in Bunbury. The theme for 2016 was music and no better fitting person could have received this award. When an Irish song, of the John McCormack vintage, needs singing it is Tony who will step up. The presentation “To honour Tony’s commitment, his work and fearless endeavor to maintain the spirit and memory of John Boyle O’Reilly”, was made by Michael Manea, grandson of the late Ernie Manea. On receiving the award Tony mentioned the work for the association of the late Dr Ernie Manea, Liam Barry and Ormonde Waters. Tony is a regular attendee at this event and his passion for the JB O’Reilly story and the role played by Fr Patrick McCabe in the escape of O’Reilly is legendary.

We congratulate you Tony and this is due recognition for your contribution in keeping the spirit of John Boyle O’Reilly and Fenian story alive. Fred Rea

4

WA’s first choice when it comes to sound migration advice

Help Stop the Backpacker Tax! Who was the idiot who decided to hit hard working backpackers in their pockets by taking away the tax free threshold? Ah yes, I remember … it was Joe Hockey … the former treasurer … who got booted out of office for being an out of touch twerp!

What hapless Hockey failed to understand was that regional and rural economies rely heavily upon backpackers to keep their businesses going. It must be hard making good budget decisions when you spend half of your life in expensive restaurants and the other half sleeping off your lunch in parliament! I wonder who served those expensive lunches – probably backpackers who were being paid peanuts!

The proposed 32.5 per cent backpacker tax is really, really bad for Australia and even worse for the poor backpackers who will be expected to work for next to nothing. Is this a sneaky way of trying to reintroduce slave labour? Certainly sounds like it!

Backpackers are important to our economy. Backpackers fill critical labour shortages at peak times; bring new life, love and laughter into rural and regional communities and contribute more than $3.5 billion a year to our economy. The pubs and restaurants don’t do so badly either! Who served your last beer at JB O’Reilly’s?

There’s a good chance that it was a young wise cracking Irish backpacker. Sláinte!

The Tourism & Transport Forum Australia and the National Farmers’ Federation is now calling on the Federal government to wake up to reality and stop this ridiculous backpacker tax. You can help too! If you agree that the backpacker tax will be bad for Australia, please add your name to the following online petition:

https://www.change.org/p/australian-government-stop-the-backpacker-tax

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The Dublin flea market that helped give the world a musical itch The Dandelion Market first opened on Pembroke Lane in 1970 but moved to Leeson Close in 1971 before expanding and setting up shop permanently in a disused warehouse beside Saint Stephen’s Green in 1973. The Dandelion finally closed its doors in 1981. Sinnott’s Bar on South King Street is the only part of the original site that remains.

Work on the St. Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre started in 1985, and it opened in 1988. The former markets are commemorated with a plaque and were very popular with Dubs and out of towners. It was the kind of place you’d be liable to find anything at all and probably bump into a few heads as well. Amongst the warren of stalls and throngs of punters, local bands would also pump out some live music. A very young U2 numbered amongst the buskers.

Dubliner John Fisher was there at the start and even had a guiding hand in establishing the markets as a music venue as well as a bargain hunter’s paradise. On the website of his Dundrum based business, Fisher Video Production website, he says the gigs in the Dandelion Market have become the source of many a tall tale (what they might call a Furphy in WA), unfounded rumour and urban legend so he wanted to put down his recollections for the record.

Rolling Stones

“In the summer of 1976, me (John Fisher) and Eoin O’Shea went to The Reading Festival, The Rolling Stones in Knebworth and saw the early days of the Punk explosion in London,” he writes. “We came back with our rucksacks full of badges and set up a stall in the market selling badges, T-Shirts, posters etc. Up until then, the market had been a bit of a hippy haven - full of cheesecloth shirts, incense and Grandad shirts. So our stall, Sticky Fingers, was a bit out on a limb. We decided that we needed more Punks, Mods and Rockers coming in so we decided to use the one vacant area in the market - an enclosed dark, dank shed that housed the power supply for the whole market. We cleaned it out, white-washed the walls and set-up a small stage built of leftover beer crates, breeze-blocks and a few sheets of chipboard that we bought.

Rocky DeValera & The Gravediggers

The venue was now ready - now we just needed some bands. The Noise Boys were the first band to take to that rather shaky stage - I don’t remember why exactly - maybe it was through my friendship with Tim McStay (Keyboards). I do remember the next band better - Ferdia McAnna and Dave Sweeney both worked for us selling badges at the stall and

7

had decided to set up a band - Rocky DeValera & The Gravediggers. They played the next Saturday and from then on, we were rocking. That Sunday, two guys approached me and introduced themselves as Larry and Dave from a band called U2.

I had heard about them and knew that they were already a ‘real’ (i.e. gigging) band. They wanted to see the venue and asked if they could play there. We had already booked bands for the following weekend, so I told them that they could play the week after. The legendary gigs were about to begin.... For the record, U2 played in the Dandelion Market a total of eight times - not the four or six times that is the figure given on other sites and in other publications!

But I was also excited about the likes of The Blades, Berlin and The Atrix, all of whom I knew well. There were many memorable gigs there - for me the best of which were The Outcasts which often ended with bass player Getti leaving a pool of blood on the stage from attacking his instrument with such venom. Over the coming weeks, the gigs went from strength to strength. We had a unique rule - we charged a flat entrance fee of 50p and the bands got all the takings - we only took a pound or two if we needed to buy new chipboard for the stage or a few light bulbs. The only other condition was that the bands who played had to come in early in order to re-build the stage which was inevitably smashed up by the local kids during the week when the market reverted

to being a sprawling car park - and that included U2! I remember one time that U2 were playing and their lighting person hadn’t turned up.

The term ‘lighting technician’ wasn’t used then - it was only 3 spotlights on a bar on either side of the stage.

I was asked to do the necessary and suddenly found myself doing the lights. I was doing OK until in one

“CHANGE YOUR NAME” Bob tells Bono!

This story goes back to the early 70’s. A pal and myself tried to make a few bob as young fellas would do and we set up a business called Heraldic Arts and Crafts. This was mainly set up for the American tourists who would visit Ireland and look for their family coat of arms. So we used to get the coat of Arms

particular song, I somehow managed to turn all the lights out on one side of the stage plunging Adam into complete darkness while at the same time almost burning Edge’s iris’s out with a full blast of light.

Needless to say, I wasn’t asked to do the lights on their last world tour!

“John gives the dates in 1979 that U2 played as: Sat 12 May, Sat June

made up for them and make a few bob from the transaction. We had a stall in the famous Dandelion Markets. The Dandelion Market, is still remembered with affection by many Dubliners for its supplies of items such as cheesecloth shirts, sheepskin coats, tie-dyed tops and trousers whose flares were wide enough to enable the wearer to set sail for the wilder shores of fashion heaven and of course Bob’s heraldic craft business.

The markets were just off Leitrim Street and we were there for about six months and everything was going really well.

There were all sorts of stalls and it was similar to the Fremantle Markets. The organiser of the markets decided to set up a competition between the traders for the best stall. Whoever came third would get 25 quid and a few drinks, second place would get 50 quid and four drinks while the winner got 100 quid and lots of drinks. So we all got our stalls dolled up a bit. People popped their votes into a box for their favourite stall.

So after the three months all the stall holders headed to the famous O’Brien’s pub in Leeson Street for the final result. The place was packed. The Dandelion Market manager opened up the box and said, “Right” he said, “Winners and runners up.

In third place goes to Here Today Gone Tomorrow ”.

That was a

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28 (with The Strougers), Sat August 11, September 9, 15, 22, November 17 with The Epidemics *(U2 farewell gig when they went to London for the first time) and December 23, with The Threat, their first gig since their return trip from London (and also their last at the Dandelion).

fruit and veg stall. They were over the moon with their 25 quid and the few drinks at the bar. We were all delighted for them and next the manager says, “In second place is Heraldic Arts and Crafts, Bob Walsh and Davey Halpin”. Jeeze, we were over the moon. We had 50 quid and four free drinks at the bar and we went straight to the bar and were guzzling away.

The next thing this bloke who had a bit of a band comes up and says “I thought you fellas should have won it, you really dolled up your stall and you looked great”. So I said thanks very much so he asked me, “What do you think of us as a band”. I said ah! You sound good but you’ll have to do something about the name U2, it’s a crap name. He replied, “What’s wrong with U2”. You better change the name, it’s terrible and we left it at that. The next thing we know in a few years they are rocking the world around. The fella who asked the question was none other than Paul David Hewson or Bono as he is called now. U2 were the resident band at the Dandelion Markets in the 70’s. Now when I look back I have a good laugh about the whole episode, when I think of what I said, “You’ll have to change the name and the rest as they say is history!”

Bob Walsh

Message from Sean Daly President of the Irish Club of Western Australia Well, the last six months have certainly been intense. Late last year the new committee went to members with the difficult financial situation facing the club. Since then, there has been an outpouring of support from the Irish community and, together with a great deal of hard work from many people. We as a management committee are confident that the club is now in a much more stable position.

Although the summer is usually our quiet time of year, in the last six months we have been able to reduce our debts significantly and improve our cash flow. The various club-led and communityled fundraising initiatives resulted in a welcome cash injection.

Improved management practices have led to reduced operating costs, and the implementation of audit recommendations has ensured our financial processes and procedures are now more transparent and accountable. Practical projects have included repainting the downstairs room and the committee room, the installation of solar panels, overhaul of the equipment in the kitchen, appointment of a new chef, development of a new club logo and a new website and introduction of online membership (from May).

However, there is still much work to be done. The club has been pulled back from a position of crisis, but is certainly not yet secure for the long-term. The support from most of the Irish community has been fantastic and suggestions are always welcome, but people must understand that costly renovations are not realistic at this point. The club requires a sustained increase in patronage in order to make some of our more ambitious plans viable. The support of members and the Irish community as a whole will continue to be critical to the existence of the club and current and future management committees will need to be vigilant

to ensure the financial position of the club does not slip backwards again.

On a personal note, I would like to recognise the efforts and commitment of the management committee over the past six months.

All members of the management committee are volunteers, and have put in many hours behind the scenes for the benefit of the club.

With the wisdom of hindsight, there may have been a few things we might have done differently, but we have all been working with the best of intentions and overall I feel that we have achieved a great deal.

I encourage people to approach the committee directly with any issues or concerns, as we sincerely wish to work with and for the benefit of everybody in the Irish community.

With the start of the football season, we anticipate some profitable months of trading ahead and I hope to be able to report on a positive year at our AGM on Sunday 21 August - please mark your diaries and start thinking about whether you might like to join the next management committee!

Sean Daly, President

We keep our finances totally separate... so we’re not de factos, right?

Not necessarily. How you both manage your finances may be only one factor to be considered by the court.

Being in a de facto relationship brings great benefits but it also can involve serious obligations.

For advice please contact Louise Muhling

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9

(Part three)

by Peter Conole

Sir William Robinson in the 1880s

Sir William Robinson arrived in Singapore to take up his position as Governor of the Straits Settlements in late September, 1877. His 18 months in office there must have been something of a relief after the first turbulent bout of West Australian years. Visitors to the colony took note of the flourishing extent of trade and a visiting English lady described Robinson as “a truly charming man with a very nice wife”.

There were no major disturbances in the Malay States, although on one occasion he had to intervene to appoint a good local candidate as Governor of Muar in Penang province.

Robinson enjoyed a major diplomatic jaunt in 1878 when he went to Bangkok to invest the King of Thailand with a British knighthood.

In return the king awarded him the Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Siam. The London authorities allowed Sir William to wear it for the rest of his career. He was appreciated by all levels of the Straits community and Robinson Road in Singapore is named after him. A severe illness of some kind struck him down soon afterwards. On February 10, 1879 the Governor left for extended leave in Britain in order to recuperate; he never returned.

Over year later, presumably fully recovered, he headed south from Britain again and took up his duties as a second-term Governor of Western Australia on April 14, 1880. As before Sir William’s strength and poise were thoroughly tested by the locals and their political system, which excluded him from some key gatherings whilst respecting his viceregal powers. As Robinson commented years later: “Let no man take charge of such a form of Government who is not as patient as Job, as industrious as a Chinaman and as ubiquitous as a provincial mayor in France”.

His first task, as instructed in an April 19 despatch from by the Secretary of State for the Colonies,

was to abolish the Enrolled Pensioner Force, a body of army veterans that had been the mainstay of colonial defence and security for three decades. Robinson finalised the business on November 11. On the same date he established the Enrolled Guard, a company of veterans tasked with guarding key facilities such as Government House, Fremantle Prison and the arsenal.

Mathew Smith, the Superintendent of Police, was given command of the Guard.

By then numerous militia units were active in the colony so local defence arrangements were not seriously undermined by the reform. Only one potential emergency cropped up and – as in 1876 – it involved the Fenians! Wild rumours circulated about a possible attack on the colony; they were put to bed in October 1881 after being traced to bar-room boastings in Melbourne. As it turned out a November report indicated some American Fenians really were hoping to ship volunteers out of San Francisco to raid the coast. A separate report claimed two vessels had sailed from New York to attack Indian Ocean ports and British merchant ships in general. Nothing came of either venture. It is just possible the American authorities intervened discretely to prevent a serious incident.

Early in his term the Governor’s love of music transformed the ambience of Government House. He

10

did much over the years to improve Perth’s cultural life and probably inspired the first known masked ball held here in the winter of 1880. On the following November 2 he laid the foundation stone of what is now a great Perth landmark, St Georges Cathedral, and spoke bluntly of his hopes for the future. Robinson wanted musical training to increase in all schools, the finished cathedral to provide high quality services and also to be “a model of all that is moderate in doctrine ….so long as its walls endure”. As a patron of the local Working Men’s association he encouraged their musical activity which, from 1882, involved weekly Saturday morning concerts.

On the musical side of things Sir William both wrote and performed.

His popular setting of the hymn ‘Brief life is ever our portion’ may have been composed here and the famous patriotic song ‘Unfurl the Flag’ certainly was, though it was not published until 1883 (in Melbourne). The song, a marching tune, is loaded with broad Australian patriotism and therefore attracted favourable notice in all the colonies.

Tens of thousands of copies were sold in sheet music form over the next couple of decades, which made it a smash hit of the Victorian Era. Sir William’s friend Francis Hart (a London man, possibly of Irish decent) provided the words, which conclude with “our proudest boast is liberty”.

Perth was certainly a beneficiary of Robinson’s attentions in these years. Under his regime the municipality received enhanced status.

The Chairman of the Perth City Council – George Shenton – had his title upgraded to Mayor in 1880. At the same time railway development was in full swing and the Governor opened the first Perth line in March 1881. Within a year the railways were extended to Guildford and during the next decade to numerous rural centres all over the colony.

A key element in Robinson’s term was the establishment of the pastoral industry in the north of the colony. He signed off on regulations to develop pastoral leases in June 1880. Various associations were formed and settlement spread to the Gascoyne and Ashburton regions and as far north as Roebourne

in short order. By June 1882 up to 17 million acres had been leased; as can be imagined, some of the sheep stations were very large. At this stage the colonists were not yet aware cattle were much more suitable for grazing purposes in the north than sheep: it took years to make the necessary change. Conditions were difficult from the start, for periodic north-western cyclones caused much damage to stations, not just coastal ports and shipping.

Station proprietors employed aborigines as shepherds as well as colonials, but trouble sometimes broke out that required attention.

There were some ‘depredations’ on flocks by aborigines and a few acts of violence. In 1881 the situation led Superintendent Matthew Smith to recommend sending a force of police and aboriginal assistants north “to make provision for protecting the black man as for the white”. Robinson responded by sending a magistrate named Robert Fairbairn to investigate the problem in 1882. Fairbairn claimed stock losses were exaggerated and that some tensions were due to liaisons between white shepherds and aboriginal women, which irritated ‘native’ males and led to stock raids and acts of violence. The Governor commented that “their women are as surely valuable to them as our flocks and herds are to us” and that retaliation by aborigines on the issue was understandable.

His judgement of the situation was flawed as many of the young women concerned may have appreciated the opportunity to escape various brutalities of tribal life.

Sir William sent a travelling magistrate named Charles Foss to deal with cases on the spot, a less than adequate response. The killing of an inoffensive sheep station manager named Anthony Cornish in late 1882 and the subsequent capture, trial and execution of his two murderers led the next Governor to arrange more extensive law enforcement in the north.

Another controversy involved the northern coasts of the colony. There was some agitation in the colonies - both for and against - to import Asian males for use as cheap labour.

The idea of undercutting the wages of colonists in such a way caused sufficient resentment to make nec-

Government House Perth

essary a Sydney inter-colonial conference in 1881. Robinson’s WA representative said the concept had merit for some occupations in the ‘tropical’ north-west as it was often difficult to persuade southern workers to move north. They were in the minority as the conference rejected the idea, but the Secretary of State wrote from London to Sir William and indicated he would not interfere if WA did things differently. The later impact of that decision on the pearling industry is obvious.

On balance Sir William Robinson had make a great success of his second term in office. He was both respected and popular and in the financial sense achieved miracles by way of careful budgeting: a treasury debt of 80,000 pounds was transformed into a positive balance of 32,000 under his management.

Early in 1883 his political masters in London decided to move him on.

Robinson was appointed Governor of South Australia and left Fremantle on the ‘Macedon’, February 2, 1883.

He took up his official duties in Adelaide on February 19. The inauguration ceremony was marked by a public performance of his first great hit, ‘Unfurl the Flag’, with orchestral accompaniment.

South Australia already had representative government, complete with a Premier and a Legislative Assembly, so Robinson had limited control over public affairs and never needed to resolve major political or financial crises. He did exert great personal influence and was able to moderate some vigorous political struggles in the colony throughout the 1880s. Government House be-

11

came the centre of Adelaide social and cultural life in his time: it is said he staged more events and issued more invitations than any governor before or after him.

Sir William was a fine singer and also played the piano and violin well, so he emerged as a ‘concert star’ in performances. He helped organise celebrations to mark the 50th year jubilee of South Australia (1886) and for the jubilee of Queen Victoria’s reign (1887). He continued to compose and produced two more romantic voice and piano hit songs - ‘Remember me no more’ and ‘I love thee so’- and four part-songs (small choral works for mixed voices) during his South Australian years.

‘Remember me no more’ (1885) sold 40,000 copies by the early 1890s – a truly astounding achievement. His patronage and support were also essential factors behind the founding of the Adelaide School of Music in 1889.

By now Robinson was probably able to look back on his career with a sense of perspective and he devoted additional time and attention to writing. A book of memoirs, ‘On duty in Many Lands’, was launched in 1884. To cap things off the Governor found himself in frequent demand as a lecturer and public speaker on various topics. One major paper he delivered on West Australian geography was published by an Adelaide society in 1886. Sir William received his highest honour in May 1887 when he was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG). His career continued and reached new heights over the next few years.

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Whiddy Island School Children 1930s

Cork-based archaeologist and photographer Enda O’Flaherty has a keen interest in the desolate beauty of abandoned spaces and the memories these places hold.

Recently he has combined his love of photography with his professional discipline, and taken to documenting the architectural features and cultural significance of the many abandoned school houses dotted across the rural Irish landscape.

The eerie, tumbling, and empty ruins of tiny one and two-roomed 19th and early 20th century school houses dot the Irish countryside, particularly in areas where emigration was and still is prevalent. For hundreds of thousands who emigrated from Ireland at an early age, their days spent in diminutive school houses often represented the last formal education they received before seeking a brighter future abroad.

Although many of these buildings are now physically empty or approaching a point of collapse, the physical structures are cognitive stimuli for those who attended, and hold a wealth of memory and associations that shaped their understanding of the world around them at an early age. From these small rural school houses the children of Ireland took what they had learned and went out to find fortune and to explore the greater world.

Enda’s Blog features some wonderful and evocative shots of these buildings, almost capturing a ghost-like presence of those who passed through their doors in the decades gone by. What makes this blog unique is that Enda has combined stunning imagery with documentary research, and has found original handwritten scripts from many of these schools dating from the 1930’s.

In 1937 the Irish Folklore Commission, in collaboration with the Department of Education and the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, initiated a revolutionary scheme in which schoolchildren were encouraged to collect and document folklore and local history from the eldest or most knowledgeable members of their household. Over a period of eighteen months some 100,000 children in 5,000 primary

Feohanagh National School - Co. Limerick

schools in the twenty-six counties of the Irish Free State were encouraged to collect folklore material in their home districts.

These first-hand stories, poems, recipes, phrases and local folklores were all written down by the school children who attended these schools in the 1930s, and represent a wealth of local first-hand knowledge that dates as far back as the mid -19th century. Many of the school houses featured in O’Flaherty’s blog have complimentary documents of stories from their locality, which are included in each blog post.

Cloghboola National School, Co. Cork

Lisglennon National School, Lisglennon, Co. Mayo

Bundoran National School, Co. Donegal

Tullycross National School Co. Westmeath

Enda is currently cataloguing and combining his ramblings, research and photography into a new book expected by the end of the year. To keep up-to-date with my work and to view some his images visit https://endaoflaherty.wordpress.com/ or try Facebook or Twitter at the links below.

Feel free to share memories, comment and make suggestions of school house to visit.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Disused-school-houses-notes-and-photographs-390528337731993/?fref=ts Twitter: @eanna81

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17

with Synnott What was your first job?

Picking Fruit Do you have Iphone or Laptop?

Yes What was the best year of your life?

The year I was ordained Your favourite sport and sporting hero?

Soccer & Bobby Charlton Your favourite song and singer?

Macushla & John McCormack What is your earliest childhood memory?

The bombing of North Strand Dublin Your favourite TV show and why?

Mash, The compassion & stark reality

Salvatorian priest, Father Lawrence Murphy has served in many parishes with great success. He is known as Murphy the builder as he always gets the job done! Retired now after 12 years in Nollamara parish where he was very well respected and was responsible for many positive changes to the church and parish. Not a bad singer either! Tony Synnott Do you use social media?

No If you could be someone famous who would it be?

Padraig Pearse What are you most afraid of?

My worse self Where do you get your news from?

The Irish Scene Who is your favourite actor and film?

John Wayne & The Quiet Man If there was one place on earth you could visit, where would it be?

Dublin

Dermot Byrne

The Irish Quiz Wiz! a.k.a. Dermot from Lesmurdie on ABC radio Nightlife program.

With Dermot and his mate Paschal Clarke enjoying the Easter Commemorations in Dublin we thought it a good idea to have ten questions on the Easter Rising: 1) Name 7 signatories of the 1916 Proclaimation:

2) The Third home rule bill is seen as being the catalyst for the start of the

Rising, when was the Bill introduced? And name the Prime Minister who

introduced it?

3) Who was the IRB president at the time of the Easter Rising?

4) Where was the rebel headquarters situated in Dublin?

6) Where else did the Irish Volunteers rise?

7) The Citizen Army, led by Michael Mallin, took up which historic position in

the town?

8) After the rebels were forced to abandon their first HQ, they took up a

second, new HQ. Where was this HQ based?

9) When Padraig Pearse surrendered, who did he surrender to?

10) How many men were executed by the British in the aftermath and who was

the last?

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1) Thomas Clarke, James Connolly, Padraig Pearse, Thomas McDonagh, Eamonn Ceant, Sean MacDiarmada and Joseph Plunkett.

2) 1913, and Asquith. 3) Was indeed Denis McCullough. 4) GPO 5) 1 week,seven days 6) Enniscorthy, Ashbourne, Coalisland, Cork (on the sunday before it)and Galway.

7) St. Stephens Green 8) 16 Moore Street 9) Brigadier General Lowe 10) 90 were sentenced to execution, 16 were, with Roger Casement the last in August 1916.

5) How long did the rising last?

Mason Mill

A Holme Away from Home Mason Mill in Carmel, WA, about 25 minutes drive outside of Perth, is not exactly somewhere you would accidentally discover, but this secluded spot is found in a picturesque setting that opens up in every direction around you as you approach it. As well as the surrounding splendour of nature the place has a newness and freshness to it. There is nothing in the redeveloped and newly built restaurant and wedding centre to suggest you are destined for a little bit of Ireland and Irish hospitality, at least not until you get a bit closer. A green street sign in Irish and English lets you know that you have pulled up at its other - unofficial address - Celtic Park Road.

The proprietors - the relatively new owners at that - are Dublin man Carl Holmes from Tallaght and his wife Marie, from Belfast. They have big ambitions for the place - which has a secret Irish history of its own - and their journey to becoming the next big thing in the hospitality sector in Perth has been quite a trip.

“We sold our last company, a big telecommunications company - by floating it on the stock exchange, for $55 million,” Carl told Fred Rea. He isn’t boastful about sealing a big deal like that and in fact is probably more generous with the proceeds

By Fred Rea/Lloyd Gorman

in terms of making philanthropic donations than he is actually talking about it. “I was locked out for three years and I was doing nothing else so me and Marie decided we’d buy this place, develop it into a proper restaurant and wedding reception and function centre. We want to build a wedding garden, like in Glendalough, Co. Wicklow, where couples can have wedding photos done. We are also having an inflatable Irish pub - called Kelly’s - assembled and shipped in from China. We can put it up wherever we want and we don’t need planning permission.

We have all the signs and stuff from Ireland to go up in the pub; it’ll have a Johnnie Fox’s in Glencullen Co. Dublin feel about it. We are going for the Irish experience, if you want to have a 21st or a 40th or anything you have the whole place to have an Irish experience. At the back we are building a small Irish village with six cottages arranged in a semi-circle with a small green, post box and that sort of thing. So we’ve invested quite heavily into it and we’re pretty happy with the turnout so far. The reason we’re putting it this way is not just because we are Irish but because the place was originally settled by an Irish guy, this site here was the first site outside Perth that was designed to cut the Jarrah to build the railway lines. It was settled by an Edward Keane, from Limerick, and his wife, of Irish descent, from Liverpool. They called it Mason Mill.”

In 1889, Edward Keane took up the timber license that had been granted to Benjamin Mason and Francis Bird, with the sole right to cut timber on a leased area in and around the site of the present Mason Mills. Mason Mills today is about 10 acres but back then it covered about 90 acres according to Carl.

The State Government approved the license for Keane, subject to the construction of a railway down the escarpment. Keane and a partner built the Upper Darling Railway in 1891 to serve the new mill run by

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the recently incorporated Canning Jarrah Timber Company. This line was built to supply railway sleepers to Perth’s growing railway system and ran from Midland Junction through to the Darling Ranges and up into Kalamunda, via the zig zag section to climb the Darling Scarp.

It was later extended to Pickering Brook and then on to Karragullen.

As part of the arrangement with the State Government, Keane’s zig zag railway was to carry the public and the general freight of the area. This agreement was to continue in force until the end of 1899, at which time the Government would have the right to purchase the line.

Early in the 1890’s Edward Keane bought 15 acres of prime

land at Cottesloe, (later named Peppermint Grove) at a point known as Butler’s Hump, which later became known as Keane’s Point, and still is today. He built a big house there and named it “Cappoquin House” after the family home in Waterford, Ireland, and the family took up residence there in 1894. During 1904 while he was busy electioneering he caught pneumonia and on the 9th July, he died not knowing he had been elected as the Legislative Council Member for the East Province (Perth).

Carl and Marie see themselves as taking Mason Mills back to its original roots. They bought the place in late 2014. It had for many years been operated by the Melville family as a Rose nursery. The previous owners built tea rooms in 1997 and named it the Rose Heritage Cafe. While the cafe and rose gardens proved popular over the years by the time Carl and Marie arrived on the scene they thought it was looking tired and in need of a new life. From day one they set about creating a dedicated wedding and function centre which meant much of the original gardens and structure had to go to make way for new facilities and a reinstated rose garden. The quality of their plans has gained a lot of attention, including the interest of location scouts for the hit show My Kitchen Rules who are said to want to use it for filming next year. Featuring on MKR will put it into the same league as some of the best and best known places and companies in Australia.

Dublin chef and MKR judge Colin Fassnidge should feel more than a bit at home here.

Celebrity status might be beckoning but Carl and Marie remain focused on the task ahead and the quality of the food dished up to the approximately 8,000 people who go there every month has something of an Irish flavour and that welcoming homemade taste about it.

“The restaurant looks high end, but it’s a family restaurant. One of our most popular sellers is the McLoughlin breakfast, that’s massive here,” added Carl. “Our head chef is a chap called Liam O’Neill, Liam’s from Limerick and he does an amazing Irish breakfast. He was head chef on a cruise liner and was working here part time and was

meant to go somewhere else when we took over but I asked him to stay, and he did. He also does an amazing Irish curry and Irish stew. We went back to Dublin last year and went around different venues looking for different ideas. We came across steak in a stone, where you cook your own steak in a volcanic rock. So we said okay, we’d have a go at that.

We found a place in Melbourne that sells the rocks and so we brought them in and now they are flying out the door at the weekends. If we can corner chicken balls we’ll have the whole Irish market nailed. Chicken balls are massive and we want to add them to be part of the pub grub we offer.”

Of their eight chefs, four are Irish and plenty more of the staff besides.

Carl and Marie say it is vital to the success of their business that they hang onto their employees and keep them happy.

As soon as Kelly’s is in place and they get approval from the shire Guinness will be available on tap. As soon as they get all their approvals they will offer customers a chance to learn how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. “We also want to do whiskey tasting, like Jamesons with their whiskey corner.”

Carl and Marie said the Shire of Kalamunda has been very supportive of their venture and proactive because of the large numbers of people it brings into the area and the support that brings to the local economy. Mason Mills brings in an estimated $3.2 million a year from locals and visitors alike. While Fred Rea was there a stage was also being built for musicians to play on, with Sunday sessions planned, including a traditional Irish session every second Sunday.

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The place has something for everyone and is completely wheelchair and pram accessible so that everyone can enjoy the grounds. A kid’s playground, enclosed lawn areas where children can run and play safely and a pond teeming with Coy make this a kid’s wonderland.

An increasing number of Perth’s large Irish population are discovering Mason Mills. “A lot of the Irish when they have family over want a nice place to bring their family or friends, especially for something good to eat, and that’s what they get.”

Carl and Marie met in 1992 when he was back from Holland where he was working on an oil rig for Irish company Kent. In 2000 the couple had a baby son and decided to emigrate to Australia. “We decided in 1997 to move out and we went through the same dramas as everyone else with visas, saying goodbye to family and the rest of it. The original plan was to do five years in Australia and five years in Canada and then go back before our young lad went to high school. But we loved Australia so much and fell in love with it and wanted to stay. We both worked for different companies and then in 2006 set up our own company. Australia has been good to us.

We ran our own training schools in Dublin so we found out there was a bit of a niche here and we set up a training school and within five years we had eight training schools nationally and 60 people working for us.”

Now WA is well and truly home for the Holmes.

Carl & Marie Holmes invite you to visit Masonmill Family Restaurant set in the beautiful location formerly known as the Rose Heritage Gardens.

• We pride ourselves on being a family venue, with easy parking, accessibility for prams and for persons with mobility issues.

We have a beautiful nature-play playground and a fabulous Koi pond for the kids to enjoy.

As we develop we are building a lot more amenities for families to enjoy, so keep checking back with us.

• Masonmill Family Restaurant is a fully licensed venue and is now open till late Friday and Saturday evenings with our kitchens now staying open until 4:00pm on Sundays.

FUNCTIONS

Functions are our specialty, whether it’s a a small birthday party for 12 or a 60th party with 200 guests we can cater for that special event.

ENGAGEMENT PARTIES • WEDDINGS • BABY SHOWERS • CHRISTENINGS • RENEWAL OF VOWS ANNIVERSARIES • DIVORCE PARTIES • BIRTHDAY PARTIES • HIGH TEAS CHRISTMAS PARTIES • CORPORATE FUNCTIONS • WAKES (FUNERALS)

40 Masonmill Road, Carmel WA 6076 Restaurant booking & Information: 08 9293 5112 • Office 08 9293 5157 General Enquiries: enquiries@masonmill.com.au Wedding or function Enquiries: lyndsey@masonmill.com.au Facility Management Enquiries: Carl Holmes carl@masonmill.com.au

masonmillgardens.com.au 21

22

They Also Served

By Marie Moloney

One hundred years ago life for women was so very different.

Largely due to the traditional expectations of the woman’s role, very few women had the same opportunities as men.

In Ireland, The Irish Citizen Army was formed in 1913 and took part in the 1916 Rising.

Membership for women was on a par with men. In 1916 The Proclamation of Independence itself promised equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens.

Yet one woman, a member of the Irish Citizen Army, who was shot during the rising had her application for a state pension refused several times as the term ‘soldier’ was said to apply to men only. After many attempts her applications were finally successful and she received a pension in 1938.

Women fought alongside men at many locations, these women must have felt very embittered about their treatment by the republic they had fought for.

What also, of the women

who were attending to all the important details of caring for a family while their husbands were fighting? There will have been many women whose husbands were involved in the fighting who suffered great hardship at that time. My grandmother Dora Kelly was in labour with one of her nine children while my grandfather James Kelly fought under the command of Countess Constance Markievicz at the St Stephens Green Garrison.

Could the people at the centre of the action have functioned successfully without the support of the women in the background? Not only the women who took care of families while their husbands were fighting, but also the many women who attended to the necessary tasks such as the preparation of food for those in the front line.

Now, in 2016, it is wonderful and right that these brave women are finally being recognised for the huge role that they played in gaining Irish independence.

On International Women’s Day in March this year a four storey mural of three iconic women of 1916, Countess Markievicz, Margaret Pearse and Grace Gifford by artist Gearóid O’Dea was installed on the wall of a building on the corner of Dame and Georges Street Dublin. This is just a five minute walk from the home of my childhood in Parliament Street. Also a bus from Dublin to Ashbourne featuring women of the rising, was launched. Buses all over Ireland are displaying posters of women who participated in the rising to be viewed by all who travel in them.

Women may have won the right to vote in the early twentieth century but it has taken a great deal longer for them to gain anything near equal rights. One phrase I heard a few years ago was that, in the past, “Women lived second hand lives”. However for those of us who have daughters and granddaughters, we have the comfort of knowing they will have a smoother path ahead. Women across the world have in the past endured a life of lesser importance.

Hopefully the recognition of the Irish women of 1916 will impact in a positive way in modern society.

In 2016, with the aid of modern technology, their story is being seen and heard across the world.

Marie Moloney

Editor: This was taken from an article by Marie’s sister Teresa O’Brien who lives in Dublin.

Marie told us it will be of real interest as her daughter Roisin is a TV producer doing interviews around Ireland for a TV and online program on 1916.

They stand for the honour of Ireland As sisters in days that are gone, And they’ll march with their brothers to freedom The soldiers of Cumann na mBan From The Soldiers of Cumann Na mBan – Brian O’Higgins

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f o s e i r o m e M s ’ y d a r G ’ O e Rosi Fremantle rmstrong

By Danny A

When something you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.

A day of bereavement, a sombre tone, the gas exhausting the final limits on the Guinness keg and we come to the realisation we have lost Rosie O’Grady’s, for good or ill.

This article seeks simply to pay homage to some memories that occurred in that particular bar by those who knew the bar best, namely staff, musicians who performed there, and naturally….us, the punters!

Rosie O’Grady’s the former Federal Hotel Built in 1887 disappointedly closed its iconic doors on January 10 2016 after over 30 years of loyal and custodial support.

At the time it was built, Federal /Rosie’s had been described as being “far advanced by anything so far erected in Western Australia and equal to the best in the sister colonies”.

Between 1901 and 1907 it was owned by Alexander Forrest and Sir John Forrest. The State Heritage Office stated it as “significant historically” and a good example of Victorian Free Classical design.

It was also considered to be a place of social significance as evidenced by its classification by the National Trust.

Inadvertently for most people just passing through for a cold lager and some lunch, you were standing in amongst a historical diamond to the rough. The entertainment, musicians and grandiloquent conversation with families of loyalists, bestowed openly to denote truly requited memories of Rosie O’Grady’s all ready to be regaled upon you. All of that now sadly

rests within the heritage listed walls and worn bar stools never to be forgotten.

During my time at Rosie’s it felt more like a community than a public bar, granted we were an eclectic bunch, some of us looked more like Edgar Allen Cooke or escapees from the Manson family, all of whom belonged in an asylum rather than in Rosie’s.

Regardless, there was a strong binding nature within us all, the moment we walked into the bar, certain uniqueness, a familiar vibe, that once possessed magic, and eventually she like all beauties disappeared like a broken ship lost in a pelagic ocean. It is with a heavy heart that this kind of magic will never be reignited within the soul again, I know this to be true, you cannot deny it, you have all felt it also.

So what made it special, after all, we are talking about a bar, not a cult of scientology or some sort of swingers club? But a Bar! Credit is due to the musicians who performed there for such a long time making it one of Fremantle’s number one precincts for live music within Perth.

The Settlers who later morphed into The Shamrogues for many years gave us the best Sunday session in

24

Perth bar none. Forget the posers standing around the Cottesloe Beach Hotel on Sunday watching each other in the act of being watched.

The crowd at Rosie’s may not have graced the covers of Men’s Health or Sports Illustrated, but by God we had a vibe, that was far superior to the Vanity Fair on display down the beach. Tremendous accolade goes to solo performer Clayton Bolger who helped create a Thursday session that was as hedonistic as it was fun. Students from the University of Notre Dame would flood in for cheap pints and choice tunes.

As Clayton remembers, “Over the last twenty years, I’ve spent a fair bit of time at Rosie O Grady’s in Fremantle. As a member of Murphy’s Lore, I played in the front bar on the spare piece of stage a few times in the late nineties. I’ve been fortunate to have had a regular solo gig there every week for over twelve years.

I’ve made friends with punters, passers-through, bar staff, barflies, backpackers, performers and enthusiasts. I’ve received song requests from nearly every genre of music and attempted more than I probably should have. I’ve drunk a lot of Guinness, broken a heap of strings, sung through a throat

that was on loan from Tom Waits and jumped from the stage rail, on occasion.”

It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when the appeal of Rosie’s started to significantly dissipate. It may be just a simple case of something so unique running its course…. As all things must!

Quite often I would feel the sudden surge for some nostalgia and make my way in for a pint of Guinness only to feel a sense of something missing, an almost devoid sense standing at the bar dreaming of times long past.

Not that all the punters had abandoned the bar, premier among them the renowned Stevie Daniels seemed to be steadfastly holding onto his designated corner under the plaque bearing his name which let all newcomers know this was a spot to drink in by invitation only.

However, the legendary barfly Stevie was also growing disillusioned with the pub’s apparent lack of direction and failure to make changes. It was difficult to disagree with this manifestation and feelings laid down by his sapient words.

Stevie Daniels expressed the pub itself looked identical to what it had on those fabulous nights except it was missing any sense of common joy and reminded me of a group of disparate drinkers almost nursing their pints despondently.

How different this felt to when drinking sessions would kick-off at lunchtime and would continue well into the night.

Whilst we may be surrounded by the ever growing cultural settlement that takes centre stage of Fremantle and long standing institutions of historical wealth, I feel a small sense of ease that the former friends that sat upon the stools and drank ales with the inviting community will seek, find and endeavour to make something so vastly magical and historically worthy so that they may live to regale and evoke such past wonders.

The dreamers of the day are dangerous, for they may act their dream with eyes open to make it possible.

Ireland Western Australian Forum Promoting business, professional and cultural links between Ireland and Western Australia

1916: The Irish Rebellion – The Movie

The Ireland-Western Australia Forum in association with the Australian Irish Heritage Association presented 1916: The Irish Rebellion which was an exclusive, one time only showing of this documentary narrated by Liam Neeson at Cinema Paradiso in Northbridge on the 8th of April. This documentary is essential viewing for anyone with Irish heritage and can now also be found on http:// www.youtube.com. The event was a huge success and was fully sold out prior the screening. In the foyer of the cinema attendee’s enjoyed drinks and some networking opportunities before the event and the feedback from all who attended was very positive.

IWAF will be hosting more events over the coming months so please keep an eye on our website for details: http://irelandwaforum.org

Get involved or recommend speakers contact Marty Kavanagh on 92188422 email: marty@kavlaw.com.au

25

Easter Rising 100 years on &

Paddy French 90 years on

By Danny Armstrong The Easter Rising, also commonly known as the Easter Rebellion was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week, April 1916.

The Rising was launched by Irish Republicans to end British rule in Ireland and establish an independent Irish Republic while the United Kingdom was heavily engaged in World War I. It was the most significant uprising in Ireland since the rebellion of 1798, and the first armed action of the Irish revolutionary period.

Milestones tend to come in two forms: those of a public historical nature and those that belong firmly in the realm of the private and personal. This April sees the assimilation of both, in the form of the 100 year anniversary of the Easter uprising and the birthday of Paddy French, a proud Irish man born in Coombe Hospital, Dublin, March 28 1926.

This story will coincide with Paddy’s journey back to Ireland on the 100th year anniversary of the rebellion. Paddy now 90 years old, seeks to embark upon a remarkable milestone, gain greater perspective and grant himself solidarity within the ranks and strategies behind the group of Irish nationalists of the Irish republic, along with some 1,600 followers that staged a rebellion against the British government in Ireland.

The rebels overtook prominent buildings in Dublin and fought with British troops. Within a week the insurrection had been suppressed and many were dead or injured.

The leaders of the rebellion were soon to be executed. The seven members of the military council of the Irish Republic, Padraig Pearse, James Connolly, Tom Clarke, Sean MacDermott, Joseph Plunkett Eamonn Ceannt, and Thomas MacDonagh were brought before

the firing squad.

Initially, there was little support from the Irish people for the Easter Rising; however, public opinion later shifted and the executed leaders were hailed as martyrs.

In 1921, a treaty was signed that in 1922 established the Irish Free State, which eventually became the modern-day Republic of Ireland.

After 25 years living under the newly formed Republic of Ireland, Paddy left Ireland on August 22nd 1951 to begin work as a bricklayer in Perth, it is also noteworthy that this was the same day he wed his wife Monica. Proud of his heritage Paddy always spoke passionately about his time home in Ireland but always remaining focused on doing his best to ensure he remained active in the unions, as a strong activist surrounding employment and politics here in Australia.

Throughout Paddy’s 2016 journey among the many stops he will take, he will attend centenary celebrations that will take place to commemorate what can easily be regarded as the most pivotal moment in Irish history. The Easter Rising of 1916 set a path towards Irish independence and the restructuring of the nation, while liberating its people and strengthening cultural and national identity. It’s an incredibly important moment for the people of Ireland to share, and if you’re lucky enough to be joining them like Paddy during the festivities, you’re in for an unforgettable experience.

Paddy’s trip to the famous Kilmainham Gaol and Courthouse held some of the most famous political and military leaders in Irish history, the now unoccupied Kilmainham Gaol and its adjoining courthouse was to be a focal point in the Centenary Programme. 14 leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising

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were executed in the Stonebreakers’ Yard at Kilmainham Gaol.

A vital part of the trip was a visit to the GPO states Paddy.

O’Connell Street’s best-known landmark, the General Post Office (GPO), was designed in 1818 by Armagh architect Francis Johnston.

It went on to play a central role in the Easter Rising of 1916, serving as the rebels’ main headquarters.

The street suffered widespread damage during the Rising and subsequent Irish Civil War, and had to be substantially rebuilt in the 1920s. It’s fitting then that this iconic building will open from 25 March, where visitors can dive into its history and tales of real people in extraordinary circumstances with unique stories.

Paddy’s visit to the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History, gave him great insight into the dramatic events of the 1916 Easter Rising, as well as the impact it had on the city, its citizens and on the Irish nation itself. For the first time, you can experience the story of Easter Week 1916 through an impressive 15,000 piece collection, including the original Proclamation, a document issued by the Irish volunteers that marked the beginning of the rising. Alongside this, there’ll also be the flag of the Irish Republic that flew above the General Post Office, as well as many personal objects including guns, uniforms and diaries.

Following the six day rising, both civilians and those who participated in the fight for independence were

laid to rest at Glasnevin Cemetery, approximately 3km from the city centre. The Glasnevin Trust is collating information on the 485 people who lost their lives during the Rising. Paddy joined in the Revolutionary Tour and visited the graves of those who fought for Irish independence over the years, including politician Charles Stewart Parnell, Maude Gonne MacBride, Daniel O’Connell, Eamon De Valera and Michael Collins.

As Easter Sunday fell on 27 March in 2016, on this day Paddy joined a poignant parade and ceremony commemorating the events and people of the rising which began at Dublin Castle at 11:45. Starting with a fly past by the Air Corps, the Army, Navy, UN Veterans and Gardaí (Irish police force) collectively lead the procession through Dame Street, making their way towards the GPO on O’Connell Street for 12 noon. Once there, the national flag was lowered, and an Army officer in uniform read the Proclamation (as Padraig Pearse did in 1916), as the President of Ireland laid a wreath then stated “If you are involved in the ethics of memory, you have to transact it, therefore, you recognise it and you look at that complexity and that is when you must be open to the different narratives which must be placed side by side” .

This was followed by a minute’s silence for all those who lost their lives. As the National Flag was raised to full mast, participants and spectators joined voices to sing Ireland’s National Anthem.

On 29 March in collaboration with the Trade Union

Paddy celebrates his 90th at the Irish Club with friends!

Movement, Paddy joined an official State ceremonial event that took take place at Liberty Hall. This building has played an important role in Irish history, and was very much at the centre of planning for the rising dating back to 1914.

This was used for storage of guns, ammunition, homemade bombs, and grenades during Easter Week.

Outside stands the statue of James Connolly, a socialist leader who was one of the seven signatories of the Proclamation.

Paddy has walked away with a sense of pride, solidarity and significantly fulfilled with an identity he had missed for over 25 years, truly a remarkable and memorable journey.

Happy 90th Birthday Paddy!

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CAREFUL NOW, MIND HOW YOU GO! Foreign Affairs tells Aussies in Ireland

Australian’s planning a trip to Ireland are being urged to show caution while travelling overseas by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Nothing new there then! The default position of the department is to advise its own citizens to be careful whenever they travel anywhere overseas for business or pleasure. The spate of terrorist attacks across the Middle East and increasingly in the West are reason enough to make public servants more anxious than normal and any incident of this kind that involves Australian citizens – and the general public are regularly targeted – means they will have to become involved in the aftermath and help clear up the carnage and mess caused by extremists.

Through its Smart Traveller website the department urges people to register their travel plans with its Smart traveller website in advance

so that officials and family members can easily track or at least make an educated guess about where they are if a bomb goes off or there is a shooting. Smart Traveller is also used to dish out advice and travel warnings and alerts.

Information given out on the website can be a bit twitchy at times and if you were hanging on its every word to make decisions about what you were doing or where you were going you’d need to log in to it on a daily basis.

On April 11 the page for Ireland - which includes a generic warning about the threat of terrorism in Europe and also a briefing about the risk and types of crime visitors might be exposed too – was updated with a specific section under the heading of civil unrest and political tensions.

By Lloyd Gorman “Tensions between dissident republicans and unionists have increased in the lead up to the centenary of the Easter Rising (24-29 April – Proclamation of Irish independence),” the updated site states.

“You should avoid all protests and demonstrations, including those associated with Northern Ireland, as they may turn violent. Instances of civil disorder can rapidly escalate into violence and you should avoid them wherever possible, including through careful monitoring of the media and following the advice of local authorities.” Australians travelling to Northern Ireland are directed to another part of the site for travel advice about the UK for the situation in Northern Ireland.

The UK portion of the site is dated February 17 and has a more detailed section about the danger of terrorist attack posed to Britain by its involvement in the wars in Syria and Iraq.

There is a section too for Northern Ireland, and while it goes into some detail, there is nothing to reflect the department’s updated alert about the Easter Rising Commemorations – which have so far passed off peacefully, even magnificently you might say.

“The threat level for Northern Ireland-related terrorism, which is a separate indicator, is unchanged at ’moderate’ in England, Wales and Scotland, meaning that the risk of a terrorist attack is assessed as “possible but not likely” and ‘severe’ in Northern Ireland,” Smart Traveller states.

“In recent years, Northern Ireland-related terrorist groups have used firearms and explosives to target police and military and occasionally commercial interests such as banks and local businesses. Civilians have been injured in these attacks.”

It too has a section about civil unrest and political tension in the six counties. “You should avoid all protests and demonstrations as they may turn violent,” the advice goes.

“Instances of civil disorder can

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rapidly escalate into violence. You should avoid them wherever possible, including by carefully monitoring the media and following the advice of local authorities.

“Since the 1998 peace agreement, the political situation in Northern Ireland has improved. However, we advise you to avoid the annual parades which occur in Northern Ireland during the months of April to August, especially the weeks leading up to the ‘Twelfth’ (also called Orange men’s Day) on 12 July when tensions may be heightened. These parades may turn violent with little warning. Australians could inadvertently be caught up in violence directed at others.

On April 14 the Australian Embassy in Ireland pitched in with its own advice. “Overall, we advise Australians to exercise normal safety precautions in Ireland,” the Consular service suggested. “This travel advice is consistent with previous advisories. We consider that the safety and security conditions prevalent in Ireland are similar to those of Sydney or Melbourne. Consistent with the Australian Government’s general advice to Australians travelling overseas, we consider that Australians should avoid activities which could potentially escalate into protests and demonstrations.”

In the – please God unlikely – event that something went seriously wrong in either the Republic or the North it would be the job of Perth based Julie Bishop as Foreign Affairs Minister to respond to and handle the crisis from the Australian perspective. Julie Bishop, who has her constituency office in Subiaco, is a familiar face and formidable figure in her own right but lets hope she doesn’t pop up in that capacity!

Athenry-Turlough Diamond Wedding

Paddy and Lena have retained strong links with North Galway

By Tom Gilmore (Tuam Herald, Co Galway) Way back in 1956, on St Patrick’s weekend, Paddy Costello from Turloughmore and Lena Higgins from Athenry returned from West Australia to be married in Bushypark Church, Galway.

Sixty years later, along with family members from Ireland and Australia, they celebrated their Diamond anniversary in Perth last weekend.

In 2012 Paddy, from Grange, Turloughmore, was honoured by Perth City Council for his work as supervisor on the building of Perry Lakes Stadium in the city for the Commonwealth Games of 1962.

On the anniversary of that event four years ago Paddy and his wife Lena, from Cashla, Athenry, were guests of honour of Perth City Council. His photo supervising work on

the stadium had pride of place in a month-long photo exhibition of work on the stadium titled “1962: The City of Lights and the Commonwealth Games”, which was held in Perth Town Hall.

Paddy and Lena have always retained strong links with their family and former neighbours in both Turloughmore and Athenry and have been back home many times since they first emigrated to Perth.

Perth Town Hall where that exhibition was held was built with the help of the Fenians who were transported from Ireland in 1867 as convicts. They came on the last convict ship from here to Australia, the Hougoumont, which had Fenian leader John Boyle O’Reilly on board.

O’Reilly escaped to America in 1869 and later 6 more of the Fenians es-

caped in 1876, this year being the 140th anniversary of the event.

Paddy and Lena are both past presidents of The Irish Club in Perth and they still keep close contact with their relations and extended Higgin’s family in Athenry, the Costello’s in Turloughmore and the Nestor’s and Cummer. Both have for many years supported many Irish immigrants who arrived in Australia and they continue to do this!

Some of their relations travelled from Galway for their 60th wedding anniversary celebrations. Among those was Lena’s brother Micheal Higgins from Athenry.

The event, organised by Paddy and Lena’s loving children, was held at The Blue Duck in Cottesloe and Fred Rea, publisher of The Irish Scene Magazine in Western Austra-

Paddy and Lena are joined by family and friends for their celebration

29

lia, says that “the singing of The Galway Shawl at the party could be heard as far as Rottnest Island 22 miles out in the Indian Ocean”.

My Own Dear Galway Bay was also performed by their good friend Lottie Crozier and a few tears were shed! “That song was sung for Lena and Paddy by Rose Brennan back in 1956 when they were leaving Galway for Australia,” said Fred.

But when The Fields of Athenry was called for, it was none other than Lena’s brother Micheal who rose to his feet along with Joe gave a wonderful rendition of the Pete St John classic.

He added that the anniversary party was a great day and following the lunch many of the guests went back to the Irish Club for more refreshments.

In photo on previous page is Lena’s brother Micheal Higgins visiting from Athenry (3rd from right).

Far right is Joe Higgins, a nephew of Lena who lives in Perth and the rest of the group are family and friends from Galway and Australia.

Editor: On behalf of all of us at The Irish Scene, congratulations to Lena & Paddy and we are looking forward to the 70th.

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Foster & Allen

30 YEARS ON AND STILL GOING STRONG!

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Foster & Allen – Ireland’s most famous and successful duo are returning to Australia in May and June.

Mick Foster and Tony Allen have been performing together for over 30 years, and this will be their 18th trip to Australia.

These charismatic singers have been performing their unique blend of easy listening and folk music all over the world and their popularity is proven by their record sales. Between them they have sold 20 million records, making them one of Ireland’s biggest entertainment exports, in the same league as U2, Enya, Boyzone and The Corrs.

Their 27 albums have included the immensely popular The Rambles of Spring, A Bunch of Thyme, Maggie and After All These Years and 100 Hit Legends. Their chart success stretches back to 1982 with their first appearance on Top Of The Pops. With this tour they will release CELEBRATION, which of course celebrates Foster and Allen’s 40 years as a performing, touring and recording duo. This new album features two duets with THE CHIEFTAINS and SIR JIMMY SHAND AND HIS BAND. Formed in 1975, this most famous singing duo in Irish music history began working on the local music circuits of Ireland and England. Soon, with their own special brand of music, the duo became hugely popular.

In the first year, Foster & Allen recorded their first single, The Rambles of Spring which was a massive hit on both sides of the Irish Sea. Tony Allen was born in Mount Temple, Ireland, the youngest of nine children. His family loved music and encouraged Tony’s interest in it from a very early age. In 1968, he turned professional, playing guitar and singing on a national level with many well-known Irish bands.

He met Mick Foster in 1975 and they joined to form Foster & Allen.

Mick was born in County Kildare and began playing the piano accordion at age 13. In 1964, at 17, he won the first of three All Ireland Accordion Championships.

The Foster & Allen band accompanying them to Australia includes Moyra Fraser (keyboards), Ollie Kennedy (bass guitar) and Bryan O’Donnell (guitar).

After 40 years, their popularity continues to flourish and fans often travel long distances to catch their shows each time they tour Australia.

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ULSTER

Rambles with David MacConnell

The celebrations of the Easter Rising have passed and the commemorations of the Battle of the Somme have still to come. St. Patrick has again been celebrated and we all had a good time. Fiddlesticks arrived in Geraldton and were honoured with real Irish hospitality.

The mayor of Geraldton arrived and with such good music, (OK maybe it was the Guinness) found it difficult to leave. Here we are below: Ricky (bass) David (vocals/guitar etc) Suanne (fiddle/percussion) in total….

Fiddlesticks.

So if the craic was 90 in the Isle of Man it was nearly 100 in Geraldton.

A big thanks to Anita O’Sullivan for making everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) tick so well.

And so onward we go. The other day I received a phone call from

someone with a very familiar accent. “I saw your wee add in the IRISH SCENE” he began the conversation. It was early in the morning, well early for me, and I hadn’t a clue what he was on about. “Promotion” was the only word I got but not to put him off I asked him from which part of the province he hailed from.

“Derry or Londonderry” he diplomatically replied, “depending on your preference”. Ah the good old non-committal Ulster answer. “You just got off the boat?” I asked laconically.

“No” he says in that Ulster rhyme.

“Sure I arrived by plane eight years ago”. And so we reminisced for the next ten minutes about Derry, Tyrone, Lough Neagh, the Mountains of Mourne, Rathfriland and the price of spuds!

Above: View from Downpatrick Street Rathfriland I never discovered what he was selling or buying but I concluded it was something to do with music or Guinness or Irish humour. Well it was just after nine in the morning, well before a musician gets going.

Now I gave Nannup Musical festival a miss this year, after 12 years on the trot. I simply could not find

Looking to Hire a Car in Ireland?

32

any item on the program that was remotely “Celtic” in nature. If you went and discovered something I might have missed, then let Fred know. You remember Fred? Well he IS the editor of this mag and sings a mean song as well if you know what I mean.

To make up for this, I am taking the good wife (Yeah the one from Dublin 4) to Fairbridge Folk Festival. I am sure you are all familiar with it. Yeah the one near Pinjara. I will let youse all know what it was like in the near future.

A few days ago I went over to see my friend Sean who works in Sorrento. He always cheers me up with his stories about life in the Falls Road during the sixties and as I needed some cheering up and also some material for this article, it seemed like a good idea.

“I dare you to print this one in your magazine” he started off with, “or maybe this one!”

He cheered me up immensely with his quick-witted humour and life in the Falls and you can read the stories below. Not! For the same reasons, I went off to see my good Doctor friend on the excuse for a flu vaccination.

He never lived in the Falls but close enough at one stage of his life. He wants me to look up the Irish census from 1911 where he found out that both his wife and himself were of opposite religious denomination some three or four generations back. Well that could be a bit of a worry for some folks!

I started off with mentioning all the celebrations and commemorations. Over 2000 Irish men from the province lost their lives in the first few hours of this battle. As Eric Bogle so aptly put it “It all happened again and again and again”.

Lest we forget.

See youse all soon.

David MacConnell

www.dan-dooley.ie

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Commemorating the Easter Rising – an Ecumenical event in Perth

Graeme on the move...

We were sorry to hear that Graeme Napier is moving to Sydney, as Warden’s Scholar in Residence at St Paul’s College in the University of Sydney. Graeme says, “It has been an amazing five and a half years in Perth, and great to have worked with you for part of that time on the odd Irish thing now and then!” His Farewell Evensong will be at 5pm on Sunday 8 May, and will be followed by a Reception.

By Peter Conole On Sunday, April 10 an evening service was held in St Georges’s Cathedral, Perth to commemorate the centenary of the Easter Rising in Ireland. The Reverend Graeme Napier, Precentor of the Cathedral, arranged the order of service. St George’s is, of course, the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Perth.

There was a time when eyebrows may have lifted at the idea of St George’s hosting such an event, but time and good will can heal and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has led by example in the cause of reconciliation.

Sectarianism among Christian denominations has long been on the way out. The service did not evade specific mention of past tragic events but the spirit of forgiveness and regret for shared suffering was dominant throughout. As the Reverend Tony MurrayFeist said in the Bidding “remember this evening all who died…the innocent civilians caught up in the fighting, those who in good conscience fought for their country, and those who in good conscience fought for their King”.

Mr Martin Kavanagh, Honorary Consul of Ireland, Western Australia, read the Proclamation of Independence in full and historian Geraldine Byrne read from those great verses of Isaiah that urge us to move forward to a time when strife “shall not be remembered or come to mind”. The Reverend Father Peter Boyland, Rector of Christ Church, Claremont gave a memorable address on the Rebellion and the final, necessary outcome of independence - and reminded all present that in these dangerous times Christians everywhere have good reason to stand united.

Governor Sir William Robinson (an Irishman) touched on such sentiments of Christian union when he laid the foundation stone of the Cathedral in 1890: he desired St Georges to be “a model of all that is moderate in doctrine and pure in its teaching as long as its walls endure”. The Consul led a party in the laying of a wreath to honour the memory of all who died in April and May 1916. One highlight of this uplifting, dignified event was a reading of the great Yeats poem ‘Easter 1916’ by Irish-Australian soprano Sarah Guilmartin. The music, as expected from a Cathedral which is home to a great choir conducted by a world-famous musician (organist Joseph Nolan), was aptly chosen for the occasion and drawn largely from traditional Irish melodies or hymns and the works of ‘Dublin Renaissance’ composers such as Charles Stanford.

1916 Remembered Sean Healy

As I walk through Dublin’s fancy malls And city pubs and ancient halls And see this city seethe and thrive As tourists throng the streets and drives A modern town in a modern world With suited gents and pretty girls Even in these tough economic times Opulence rings out like church bells chimes Do young Irish people even know That just one hundred years ago This same town was burning flames That Hero’s died to eternal shame In 1916 our people took a stand A brave few warriors to free our land Back then the wealth was not shared Poverty lived and no one cared Till those brave men and women stood up tall And answered proudly Ireland’s call The few fought valiantly and bravely died A love of Ireland, their joy, their pride So when you pass those places they took their stand Thank God they fought to free our land Spare a thought, a prayer for those women, men When next you’re drinking with your friends And raise a glass as you realise We reap the Benefit of the prize That those Hero’s wrested long ago When seeds of freedom they did sow.

33

DERRY GUIDED TOURS

Galway Girl teaching in Perth records Scottish song

By Tom Gilmore

Galway girl Michelle Hyland from Cloghans Hill on the Galway-Mayo border who teaches in St Norbert’s College in WA has just released her version of the Scottish Folk ballad Caledonia which she recorded while back home in Ireland last Christmas.

The song was made popular by another Galway girl, Folk singer Dolores Keane and it was written by Scottish singer-songwriter Dougie MacLean in 1977.

Michelle has made Perth her home for the past few years and she loves the lifestyle in WA and is delighted to be teaching in a school where there are four other teachers from Ireland.

“I teach in St. Norbert’s College, which was founded by the Norbertine Canons. There is a strong Irish heritage within this, as a community of Canons was established in Kilnacrott, Co. Cavan in 1924.

Irish culture is well embraced within the school, as, currently there are five Irish teachers working here.

“As such, an Irish accent can regularly be heard coming from within the classroom walls at St. Norbert’s College and the green colours are, of course always sported on St. Patricks Day. Further, being a teacher of Physical Education here, the students welcome the opportunity to learn Gaelic Football, as do I relish the chance to teach it. It is great that, St. Norbert College is so willing to embrace our heritage and I hope to enjoy for many more years,” says Michelle.

Her CD single is available in Ireland and she has also appeared on a promotional video for it on Irish TV. Her version of the song has also gained critical acclaim in her native West of Ireland and she hopes that, as it is also being made available in Western Australia, that it might be a hit among the Irish and Scottish here.

Apart from her work as a teacher Michelle also aims do more gigs as a singer of Irish and Scottish folk songs around Western Australia during the coming months.

To see YouTube clip google: Michelle Hyland - Caledonia

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Glenn Doherty contacted the Irish Scene and told us about his Derry Guided Tours offers unique and factual political and historical tours of the City of Derry and Donegal.

Glenn said, “All guides are fully trained and have been directly affected by the conflict, and Bloody Sunday”.

Gleann Doherty is a native of Derry, born in the Brandywell area in 1971, and brought up in Derry all through the conflict. Gleann lost his father on the day of Bloody Sunday at the age of 7 months and has been involved in the Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign and also attended the Saville Inquiry in Derry and London.

Gleann is also a B.A Honours Degree graduate Irish History and Politics from the Magee campus University of Ulster 2013, which ensures that tours, can be tailored to cover any aspect of Irish history.

“These tours are compatible with both education systems on the island of Ireland, university groups studying Irish history and or the political conflict as well as peace and reconciliation studies”.

He told us that Derry Guided Tours offers specialist tours with content ranging from the creation of the six county state, Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, Battle of the Bogside, Bloody Sunday, with a personal aspect from Gleann, the political conflict, both inquiries in to Bloody Sunday and the peace process.

Derryguidedtours provides a range of tours in Derry to cover all tastes. These would include: Derry walking tours, Derry coach tours, political Derry tours, murals tours Derry. Custom tours of Derry and Donegal can be arranged on request and activities can be arranged prior to arrival.

Very keen rates available upon request.

Contact information www.derryguidedtours.com

By Lloyd Gorman

ISTEACH SA TEACH Monday’s and Friday’s tend to be days of the week when most parliaments don’t sit but because it fell on a Thursday this year St Patrick’s Day got some attention in both federal and state (WA) parliaments.

Prominent Irish Australian Labor Party MP Brendan O’Connor did the honours in Canberra. “It is hard to overstate the influence of the Irish, and the influence they have had upon modern Australia,” O’Connor, who travelled to Ireland last year to take part in the first Global Irish Parliamentarians Forum in Dublin last year. He was speaking in the House of Representatives. “The fact is that the land of saints and scholars, with its bittersweet history, has given the world the likes of Wilde, Swift, Shaw, Joyce, Beckett, Edna O’Brien and William Butler Yeats. To Australia, the Irish were indispensable in forging an egalitarian spirit, the fair go, support for the underdog, our healthy scepticism of authority, our selfdeprecating humour and our sense of the absurd. We are indebted to the ancestors of Lalor, Curtin, Chifley and Keating for our political leadership; to those of Lowitja O’Donohue, and Mick and Pat Dodson for our Indigenous leaders; and to those of Sidney Nolan, Tom Keneally, Nicole Kidman and many, many more in the arts. In this year, the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising and the republic that

followed, on behalf of federal Labor and, I am sure, the entire parliament, I wish all Australians of Irish descent, or not, and indeed all our Irish friends in Ireland and across the world, a very happy St Patrick’s Day.” Unfortunately on the day that was in it not everyone had a good Irish story to tell.

The Senate was debating the Australian Building and Construction Commission, a political football which Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull could use to trigger a double dissolution and a full re-election.

Senator Doug Cameron was able to bring a different perspective to the issue of the ABCC which Labor and trade unions say is being reintroduced by a Liberal government as an attack dog to crack down on unions.

“I had an opportunity this week to meet with the relatives of Mr Gerry Bradley. Mr Bradley was a young Irishman and he was killed on a Jackson job in Western Australia with another young Irish backpacker, Joe McDermott,” said Senator Cameron, who is originally Scottish. “These were young men with their whole life ahead of them and it was absolutely gut-wrenching to have Gerry Bradley’s father and his uncle and his girlfriend in my office telling me about the problems on these

35

Jackson sites, where these two young men were killed. There were no smoko huts. There was nowhere they could have morning tea. So they were sitting outside in an area where cranes were lifting concrete slabs, close by and over their heads. The concrete slabs slipped and these two young men were crushed to death. One of them was from Omagh and the other was from Coleraine.

The families concern is that when they spoke to WorkSafe Australia that they were told it could be three years before any outcome is finalised in terms of the investigations into their deaths. They are distraught about how that could take so long. They were also distraught about the lack of conditions on those jobs.

This was a site that Fair Work Building and Construction visited on a regular basis. And part of the visits, we are told, was to stop the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CMFEU) coming on site to investigate health and safety problems. It is not me that is making those allegations, it is the family of two dead workers.

They were appalled that in a country like Australia their sons, their nephews, their boyfriends, having only been in the country for a number of weeks, ended up leaving the country in coffins.

And on this day these two workers were killed another worker was killed on a construction site at Kwinana in Western Australia.”

Back in Perth Alanna Clohesy, who represents the East Metropolitan seat, gave a comprehensive and business like account of

the Irish Australia relationship, and a personal taste of her own Irishness. “Today is the feast day of the patron saint of Ireland, St Patrick,” she said. “St Patrick’s Day is also known as the Irish national day, and it could be Australia’s second national day, too, given that a number of people are celebrating their Irish heritage today. That is quite legitimate given that an estimated 30 per cent of the Australian population has some Irish heritage from one parent or another. It is clear I am proud of my Irish background: I am wearing green to celebrate the national day.

But, seriously, my Irish heritage forms an important and large part of my identity because not only is my name an Irish term of endearment, but also I have had a very strong Irish upbringing, like many other Australians.”

Clohesy, who also travelled to Dublin for the parliamentarians bash (with fellow WA MP Stephen Dawson) said that trip showed her that as well as familial and cultural links, trade is a major part of the relationship between the two nations. As well as millions of dollars of imports and exports between them, Australian firms have about $8.8 million of investments in Ireland but Irish companies have almost twice that ($16.2 million) in projects down under. She said the opening of an Enterprise Ireland office in Perth last year would help strengthen these ties, but would also bring a new way of doing business such as new programmes and supports to encourage female entrepreneurs set up or expand their businesses.

Because the St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival was held on the Sunday of March 13, Clohesy was able to talk up the “fantastic” event in Leederville. “It was great to see

the grand marshal of the parade, the Honorary Consul of Ireland in Perth, Martin Kavanagh, riding alongside of the Mayor of the City of Vincent, John Carey, in his resplendent green T-shirt as well,” she added. “There were some fantastic stalls and fun events at Medibank Stadium and I congratulate the St Patrick’s Day festival committee, the Irish families in Perth and The Claddagh Association Inc for the amazing way in which they conducted all those activities. The highlight of the day for me was the Australian– Irish Heritage Association award called the Brendan Award that recognises outstanding contribution of someone with Australian–Irish heritage. In particular, it recognises the positive way in which they have contributed to the Australian–Irish community here. On Sunday that award was won by Mrs Joan Ross.

I am so excited that Mrs Ross won that award because it is an appropriate recognition of her years of voluntary service through The Claddagh Association…which is primarily an Irish welfare association in Perth that assists Irish people in WA during times of crisis and trauma. A lot of its work is done in a voluntary capacity.

Although Mrs Ross has supported the organisation to be successful in a number of grants funding, it still runs on a shoestring. That it provides such a wide range and an enormous amount of service to our community is testament to her energy, commitment and care for people. I congratulate Joan for an award that is very well deserved. I would also like to acknowledge the work of Liz O’Hagan, the vice president of The Claddagh Association, and

36

all of the committee members who provide support and care for people here in Perth. Irish people and people like Joan Ross and all of those who work through The Claddagh Association and were involved in the St Patrick’s Day festival, have continued to build and contribute to our community in an extraordinary way. I am proud to be part of the Australian– Irish community. I wish my family, friends, colleagues, all the community and you, Mr President, a happy St Patrick’s Day.” The St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival was launched in the Irish Club at the end of February. Vincent mayor John Carey spoke at the event and revealed he had used his position to make sure the Irish community had its day out. There was some kind of double booking with the oval in Leederville which needed heavy negotiation and in the end it sounds like he leaned on a few officials and others to apply some diplomatic pressure and get it sorted out.

As well as the hard work of a group of volunteers who slave away countless hours to get the parade on the road the support of council has been absolutely vital to the parades four year long success. That strong support started with Alannah McTiernan when she was mayor and has continued with Carey. So when he announced a couple of days later that he was seeking Labor pre-selection for the seat of Perth in the March 2017 - to replace McTiernan - the first thing that occurred to me was that Vincent would need a new mayor if he gets elected and just who that would be could make a big difference to the fate and future of the parade as we have come to know and enjoy it. Fingers crossed his successor - whoever that would be - might share his - and

McTiernan’s - passion for it.

As it happens the festival after the parade saw a bit of political action. Flanked by Carey, Dawson, Clohesy and others Labors Mark McGowan put in an appearance.

The opposition leader was on the up from a leadership spill by former Labor member and defence minister Stephen Smith that was falling apart as quickly as it had surfaced. McGowan was surrounded by several TV camera crews and other hangers on and was the centre of attention - and looked like he was enjoying it or at least comfortable. The day after the stuffing was knocked out of Smith’s coup. Interestingly it was about this time too that McGowan’s popularity and ratings started to improve dramatically - prompting suggestions the failed leadership challenge was a stunt designed to achieve just that effect. If current

polling continues and translates into electoral support for him and his party, McGowan looks good to become the next premier of Western Australia in March 2017, but one should never get too far ahead. As the saying goes, a week is a long time in politics.

The WA Labor Party - particularly Clohesy and Dawson - staged something of a post St. Patrick’s Day knees up in parliament house on March 24. For a couple of hours invited members and leaders of the Irish community and a smattering of Labor MPs to rub shoulders.

The Rose of Tralee candidates were there, as were dancers from the Keady-Upton School of Dance, some Ceoltas musicians and some of the usual suspects were all there (but some were absent) and held the side up well. As McGowan acknowledged the get together which is still a relatively new soirée - has become an annual fixture, and it looks set to continue. As well as recognising the importance and role of the Irish community

in WA McGowan also paid tribute to the centenary of the 1916 Rising and the hundreds of thousands of Irish men who served in World War 1 in their pursuit or defence of an independent Ireland and by extension the freedom of other countries, including Australia.

St. Patrick’s Day proved to be something of a publicity bonanza for JB O’Reilly’s and its owner Paul North. You will probably recall that in February a department of health official told him to take down vintage tobacco signs or else face a hefty fine and even prosecution.

The ridiculousness of that threat was good media fodder and the day after it broke Premier Colin Barnett was siding with the Irish publican, effectively putting the

Under New Ownership

Mother’s Da y Sund ay 8th May from 5pm

Seán Roche

37

matter to the sword immediately.

Never one to miss an opportunity Paul promised Barnett there would be a pint waiting for him if he ever dropped in.

With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner JB’s was featured on Inside Front Cover for two days consecutively, first for the promised pint and a bit about Barnett’s Irish heritage and then the following day when then health minister Kim Hames dropped in to take up the offer of a free drink, and posed for a photograph. You can’t buy that kind of publicity!

The last edition of Irish Scene went to press about two months ago on the eve of Irish voters going to the ballot box for a general election. As predicted in that IST column the forecast for the mood of the Irish public seemed to suggest that a new government might even come down to a possible partnership between the incumbents, Fine Gael, and main opposition party, Fianna Fail. Traditional enemies from the days of the Irish Civil War (1922) it would be breaking new ground for them to enter government together and overturn nearly 100 years of political animosity. There could be a long way to go before – or even if – this arrangement is finalised. The shape and make up of the next Irish government has yet to be decided and there are other players – like a group of independents who could yet be king makers – to factor into the equation. If these talks fail to strike a deal to form government then don’t be surprised if there is another general election held in the coming months.

The political uncertainty back in Ireland had a knock on effect on St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Australia, and other parts of the world. Normally almost the entire Cabinet debunks from Irish soil to mark the occasion

in cities and centres with big Irish communities. Not so this year, even acting Taoiseach Enda Kenny whittled back a planned three day trip to Washington DC to the traditional photo opportunity of handing a bowl of shamrock over to the US president Barack O’Bama before returning home. Whichever minister’s name was tentatively drawn from a hat to visit down under it never happened.

Finally, in all the turmoil that came out of the Irish general election IST would just like to mention one TD in particular who lost his seat when he wasn’t returned. Jimmy Deenihan was the Minister for the Diaspora in the last government and made a good fist of the job.

During his time in the role – the first time an Irish government has appointed a minister to look out for the international Irish community – Deenihan came to Australia, and Perth, a couple of years ago. A former GAA player who took part in the first Compromise Rules game in Subiaco Oval in the 1980’s, the minister’s trip coincided with the last and most recent clash between Gaelic Football boys and AFL pros at Subiaco.

That thing that struck most people who met him was his passion for the Irish overseas and his preparedness to work for them.

Lets hope that whoever – assuming the Cabinet position will be maintained – replaces him will bring the same qualities to the table.

38

PAT ROONEY 17.1.1932 - 22.4.2016

Our good friend Pat Rooney passed away peacefully on the 22nd April 2016. Pat was a devoted husband of Mary. Dearly loved

by Marian, Brenda, Patrick and their families. A wise and wonderful man who leaves behind a legacy of faith, love and devotion.

Mary said “My beloved husband, we spent 63 wonderful years together. Our love remained strong and I will always cherish the times we shared”.

Pat was a correspondent for our Irish Scene for many years and wrote the Ulster Reciter column where he shared many of his childhood memories growing up in and around Belfast.

Pat Rooney (and Mary) was there many years ago for the Irish Dancing in Perth. He was a judge at many competitions. He also played a role in the first Irish Theatre Players play Juno & The Paycock back in 1981. He went on to act in many plays and shows for the Australian- Irish Heritage Association.

I always respected his wise council and we shared many a good story together.

Slan abhaile a chara, your work is done and you paid the rent, you are in a better place now.

To Mary and the family our sincerest condolences I shall miss him greatly.

Fred Rea

History Talk on Mary Ann Taylor Travel Box

The Australian-Irish Heritage

Presenter: Mark O’Brien for Arbour Hill Prison in Dublin.

Famine Commemoration talk on the making of the Travel Boxes for Workhouse Museums throughout Ireland.

Thursday 12th May at 8pm. in The Irish Club, Subiaco Free. All welcome.

Tea and coffee from the Bar. Denis Bratton 9345 3530

BLOOMSDAY June 16th 2016

How Bloomsday Originated When writing his massive “Ulysses”, Joyce felt he had to decide on a specific date - he chose June 16th, 1904. This was not a random choice. On this very day James Joyce first “walked out” with Nora Barnacle.

Lesser men would have simply bought some flowers ...

The AIHA will again celebrate Boomsday on June 16th at the Irish Club of WA. More details later on website and social media.

4th Tuesday Book Club 8pm at the Irish Club

Meets last Tuesday of the month with exception of December.

Irish Club Committee Room, 61 Townshend Road, Subiaco Book for May: “Woodbrook” by David Thompson.

Book for June: “All the light we cannot see” by Anthony Doerr.

Free. All welcome. Light refreshments provided. Tea and coffee from the Bar Maureen on 9279 2486

WRITING COMPETITIONS FOR 2016

The Joe O’Sullivan Writers’ Prize honouring the memory of the Organisation’s late founder, worth $1,000, limit of 2,000 to 4,000 words - prose, fact or fiction. Open to residents of WA only Topic: “Remembrance and Reconciliation”.

Joyce Parkes Women’s Writers’ Prize honours Joyce Parkes who is a well known poet living in WA. She is the patron of the prize, which aims at promoting and encouraging women writers in Australia. Limit of 1,000 to 2,000 words – Prose, fact or fiction. Prize Money: $500 Topic: “Reflection” Entrance Fee $10 for all competitions. Deadline 30 June, 2016. Enquiries to Denis Bratton 9345 3530 Winning stories for 2016 can be read in September Quarterly AIHA Journal

AIHA Heritage Trail Brochure – project in

development to document walking trails around places of Irish heritage.

Barton Vehicle Maintenance CARS - TRUCKS - 4WD’S

Michael: 0413 889 501 mickcarb@iinet.net.au

Famine Commemoration York.

8th May 2016 Sat May 7: 7pm Irish Session St Patrick’s Church Hall Sun May 8: 11.30am St Patrick’s Catholic Church with blessing of Mary Ann Taylor travel box followed by installation of the box in York Residency Museum at 2pm.

Enq: Fred Rea 0418 943 832 York Tourist Bureau for accommodation enquiries 9641 1301

Congratulations to Joan Ross of The Claddagh

Welfare Association who was presented with the 2016 Brendan Award

by His Excellency Irish Ambassador Noel White at the St Patrick’s Festival in Leederville on 13 March. The citation was read by AIHA President Denis Bratton, tributes were made by Hon Consul Marty Kavanagh and award sculptors Charles and Joan Smith. The award recognizes Joan’s outstanding contribution to Australia’s Irish Heritage.

AUSTRALIAN-IRISH HERITAGE ASSOCIATION Non Political-Non Sectarian-Emphatically Australian PO Box 1583 Subiaco 6904. Tel: 08 9345 3530.

Email: aiha@irishheritage.net Web Page: www.irishheritage.net Membership Due in 1st January.

Family membership $65, Concession $55, Membership fee includes tax deductible donation of $20

Looking for a Mobile Mechanic?

BVM

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ON SITE SERVICE TO ALL MAKES

QUALITY MECHANICAL REPAIRS

The Australian-Irish Heritage Association was founded in 1993 as an inclusive organisation which encourages and promotes an awareness of Australia’s Irish Heritage and Culture. To this end, the AIHA creates opportunities for all to learn about, participate in and enjoy this distinctive heritage.

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39

Martin Kavanagh Honorary Consul Of Ireland

WA REMEMBERS EASTER 1916

We can all be very proud of the community effort to commemorate the centenary of the Rising. Many of the events have been sold out well

music. Congratulations to all concerned. The Irish Theatre Players had a very successful and well deserved run of The Plough

Marty Kavanagh with former Consul Michael Nolan and Eleanor at Cinema Paradiso

Marty Kavanagh with Perth Chamber Orchestra Chairman, Maurice Spillane at GPO Concert

in advance of opening night. The Perth Chamber Orchestra event at the Perth GPO was a fantastic night and it was great to see traditional Irish music blended with classical

and the Stars at the Irish Club in Subiaco. The play also brought some very welcome extra customers to the Irish Club which deserves all our support. By all accounts the All Irish Weekend in Bunbury was a great success. The Ireland WA Forum screening of the Easter Rising documentary at Paradiso Cinema sold out well in

advance and was a great night- yet another success for IWAF. The ecumenical service at St Georges Cathedral was very well attended and very moving.

The centenary commemoration has much more to go. I am very much looking forward to Abandon Theatre Players production of The Patriot Game and the AIHA Sense of Ireland concert at the Octagon Theatre. There is also the very important Famine Commemoration in York and the AIHA’s Visions Past and Present Academic Symposium to watch out for. All in all it has been a very well considered and high quality program. On behalf of the Irish community I particularly thank the Irish Club, AIHA, Frank Murphy, Gerry Gannon and Mary Murphy for their wonderful commitment and enthusiasm in promoting the centenary program.

As Brendan Behan said many times in Borstal Boy :

Up the Republic

Perth Office: 1/100 Terrace Road East Perth WA 6004 Tel: (08) 6557 5802 - Fax: (08) 9218 8433 Email: info@consulateofirelandwa.com.au Website: www.consulateofirelandwa.com.au Office Hours: Mon-Fri 10.30 - 2.00pm by appointment only

Follow the Irish Embassy on Twitter: @irlembaustralia

Irish President Michael D Higgins on the ideals of the Proclamation that can still inspire today.

“Our nation has journeyed many miles from the shell shocked and burning Dublin of 1916. We can see that in many respects we have not fully achieved the dreams and ideals for which our forebears gave so much.

“A democracy is always and must always be a work in progress, and how we use the independence we have been gifted will continue to challenge us, morally and ethically.

“We must ensure that our journey into the future is a collective one; one in which the homeless, the migrant, the disadvantaged, the marginalised and each and every citizen can find homes, are fellow travellers; a journey which includes all of the multitude of voices that together speak of, and for, a new Ireland born out of contemporary imagination and challenges.”

40

1 onion with skin on, halved 2 cloves of garlic, peeled, 12 Black peppercorns Bunch of fresh thyme, Bunch of fresh parsley Method: 1. In a large stockpot or pan heat the oil, add the bones and brown, stirring constantly. Remove the bones and keep to one side.

2. Pour off excess oil, place the pan back onto a high heat and when smoking slightly add the wine or cognac and scrape up all the juices and bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat slightly, add the chopped carrot and celery and stir around in the juices for a few minutes. Add the bones to the vegetables and cover with cold water.

3. Blacken the cut sides of the onion by holding them over a high heat, this will add colour and flavour to the stock. When the cut side is completely blackened add it to the stock pot with the garlic, herbs and peppercorns. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 hours skimming frequently to remove scum and grease. DO NOT BOIL as this will make the stock greasy and cloudy in appearance.

4. After a maximum 3 hours, remove from the heat and cool down rapidly. If possible leave overnight in a cold place and next day remove any fat from the surface.

Strain, bring back to the boil and reduce to strengthen the flavour or reduce by two thirds if freezing. Cool the remaining stock down, pack into small containers and freeze.

with Marguerite O’Dwyer The Cure Tavern Irish bar & restaurant Dublin Coddle is a traditional Irish dish usually associated with Dublin. It is comfort food of the highest degree; a hearty nutritious stew-like dish made from bacon, pork sausages and potatoes.

Dublin Coddle

Serves 4 Ingredients 4 tbsp. vegetable oil, 4 medium onions cut into thick slices (approx. 4 slices in each onion) 250g piece back bacon, weight after the rind removed 16 Traditional Pork Sausages (cut in half) 4 carrots, peeled and sliced, 500g white potatoes Salt and pepper, 1 litre of chicken stock (see below) Method: 1. In a large pot, heat the oil, add the onions and cook over a medium heat for about 4 minutes. Cut the bacon piece into ½”/1 cm cubes. Add the bacon to the onions and stir well.

2. Raise the heat. Carefully pour over the stock.

Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15minutes.

3. Add the sausages, potatoes and carrots to the pot.

4. Cover with a lid or a double layer of aluminium foil.

Increase the heat slightly and cook for 45 minutes until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked and the bacon is tender. Season to taste. Seasoning may not be necessary, depending on the saltiness of the bacon.

5. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.

6. Serve with hefty slices of homemade brown bread and butter, to soak up all the lovely juices in the dish, as is the Irish way.

Chicken Stock

Makes 2 litres of stock Ingredients 5 tbsp. vegetable oil, 2 or 3 chicken carcasses broken into pieces (see note below) 1/2 glass red wine or a shot of brandy or Cognac 1 carrot peeled and roughly chopped 1 stalk of celery, chopped 1/2 leek, cleaned and sliced roughly

HOW TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LEVEL OF INSANITY IN RETIREMENT...

1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on, point a hair dryer at passing cars, and watch them slow down.

2. On all your cheque stubs, write, ‘For Marijuana’.

3. Skip down the street rather than walk, see how many looks you get.

4. With a serious face, order a diet water whenever you go out to eat.

5. Sing along at the opera.

6. When the money comes out of the ATM, scream ‘I Won! I Won!’ 7. When leaving the zoo, start running towards the car park, yelling, ‘Run For Your Lives! They’re Loose!’

8. Tell your children over dinner, ‘Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go’.

9. Pick up a box of condoms at the pharmacy, go to the counter and ask where the fitting room is.

And the final way to keep a healthy level of insanity: My favourite...

10. Go to a department store fitting room, drop your pants to your ankles and yell out, “There’s no paper in here!”

NOW SMILE...IT’S CALLED ‘THERAPY’!

41 41

NOTHING COMPARED TO YOU No doubt there were a few Irish bodies amongst the audience that packed the Perth Arena in February to hear Prince perform and play an acoustic concert which my Australian mate and talented photographer Paul McGovern said was incredible. The colourful and creative genius mesmerised the whole place and gave the crowd an unforgettable experience. It was one of – if not the last – concerts he ever played before his sudden death in late April, aged 57. He rewarded the audience’s adoration with two encores, the second and last one being (I understand) Nothing Compares 2 U. It is a song the whole world knows and embraces but one that Irish music fans have a special place for. Prince wrote it early in his musical career for a band he set up, separate to him as solo artist, known as The Family. It was released on a self titled funk album in 1985 by the band but went unnoticed and into the realms of obscurity. That changed however in 1990 when Sinead O’Connor released it as a single from her second album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. That one song – and the accompanying video of a shorn headed O’Connor – dominated the music charts in Ireland and Australia and several other nations and big music markets.

O’Connor’s début album The Lion and the Cobra

By Lloyd Gorman

had been a massive success but Nothing Compares 2 U on the notoriously difficult second album secured her place as a singing sensation.

Apparently (according to Wikipedia) the Dublin born singer was asked about her relationship with Prince during a radio interview in Norway in 2014.

“I did meet him a couple of times. We didn’t get on at all,” she said. “In fact, we had a punch-up. He summoned me to his house after Nothing Compares 2 U, I made it without him. I’d never met him. He summoned me to his house—and it’s foolish to do this to an Irish woman—he said he didn’t like me saying bad words in interviews. So I told him to **** off.” O’Connor said: “He got quite violent. I had to escape out of his house at five in the morning. He packed a bigger punch than mine.”

O’Connor has herself had a few outbursts and gone off on a few strange interesting tangents but when the time comes and the dust ultimately settles on her sometimes bizzare life there is no doubt that Nothing Compares 2 U will provide the theme song in the soundtrack of her – and by extension hundreds of thousands of her fans – life.

Forgiveness is the most important thing. We all have to forgive what was done to us - the Irish people have to forgive. The African people. The Jewish people. We all have to forgive and understand the only way to stop the cycle of hate and abuse is not to allow yourself to get caught in it.

Sinead O’Connor 42

Local News of Interest from the Past

ECHOS OF THE PAST RE SE ARC HE D

Sydney Morning Herald Wednesday 15 August 1849

The Cholera in the West.

The accounts from the unfortunate province of Connaught prove that the apprehensions of the desolating effects of the cholera were but too well founded. The epidemic has broken out with fearful mortality in Ballinasloe, where the deaths in the workhouses has previously exceeded one hundred a week, - Ballinasloe Star.

Emigration - The Clonmel and Waterford papers have further accounts of the wholesale emigration, chiefly of the farming classes. The emigrants by the Countess of Durham, from Waterford, carried out 70000 amongst them. They proceed to Quebec.

Cork workhouse is closed against the admission of paupers by order of the Poor Law Commissioners.

Ballinbahone house, near Shannonbridge, formerly the magnificent mansion of the Malone family, but now the property of Mr. Ennis, has been taken for 600 paupers, to be transferred from the Athlone workhouse. -Correspondent of the Daily News.

There is no trade, says the Limerick Chronicle, so profitable in Miltown Malby as that of coffin making. It is awful to think of the number of coffins that leave it every day, and the number that goes in the direction of Quilty and Kilmurry exceeds anything that can be imagined. The mortality is entirely confined to those in the receipt of our out-door relief.

The Evening Post, referring to the project of Sir Robert Peel, says “Already the mere proposal of a

BY

FRED

REA

commission has broken off more than one treaty for the sale and transfer of land which has been nearly brought to a favourable issue; and prices have been asked for estates so high as effectually to banish purchasers from the market.

A great number of grazing farms are advertised for sale in the counties of Galway, Roscommon, and Clare. Some of them extend to 600 Irish acres, or nearly 1000 statute acres. The low prices of cattle afford small encouragement for the investment of capital in those dairy and feeding farms. - Correspondent of the Morning Chronicle.

Keepers have been placed on the Castlebar Union Workhouse, at the suit of George Glendining, Esq., late treasurer to the Union, whose claim on that establishment is said to amount to the large sum of 6001.

Sydney Chronicle Saturday 20 February 1847

IRELAND

From the latest intelligence which has been received, it appears that the condition of Ireland is still as deplorable as can well be conceived. The following is a portion of a letter from the Rev. T. Hardiman,

parish priest of Kilmeena, in the archdiocese of Tuam: “At all events, if my poor people be doomed to die of starvation, as in all appearance they are, my hands shall be innocent of their blood.

I shall not venture to decimate them, unless there be at least 300 allowed for Halfparish, and 600 for Kilmeena.

And, as the long-threatened new works are in play, 5000 men a day are as little as can be safely named for work in this district. In

43

News Published Every Two Months

fact, I could not except five men out of the general roll of distress in the whole length and breadth of this parish. Only that I know it is useless to appeal to the powers that be, I would warn them not to tamely look on any longer whilst thousands are starving unheeded, and I believe I may add, unpitied too. But experience proves that our rulers care nothing about us.

They have ears and hear not.

But perhaps our destitution is only imaginary, and our hunger merely hypochondriac - all caused by our native indolence in not having properly masticated and duly digested the only tonic fit for an Irish stomach, namely, our ‘illustrious countryman’ on political economy!

So says Sir Randolph. Oh! Give me the great Tory chief, with all his political sins upon his head, to grasp the helm at this dreadful crisis with his master hand, and I will then hope that we shall weather the storm.

But I confess that my heart sinks to think that the noblest people on God’s earth are at this moment at the mercy of a set of political jugglers, who seem to have no mercy whatever for them. And rest assured, Sir, that mine is no solitary voice; I only give feeble expression to the general dissatisfaction, if not absolute disgust, that is felt at the cruel procrastinating policy pursued by the Whig Government on both sides of the Channel.

And I should not be at all surprised if, before long, a universal cry be raised from end to end of Ireland, calling on Sir Robert Peel to take the reins of power into his hands again, and thus save the nation from destruction.

THOMAS HARDIMAN, Administrator South Australian Chronicle and Weekly Mail Saturday 6 June 1868, page 8

IRELAND

Fenianism is still apparent in Ireland. There have been more riots in Cork, and where arrests have

been made. There has been an attempt to burn the Protestant Church at Cork, but it was not successful.

Captain McKay has been sentenced to 12 years’ penal servitude.

relent as it did 12 months ago.

The is from the Derry Sentinel :— “We regret to learn that the destruction of sheep has been resumed at Gweedore. A hundred and sixty-five sheep, the property of Mr Hunter, were lately taken off the mountains.

The police made particular search on all the adjoining mountains for several days, and a large quantity of the skins, entrails, wool, was discovered on the mountains of Crolly and Cronaquiggy. The first discovery was made in a deep hole on the mountain, at least a mile and a half from any house. The skins were covered over with sods and stones. A systematic mode of sheep-killing appears to be pursued. The sheep are driven into swamps, surrounded, and struck with sticks thrown at them. Footprints were discovered on one of the swamps, and marks of the sticks were visible on the ground. The townland where those discoveries were made is the same as that in which the Groans, who are to be tried at next Lifford Assizes, were detected some time ago with the mutton in their possession. The remains of the sheep discovered will be sufficient evidence to insure their owner compensation. The Gweedore people appear to be obstinate and incorrigible. They require sterner lessons than they have yet received to teach them to acknowledge the rights of property.

The payment of compensation for malicious injuries, and the punishment of those who can be convicted of destroying sheep, may, in course of time, instruct them in the difference between meum and tuum more effectively than their religious guides seem to have done. If men will spurn kindness, take bad advice, and violate the law, they must be treated as they deserve.”

Mr Martloy, the Chief Judge of the Landed Estates Court, died at Dublin, on the 4th of March,

Braidwood Review and District Advocate Tuesday 25 July 1922, page 5

IRELAND

The railway lines at Raheny, near Dublin, have been torn up, and thus all communication with the North of Ireland has been severed.

Fierce fighting is in progress in Limerick and Waterford. The National troops are closing in on the rebel strongholds in Limerick. Starvation was averted by the Nationals coming to the rescue. Heavy artillery fire is being directed at the military barracks and gaol, which are occupied by the rebels. All the north bank, of the river at Waterford city is occupied by the Nationals, who are raining a heavy fire on the mutineer positions.

Except for the combatants and a few waterfowl, the place is deserted, the population having fled for safety to the coast.

A later message reports: — When day broke at Waterford those Irregulars who had not been taken prisoner fought desperately.

Fire was re-opened by the Nationalists from the opposite side of the river, and under cover of a barrage they penetrated further into the city. The capitulation of the rebels at Waterford is significant from a military point of view. The city is the pivotal point of the line -between Waterford and Limerick, and their evacuation of Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir is expected.

The rebels’ arms are mainly of the German pattern, and include Mauser and Mannlicher rifles, and Mauser and Parabellum pistols. A reign of terror prevails in parts of Roscommon and Sligo. Irregulars are raiding and looting, and entering farmhouses at night time, turning out the occupants and taking possession of their beds. When the National troops took Limerick they captured large numbers of Irregulars’ and large quantities of arms and ammunition. The latest reports state that the: Irregulars are fighting rear-guard actions in the south-east corner of the town, and it is believed that they have suffered many casualties.

A National communique states that the Irregulars fired the business houses and sniped fire-fighters.

Visiting Ireland?

Illawarra Mercury Monday 9 May 1859

IRELAND.

(From the Home March) The Leinster Express intimates that Sir Charles Coote is about to resign the representation of the Queen’s County. It considers Colonel Dunne, late M.P. for Portarlington, to be the likeliest person to succeed the venerable baronet.

The peasantry of the wretched district of Gweedore are positively infatuated. Undeterred by the burden of an oppressive taxation, and quite regardless of the terrors of the law, the slaughtering of sheep goes on as

Gerry & Elsie Tully will give a great welcome!

DIVINE M E R CY BED AND BREAKFAST Airport Road, Knock Co Mayo Phone: (094) 9388 178 International: 0011 353 94 9388 178

44

’ G da FROM MELBOURNE.

y

L-H: Mike Bowen, Marian and Joe O’Herlihy

By Mike Bowen

Joe’s a (U2) sound man!

Over the years I’ve been doing interviews and stories on some Irish and Australian prominent and not so prominent figures.

This one is different; this is a record of a recent conversation that I had with an exceptional Irish man, a man that seems to fly under the radar screen when it comes to fame. I want to tell you about this unique special Corkman I am privileged to have known and admired since my young days back in the city of tripe and drisheen. He is a multi-award winner, the best of the best in his profession and the most respected man in the world of sound. As a sound technician he has no equals, he holds the equivalent of seven academy awards. Joe is a very quiet unassuming gentleman but a genius to anyone who knows anything about sound and music.

U2 are the best in music and Joe O’Herlihy is the best in sound and it’s that combination that has electrified and entertained audiences around the world for decades. Joe has been U2’s Audio

Director since 1979.

Joe was like most kids growing up in Ireland. He lived in Blarney Street, on the north side of the city only two streets away from where I spent a lot of my own youth. He went to St Joseph’s School in the Mardyke and later moved on to the north monastery Christian Brothers School only ever known as the ‘North Mon.’ He played soccer with Leeside Rovers and Evans under fifteens.

As Joe was heading to the University of Life with a wonderful enthusiastic and inquisitive mind; sadly his dad passed away at a young age when Joe was only 11 years old, the eldest sibling in the family. His spare time was taken up jamming. Jamming for those of you who don’t understand music jargon is playing or trying to play music with his friends and school pals.

In 1968 Joe started out as the base player in a band at school in Cork, he then joined local bands Chapter Five, Gaslight and later Sleep Hollow as a backline roadie.

Joe with U2 painting

45

The usual dances were held in St Francis Hall, Boat Club Dolphin, Highfield Club and Clonakilty a small town about thirty miles south west of Cork city.

Joe moved from being a musician, playing bass guitar and electric piano, into sound only because the band had no soundman. Everything back then was trial and error and hope it works; to be fair to Joe there were very little errors.

There was still no official music industry in Ireland, only young kids trying to be the best at everything Rory Gallagher and hoping to learn enough to move onto becoming more professional at their music craft.

In Australia it’s called, giving it your best shot. There were no heroes to look up to in Joe’s technology sound field. No school courses, no university course, nothing to help the curious mind of a young enthusiastic lad. However, Joe did find a very influential friend and mentor in Johnny Rice who lived in Greenmount.

Crowley’s Music Shop in Merchants Quay Cork (famously known for selling Rory Gallagher that fender sunburst guitar that became his trade mark) gave Joe a job. The boss Michael Crowley’s comments to Joe were, every time you come to my shop you spend so much time dismantling the equipment you may as well work

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here, and so he did. Joe dismantled everything he got his hands on for the two and half years he spent at Crowley’s, and yes he did put everything all back together again and in the right order.

For four years Joe had been doing the Rory Gallagher Christmas Tour. Then in 1974 a ray of light shone on Joe when Rory’s brother Donald, asked him to become Rory’s permanent backline technician. This appointment took Joe’s career to new heights, as the passion and quality of Rory’s work rate inspired Joe to be equally as good in delivering the best possible sound which he did for four years before graduating to front of house sound engineer. Rory was a consummate perfectionist in every way Joes tells me. While touring criss-crossing multiple time zones until 1978. Joe says the time spent with Rory was his university degree. A break was long overdue and as any well-travelled person will tell you, time at home begins to look like gold bars. Home cooked meals, no schedule, no running out of clean underwear sleeping in the same bed for more than two nights – pure magic.

When the time came for Joe to look at the music industry as a serious future and business, he approached his bank manager for a loan to buy sound equipment. Joe says the manager looked at him as if he had two heads or had gone demented. What music industry the bank manager said, there is no music industry here in Ireland, sorry son can’t lend on speculation.

In spite of that rejection Joe

overcame that and many other hurdles to reach the pinnacle of the music world.

Joe’s career with U2 is very well documented in the U2 Show Book written by Diana Scrimgeour of which I have taken the liberty to take some quotes from.

In 1976 Joe formed a sound company called Stage Sound Hire with partners Denis Desmond and Eamon McCann of MCD Ireland’s leading concert promoter. Joe first met U2 at a UCC downtown campus gig in The Arcadia Ballroom, Cork, at the end of September 1978 when he supplied the sound equipment for that gig. Paul McGuinness was so impressed with Joe’s work, he was engaged instantly and has been doing the live concert sound for U2 ever since, with his job progressing over the years from Sound Engineer to Audio Director.

Joe tells me the secret of U2’s success is simple, “they are a very hard working band, who leave nothing to chance”. Joe has had more than 30 years of shared success with U2. Away from U2, Joe has worked at the sound desks of other world-renowned super stars such as the Rolling Stones concert in Rio, REM, The Cranberries, and Counting Crows. He also weaved his magic at the Woodstock 25th Anniversary Concert where sixtytwo bands played. When it was decided that the new Wembley Stadium would become a major entertainment venue with state of the art sound and broadcasting equipment, Joe’s expertise was sought after.

Sports wise, he is a Cork City and Manchester United diehard fan. If you ever happen to wonder down Clonakilty way, in Co Cork and you see a slightly gray bearded lad walking along Long Strand there’s a fair chance its Joe, for that’s what he likes to do away from the maddening crowds, then afterwards drop in for a quite drink in Tim Tom’s bar in Rathbarry Village.

With all his successes and the genius that is Joe O’Herlihy, he is

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still that wonderful charismatic level headed down to earth family man that fame could not harness.

Joe is married to his childhood sweetheart Marion and has four children.

Until I talk to you again soon, Slainte from Melbourne Est 2012

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The impressive Jarrah lined Presidents Room can seat up to 30 guests theatre style or up to 24 guests for a private luncheon.

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Located on the first floor, the main Function Room can comfortably seat 125 delegates theatre style or 120 for a banquet.

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The two function rooms have a comfortable sophistication that lend themselves to a variety of uses such as presentations, training events, Annual General Meetings, Boardroom Meetings. Fully fitted with Wi-Fi, ceiling fitted projectors and screen and speaker system.

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The Clubs central location in West Perth with onsite parking and close proximity to Red and Green CAT bus routes makes it easily accessible to everyone.

Our superb restaurant serves an a la carte style lunch Monday to Friday and the bar area, with separate lounge, features a number of speciality beers on tap, and is ideal for relaxing, a light luncheon or coffee.

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The Club welcomes new members so please feel free to call in and have a look at our facilities or ask for a membership application form. We have several types of membership available including Retiree, Ordinary and Corporate. We also work in conjunction with other local business to offer additional external benefits such as discounted gym packages, corporate teambuilding and wine of the month. We also have affiliated membership with other organisations in other cities so you can still enjoy the benefits of membership when on the move.

The Club is a great place to network, meet new people, entertain clients, or just get away from the office to have a brainstorm session.

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The Celtic Club has a proud history spanning over 100 years. Presently the Club has a membership of approximately 700, and appeals to a wide range of individuals, all of whom enjoy the friendly and personable hospitality of a private member’s Club.

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A: 48 Ord Street, West Perth, WA 6005 P: Phone (08) 9322 2299 E: Email: celtic.club@bigpond.com Start enjoying this great Club and become a member today! F: Fax (08) 9322 2899 W: www.celticclubperth.com

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The neighbours thought it was odd, but 93 year old Sean was dating again. One Monday morning Sean woke up with a funny feeling that something important happened last night. It was during breakfast, that Sean finally remembered what it was. He had proposed to his date Mary.

But what she answered he just couldn’t seem to remember. Sean picked up the phone and dialed. “Hi Mary”, said Sean, “I have a funny question for you, do you remember last night when I proposed?” “Oh my gosh” gushed Mary, “I’m so glad you called, I knew I said yes to somebody but I just couldn’t recall who it was!”

St Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Parade

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With Fred Rea

Joe Carroll.....

“Entertaining is all about bringing joy to people’s lives”. So says Joe Carroll who just celebrated 50 years living in Australia. He has performed over the years for the AIHA at many of their events. But these days he confines his performing to singing in senior care centres.

Joe was born in Dublin in 1945 and spent some of his early youth in Artane Industrial School for Boys. It was there he learned to appreciate the value and importance of bringing joy to people’s lives. He came to Australia via England in 1967, first settling in Sydney in a place called Punchbowl and he travelled throughout the state and Australia. “In my travels I worked on the Snowy River Scheme in New South Wales”. The Snowy Mountain scheme or Snowy Scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. The Scheme consists of sixteen major dams; seven power stations; a pumping station; and 225 kilometres (140 miles) of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts that were constructed between 1949 and 1974. The Scheme was completed under the supervision of Chief Engineer, Sir William Hudson and is the largest engineering project undertaken in Australia. It was there that Joe met all nationalities and especially the Irish lads. “I took an interest in singing because being Irish you were expected to sing a song”.

Joe travelled around for some years before settling in Western Australia. It was there that he met Marlene, the love of his life. They have two children Michael and Kathleen. In their early years, Marlene liked folk music and they went to the Shaftsbury Hotel folk club in Perth. This resulted in them both making it a regular event to attend together.

Some years later Joe decided to take up the guitar and this was a whole new adventure for him. It was an opportunity to sing all his favourite Irish folk songs with his guitar accompaniment at parties and get-togethers.

The late Joe Crozier and Lottie invited Joe to join them at the Penninsula Folk Club in Maylands where he gained the confidence to perform in front of an audience.

So where is Joe and his music these days? Well it’s the seniors around Perth who are benefiting from his

performing. “To see the smiles on their faces as they hear the real old songs is most enjoyable”. Joe told me that he is amazed especially when dementia patients sing along with him. “It’s the songs I perform like Daisy Daisy, Long Way to Tipperary and Tulips from Amsterdam that bring the most enjoyment”. With a sprinkling of Irish songs of course!

For almost 10 years he was a volunteer presenter with the late Joe Crozier on the Australia-Irish Heritage Association’s 6EBAfm radio show, Heritage Ireland.

He now plays a role with the Claddagh Association as Senior’s Coordinator. He appreciates how important it is to support our seniors and to bring some enjoyment and encouragement to their lives.

Joe is blessed with four grand-children, Charlotte, Oliver, Maeve and Erin and they are the light of his life.

“I love singing songs with them as they love to dance along because they are all learning Irish dancing”.

Kathleen, his daughter and daughter in law Joanna are both champion Irish dancers and Joanna has danced in the world championships on Joe Carroll a number of occasions.

The Irish culture is strong in the family and with a maiden name Murphy, Joanna fits in beautifully in the Carroll household.

“I will continue to sing for the seniors and I ask any other performers out there to consider doing the same. The joy one can bring to people’s lives has certainly blessed me”.

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RAIN DOGS

by ADRIAN McKINTY Reviewed by John Hagan To my shame, I must admit that Rain Dogs is the first Adrian McKinty book I have read. What have I been doing? With fourteen books to his credit, McKinty, who hails from Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland, is already an award winning author, with Rain Dogs the fifth in a crime series featuring Detective Inspector Sean Duffy of the Carrickfergus RUC. Set in the 1980s during ‘The Troubles’, Rain Dogs is a fast paced thriller, full of intrigue, verbal jousting, engaging characters and dark (Northern Ireland) humour.

Duffy, a classical music buff and a first class detective respected by his colleagues, is faced with an investigation into the death of a Financial Times journalist whose body is found inside the keep of forbidding Carrickfergus Castle. It looks like a suicide, but Duffy has doubts – and rightly so. He can’t help but feel this incident looks suspiciously like a previous crime he investigated. A coincidence, muses Duffy? Alas, it isn’t. In pursuit of a solution, Duffy considers ‘the facts’, doggedly teases out clues, pursues his quarry to Finland, and has the courage, and nous, to successfully take on ‘the establishment’.

Into the cracking narrative, McKinty weaves characters such as Muhammad Ali, Ian Paisley, Bono and the notorious paedophile, Jimmy Savile, whom Duffy interviews as part of the investigation. With his sometimes sparse, staccato and pointed prose, McKinty successfully captures the patois and cadence of the Northern Ireland dialect together with its ambiance. His descriptions of Carrickfergus, Belfast and environs and the bombings, evoked many memories of my own time in Northern Ireland during the unrest. Duffy is an exciting and intricate character with the potential to endow upon Belfast the literary cachet Harry Hole brings to Oslo, Arkady Renko to Moscow and John Rebus to Edinburgh.

Rain Dogs has certainly whetted my McKinty appetite. Now I’m off to Dymocks to purchase the previous four Sean Duffy thrillers.

Rain Dogs is published by Allen & Unwin (www.allenandunwin.com) and is available from all Dymocks Bookshops.

Frank Murphy presents

107.9fm Fremantle Radio Saturday 8am to 10am IRISH MUSIC • INTERVIEWS • LOCAL & IRISH NEWS

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Contact: Alcoholics Anonymous,

24 Hour Helpline Ph: 9325 3566 • www.aaperth.wa.org

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A picture worth a thousand words and a hundred years A Henry McLaughlin painting of the Catalpa escape was presented to the Celtic Club in March. The ceremony was attended by a group that included outgoing Irish Ambassador Noel White, Lord Mayor of Perth Lisa Scaffidi, five current and past presidents of the Club and members of the club.

The event fell in the week before St. Patrick’s Day and around the same time as commemorations for the Easter Rising were getting underway. But it was also close to the timing of events to mark the escape of the Fenians in April 1876 from WA to America, as depicted in the painting.

Celtic Club president John Devine said it was a great time for the Irish and he described the story of John Boyle O’Reilly who made good his own escape from WA before orchestrating the daring and dramatic bid for freedom about eight years later of six Fenian colleagues from Boston in America as an incredible matersplan and accomplishment.

“That’s the remarkable story of the Fenians,” said John. “This painting was offered to several people around Perth by a private family that had it and wanted to quit some of the assets no doubt of the father who was elderly. So they

phoned us and as soon as we heard about it we said we’ll take that.

We then went back to Joe O’Dea from Bowra and O’Dea, who have a connection with the Fenians. We approached Joe O’Dea to see if he wanted to sponsor the painting for the Celtic Club and Joe responded the next day and said “Too right”, so thanks Joe. This club started in 1902 and Michael O’Dea (Joe’s great grandfather) was a founding member and was very influential.

He became president of the Club in 1912/13 and the O’Dea family were great benefactors to the Celtic Club and Perth generally. Some of the Fenians who came here (in 1868) who were pardoned and got out of jail were getting on in years and couldn’t get jobs and basically their future was going to be living in a poor house. So the Celtic Club arranged an appeal to raise money for the Fenians, who were left in Perth. Michael O’Dea was one of the four original appeal committee members. While I’m not sure how successful they were they continued to look after the half a dozen or so Fenians who were getting on and couldn’t work. They looked after them so much so that they started an appeal to raise money to buy a house in Perth to house them in.

The appeal didn’t reach the amount 52 52

required but Michael O’Dea, who had a house in North Perth, then kindly donated that to the Fenians and they lived in that house from 1895 until 1917. The O’Deas have always been great supporters of the Celtic Club so we are very very pleased that Joe O’Dea and Bowra and O’Dea have seen fit to make a presentation of this painting to the club.”

Irish Ambassador Noel White said there was a strong chain of links between Ireland and WA and that the Celtic Club was a part of that.

“We would do well to remind ourselves as Irish people coming out from Ireland that there is a deep seated connection to Ireland and is articulated and given a real sense through this Club, and the people who own it,” Mr White said. “There’s a real generosity of spirit and real kindness that has gone through the club from the very start, that generosity to those early Fenians and of Michael O’Dea is actually quite touching. It’s great to see these men, who were so far from home and fallen on hard times that the Celtic Club that called an appeal to support them and when that didn’t get where it needed to be still did the right thing.”

Michael O’Dea As well as being a founding father of the Celtic Club, Michael O’Dea would go on to create one of the biggest undertaker businesses in WA. He was born in Co. Clare and travelled to Australia with his parents in 1865. He did an apprenticeship as a blacksmith and would also become a prison warder and later a pensioner guard. He established his own business in 1888 and later went into business with William Bowra.

They built coaches and offered funeral services and became very successful. Today Bowra & O’Dea is still a fifth generation and family owned company.

O’Dea was fiercely proud of his Irish heritage. As well as his role with the Celtic Club he was also National president of the Hibernian Society from 1912 to 1916.

He supported the Irish struggle for independence and represented Western Australia at the Irish Race Convention (held to discuss issues of Irish Nationalism) in Paris in 1920. Back in WA he was the first undertaker appointed to the board of Karrakatta cemetery and served on it from 1916 until his death in 1932, aged 68.

He is buried in the East Perth cemetery.

The following poem appeared in the W.A. Record on Saturday 11 February 1905 on page 18. We are not sure but there is every chance it was penned by the same Michael O’Dea mentioned above.

Golden Fancies

OR AN IRISH EXILES LONGINGS. I oft times, dreamt in boyhood days of maidens fair to see The castles fair, I built in air, before I met with thee.

In manhood years the hope that cheers and leads ambition on To win a claim to gold and fame and a fair sweetheart won, These golden dreams, to me now seems a mirage - false - untrue My only stay both night and day is the fond hope placed on you

Hire Business For Sale

The golden fancies that I wore when steering for the West Seem slow to come, though not to some and I have done my best All through the fields with fitful yields I’ve toiled to find you gold And still I’ll toil beneath the soil to win you wealth untold.

May fortune now, with smiling brow upon my labours shine, Then, dearest love, the powers above may surely make you mine.

Were we in dear old Ireland now how happy we would be?

I’d show to you a place or two I’m sure you’d like to see From Galtee More to Shannon’s shore we’d wander o’er and o’er.

From Cashel’s Rock to Carrickshock where heroes bled of yore; Through Cappawhite, with pure delight, to famous Limerick town Where man or maid were not afraid to strike the foeman down.

Excellent & growing cash business Established 12 years Owner retiring Walk in - Walk out Audited Figures

May the honeymoon then come full with a trip to Erin’s Isle soon.

With greetings true, for me and you in the good old homely style.

In that land so fair, our wealth to share with men both leal and true Who still doth strive to keep alive the cause our foes eschew; Where hearts as bold as those of old still love their native land And we’ll crown you queen, of that Isle so Green as you roam its emerald strand.

Interested ?

Then call Patrick on 0438 223 451

— M. O’D. Perth, W.A.

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A Beautiful Wedding & Love Affair with Ireland When I received the phone call six months ago from my older brother to tell me that he had proposed to his awesome Irish girlfriend and that the wedding was to be held in Ireland on March 16, I was more than over the moon. First my brother was getting married; second I was going to Ireland for the first time ever; and third I would be there for St Patricks Day. Arriving in Dublin on 9 March, our cab driver said that we were very lucky as the 114 day straight of rain had finally ceased and the sun was out in full force. We were dropped off near our B&B in Temple Bar – maybe not the wisest of choices staying above the Norseman Hotel only for the epic noise levels – and we spent the next four days absolutely loving Dublin. The atmosphere, the people and the beauty of the city was incredible.

In particular, the Guinness Tour and the many, many pubs we experienced was something you simply do not experience in Australia... well not at that level.

Next off, was Tralee for the wedding – friends and family from all over the world were staying in the likes of Killorglin, Milltown and the castle itself where the reception was to be held – Ballyseede Castle. My brother’s wedding was nothing short of magical - It was first class the whole way. The accommodation, the Church service (Mary MacCauge), the venue, the reception, the speeches, the staff, the food, the band (Harlequin - the BEST band ever). It was that good that the majority were still up at 6am the following day – including the bride and groom.

St Patrick’s Day was the next day (or a continuum from the night before) – my God, most felt like hell but it was St Patrick’s Day so it had to be done. Far out. The town of choice was Killarney and walking through the packed streets with people’s faces painted and drinks in hand, some dancing in the streets and some.... well passed out, was fantastic. The following day was the tour of Ring of Kerry. Regardless of hangovers and even for those who hate long car rides (me) it was insanely beautiful.

The views of cliff tops and the small villages we stopped in were second to none. I must add that this day was also the first day that was unequivocally – for most parts – alcohol free. Last stop was Belfast. I loved this city!! Our first day there was taken over by a wee

pub near our hotel (only stopping in for one) where by the end and at closing time, we were friends with the entire bar and staff.

However the following day, we did the recommended tours, such as the Titanic, and found the Belfast City people to be just as hospitable as Dublin and Southern Ireland. The trip was epic and if asked “would I go back there?” in a heartbeat. And the saving begins – after all my new sister/family are from there!

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By Lloyd Gorman

The box has been crammed with good stuff lately Vikings raped, pillaged and murdered its way back to SBS on Wednesday February 24, kicking in the door with a double bill. Unfortunately the latest season, season 4, will have just ended on April 27 with the final episode The Last Ship promising to be the mother of all battles between the French protecting Paris and the blood thirsty Northmen.

The plot will also see Ragnar Lothbrok, who Australian actor Travis Fimmel plays a blinder as, in a savage duel with his turncoat brother Rollo - who has it coming. Easily one of the best things on the small screen in ages this Irish Canadian made action drama is worth watching. No word yet of a season five, but Vikings has been immensely successful and fingers crossed the story will continue into the future.

On February 29, ABC’s Lateline’s host Emma Alberici held an in-depth interview and with 47 year old Irishman Rory O’Neill, aka Panti-Bliss, the self professed ‘Queen of Ireland’. The flamboyant drag queen from a very traditional Catholic family in the west of Ireland talks openly about bullying, Catholicism, growing up in Ireland and gay marriage. The interview is still available on the ABC website (google ABC Lateline and Panti Bliss) and Panti Bliss really presents a personal perspective and that of LGBT community in a very human and interesting way.

Belfast actor James Nesbitt was one of the guests on Corkman Graham Norton’s Show, on Channel 11, on March 1. Nesbitt is an excellent actor and would seem to be the kind of bloke you’d like to be able to call a mate. On the same night, Bazil Ashmawy was back for a second season of 50 Ways to Kill your Mammy. In this episode

Baz took his 72 year old Dublin mother Nancy on a small light air plane - which she got to fly - to exotic and interesting locations and trips, in the Philippines with the usual humorous results. Bargain Hunt on 7Two on March 2 saw an Irish contestant pick up an impressive looking metal Ned Kelly savings box which was something a lot of Aussies and Irish might like to have on their shelf. Alas I didn’t get to see if he made a profit on it or not but it was a good find either way.

Coasts of Ireland, a documentary series written and directed by Heiko De Groot, was back on SBS on March 5, this time in Sligo and Donegal, which have some of the most spectacular coastline and scenery. This series tends to wander off the beaten path a bit in terms of the issues and people they cover, which is great and fresh.

It’s available on DVD from SBS if you’re inclined.

March 6 was the day Dublin UFC fighter Darren McGregor lost to Nate Diaz. We watched it on Foxtel at my uncles place and at least the fight lasted long enough to make it interesting to watch, unlike McGregor’s previous win and knockout match.

The film version of Ned Kelly, played by the late Perth actor Heath Ledger was on One, on March 7. Based on the 1991 novel Our Sunshine by Robert Drewe the movie adaptation opens up talking about Kelly’s Irish father and returns to the subject throughout the film.

Ledger, an amazing actor of our age, plays Kelly with skill, and presents his character clearly as that of an Irishman.

Sydney based Dubliner Anthony played a blinder on a dating reality show, First Dates. On his first appear-

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ance he chatted away freely with the waitress (an Irish lass) and rocked up drunk on his second date with another girl. A typical Irish bloke with a good sense of humour and out for a bit of craic, but his accent seemed to present the Aussie women with a bit of a challenge.

The Quiet Man was screened on GEM on March 12, a nice warm up for St. Patrick’s Day (which saw the parade and festival happen the next day) and also the day of the Irish races in Perth.

Irish magician Keith Barry has carved out a spot for himself on Channel 9 with ‘And you’re back in the room’, a show where he hypnotises volunteers to make ejits of themselves through harmless pranks while under the influence. Irish Scene’s own Fred Rea made a St. Patrick’s Day appearance on TV on March 17. Fred was featured in Channel 7’s Today Tonight, with his Mary Anne Taylor project of which I have written before and you can read more about elsewhere in this edition.

The day after St. Patrick’s Day threw up an interesting offering on the box.

Quackser Fortune has a cousin in the Bronx was a complete new one to me.

Made in the year before I was born (1971) I don’t think I have ever seen this film before. It is the story of Quackser Fortune, played by Gene Wilder, a working class Dublin man whose job is collecting horse manure from the streets of the capital city, and selling it on as fertiliser. Quackser knows which way the wind is blowing on his business and is keen to get out of it, and finds a romantic escape to New York.

Interestingly, Irish actor David Kelly had a role in this film which was released in New York on July 13, 1970, about one

year before Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory came out in the states (June 30, 1971). But Quackser didn’t go on release in Ireland until about June 1972, months after the local release of Willie Wonka. The magic movie about the chocolate maker has a special place for many Irish people, but Quackser - a comedy - should also rank with us, but doesn’t.

Garden Gurus on Channel 9 (March 19) was in Ireland. The travel/gardening show was on locations associated with filming for Game of Thrones in Ireland. I didn’t get to see much of this show, apparently it is available to view on www. thegardengurus.com.au, so you can check it out if your interested but I tried to find it and found the site wasn’t that useful and I gave up after a while.

Captain Flinn and the pirate dinosaurs was shown on GO, on March 20, was made in no small part by Irish production company, Telegael, yet another prime example of how small Irish animation companies (which is based in Spiddal, Co. Galway) are nailing TV work, and particularly children’s television.

That classic 1973 hit movie The Sting showed up again on 7Digital on March 25 and reminded me that it has some Irish heritage to it. The whole purpose of the sting is for the characters played by Robert Redford and Paul Newman to clean out a ruthless gang boss who has killed a friend of theirs.

The crime lord is one Doyle Lonnegan, played by Robert Shaw. The con men describe Lonnegan as “an Irishman who doesn’t drink, smoke or chase dames”, but his weakness is gambling and his propensity to cheat. They turn this against him and prevail against the gang boss who could have them killed at the drop of a hat. Later that day, Who do you think you are? looks at the family tree of English actor, Jeremy Irons, who shows up in Dublin on the trail of his predecessors.

The next day another movie classic throws up a piece of Irish trivia that I was not aware of until it was mentioned to me some days later by my uncle in law Bob O’Connor. That connection pops up in perhaps the 1959 film’s greatest scene, the chariot race.

The man Ben-Hur races against in the deadly contest is the character of Messala, played by Stephen Boyd, an actor from Glengormley, Co. Antrim. Boyd appeared in more than 60 big movies but the chariot race is perhaps his most

famous.

Strength and Honour (2007) was screened on One, April 3. American actor Michael Madsen plays the role of Sean Kelleher, an bare knuckle fighter from the travelling community who has some tough choice to make to save his son. Filmed in and around Cork this was a good film which featured a range of Irish actors and even Finbar Furey.

Blown Away (1994) was on Gem, April 7. It opens with the prison break in Northern Ireland of a hardcore IRA bomber played by Tommy Lee Jones, who escapes to America where he goes on the trail of a former Republican bomber who has turned his talents to working with the Boston bomb squad.

From what I can recall the soundtrack to this film consists of U2 songs.

The Secret of Kells, a really well animated and beautifully told Irish children’s story, appeared on SBS2 on April 9. The following day the Amazing World of Gumball (on Go) was made up of a mix of cartoon, traditional and innovative animation techniques, real life footage and computer tricks. Two more examples of how Irish animators are creating some quality work for children around the world.

SBS 2 that day also screened the first part of 1916 The Irish Rebellion, as narrated by Liam Neeson. This three part documentary explained in an interesting and accessible way as much to Irish audiences as to the wider community. Encouraging to see some high production value and budget being put into an Irish doco worthy of the occasion.

On April 11 (on the Food Channel) Australian chef Lyndey Milan was in Ireland, or more specifically cooking on the beach at Kinsale. It took some staying up power later that night to watch Australia on Trial. This documentary series about some of the most famous, infamous or influential court cases kicked off with The Eureka 13. It was striking how many of the 13 indicted rebels (seven) were Irish but also how many of the police and soldiers that moved against them were also Irish, as were the legal teams for the prosecution, defence and even the judge. All of them were acquitted and the ramifications from the court ruling would lead to major changes in many different ways across Australia. Fascinating stuff.

Apart from the movie title, and a couple of Dublin accents, Night boat to Dublin (1946) hardly has any Irish content to speak of. The plot is about a refu-

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gee Swedish scientist who unknowingly passes information to a German agent in the Irish Free State which was of course neutral during the war and British intelligence are on the case. Most of the action happens in a hotel, and on board. Unless you catch this “thriller” right from the start it is hard to make out what the hell is going on.

Something that did delve a bit deeper into the Irish capital city however was Cities of the Underworld, on 7Two, April18. This episode is available to watch online if you google the name of the show and Dublin, well worth a watch, at least once.

We have already read about legendary Dublin actor David Kelly but he was back on the small screen on April 22 (7 Two) in Fawltey Towers, the hilarious episode where Basil hires Kelly (O’Reilly) to carry out some construction work, only because he is cheap (and also incompetent). Of course the results are chaos, confusion and comic gold. As it happens, on that same day, the 2005 remake of Willie Wonka, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was on the box, the one in which Kelly was the grandfather who accompanied Charlie on his incredible journey.

Finally, I want to end with the 1981 movie Gallipoli. Apart from being an amazing anti-war film in its own right, it has a lot to offer the Irish and West Australian viewer. It was the film that propelled Mel Gibson into the limelight after Mad Max. Gibson played the role of Frank Dunne, whose Irish born father asks him: “But what the hell do you want to join up for?, The English killed your grandfather. Hung him with his own belt…..(Frank and his father repeat at same time)….five miles from Dublin.”

Gibson reassures his father (played by a John Murphy) that he isn’t going to fight for the British empire, that he will keep his head down and return an officer. They are misgivings that many Irish emigrant and Catholic families at the time would have shared.

The Peter Weir film also opens in Western Australia and all the Australian scenes are set there, if not shot there. It focuses on the stories of several young men who join up with the 10th Light Horse, a famous and highly decorated WA regiment. An ideal choice of movie for the Anzac Day weekend. Lest we forget!

something that I grew up with or that was in the area. So I was painting with him and he said I didn’t need any help, there were a few little things I could tidy up but if I took lessons from him I’d end up painting like him.”

Even as an RUC officer Henry maintained his interest in art, or it might even be more accurate to say it maintained him. “I used to do paintings for Timoneys Furniture of Donegal.

The good thing was they gave you the canvas, and paints, they were Dutch paints, the best paints you can get and I did that for a long time and that enabled me to put a deposit on a house in Derry where I was stationed and got married.” With his wife Margaret, from Ballyclare, they had two sons, David who works with racing cars and Stephen, an electrical engineer.

In 1969 they decided to come to Australia where Margaret’s brother in law Andrew was based in Perth and said how good the place was.

“The Troubles were starting in Ireland and although I was in the RUC there wasn’t really a lot, a bit of a scuffle here and a scuffle there, it was after I left that it got really bad.

What we realised was there were Russians and others coming in as

The cop who made a career of Getting framed

By Fred Rea/Lloyd Gorman Even as a child Northern Ireland man Henry McLaughlin knew something it takes most people a lifetime of experience to realise, from an early age he knew his strengths and weaknesses.

“The only thing I was good at in school was art, football and carpentry,” he told Fred Rea. “The headmaster said there was no point in me doing anything else so they’d let me do art. I used to do paintings of old houses and that sort of thing. I started off painting Cockle shells on the beach. I’d paint a little Irish scene on them and I sold them for 2 and 6 each. I remember I had sold about 12 of them this time, which was about what my father’s weekly wage was at the time. He said he worked in the quarry the whole day breaking stones for that money, and he told me to keep doing it.”

Henry continued to dabble with painting and art but it was nothing serious he said. Then he joined the police force, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). “I was stationed in Derry in 1959 and a good friend of mine, named Arthur Twells (I think the Celtic Club has a painting of his) - an English fellow who married a Derry Girl, also painted. I took some lessons from him because I had no education as regards art. I didn’t know anything about it as it wasn’t

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antagonists, they brought in professional boys who were causing unease, it got out of proportion. So we headed off to Australia and I joined the police here. I was stationed first in Fremantle and then in Kwinana.

Blackie White was the Sergeant there, he was a character.”

It didn’t take long for Henry’s artistic bent to express itself and get noticed. “I had been doing a bit of art here and donated a painting to the Point Peron police boys club [Police & Community Youth Centre] and they raffled it and sold it for quite a bit of money. At work one day Blackie White said the commissioner wanted to see me and I said to myself I’m in trouble here, because that’s the only thing I could think off.”

“So I went to see the commissioner - Athol Logan Moore Weld and he said he’d been following my career in art and wanted to make me a proposal. He wanted me to paint six paintings for the new big police headquarters. I said surely, he said I’d get time off and I said when does this start and he said now. “We’ll give you a new car, a camera and expenses and you go off, you only answer to me and no-one else,” he

executed and there was some agreement reached that if he could fund this ship co collect the Fenians (the Catalpa) that he could get on there as well, now that’s what I was told. They did a film one time about the Catalpa. I remember looking and something told me I should do something. I had done two or three by then, including a smaller one that had been sold to some people in South Perth. This painting must have been sold through the Mona Lisa Art Gallery in Hay Street (Subiaco) at the time I was mostly doing Australian and Irish stuff.”

A prolific artist, Henry has produced thousands of paintings and his works are all over the world now and highly collectable. He recalls how on one trip back to Ireland he was in the McGee Gallery in Belfast and that the gallery owner and friend of his, John McGee, had two of his paintings in for resale. “I happened to be standing beside somebody in the gallery and I could tell by the accents they were Australians and somebody said this McLaughlin is all over the world. They thought it was my original painting, they knew me back in Australia.”

Henry had his own studio and gallery - which he built with the help of his son - in Baldivas which he sold only a few years ago. “It had beautiful light, I should have never let it go,” he said.

Both in Australia and Ireland Henry has seen strong interest and demand for his art work. “I went to an auction in Leederville or somewhere like that and these guys who were buying paintings, paintings that I was selling for $400, paid nearly $2000 for one of them.

Even when I go back to Ireland my brothers there keep me informed about what’s going on and the last time I was back my brother said: “do you remember those shells you used to paint and sell for 2 and 6? They’re going for 35 pounds now, I couldn’t believe it.”

Art - and the proceeds thereof - has allowed Henry to indulge in some other passions, including Jaguar cars. And while demand for art in general - including perhaps some of his work - had dropped off, Henry has been prudent enough to stow away some of his earnings for a rainy day.

But at the end of the day he remains a true artist whose eye is focused mainly on the work he produces.

“I’m painting better now that I know a few tricks of the trade but sometimes I look at a picture and think I could do with a few lessons and go back to basics now that I’m working in acrylics as opposed to oils which is what I started in.”

Henry McLaughlin’s painting of the old Mt Barker police station of 1868

said. So I agreed to do this.

Henry was asked to produce six paintings of historic WA police stations measuring about 20” by 16” but quickly realised that these would not be big enough for the brand new HQ in East Perth. “So I did them a bit bigger, 3’ by 2’ and nobody knew anything about this until the opening of the new police HQ. Anyhow, it went down very well, nobody had seen anything like this before. There were commissioners from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Tasmania and Australia and New Zealand at the launch. At the end the commissioner said to me everyone wants to know if you’re going to such and such a police station. “I have a list here of 32 police stations, so you may just continue doing them,” he said to me. That lasted for about six years that went on until about 1982 when I’d go back to Ireland, so I resigned and left the police department and I went back and stuck it there for two years.” Henry continued with the art back in Ireland. His profession as a full time painting police man somehow made news in the local paper - the Ballymena Observer - about an Irish guy who had joined the police in Australia and all he did was painting pictures of police stations. He recalls it had the headline a Brush with the law, or something similar. Probably because of his profile Henry was transferred to work in the WA force’s public relations unit.”

A painting of the Catalpa escape by six Fenians from WA was recently presented to the Celtic Club. He came into contact with a female historian from London called Austin or something similar - while carrying out research into the police stations he was painting. One of the things he learned along the way was that the police station in Claremont had apparently been built in the wrong place, indeed the wrong country, by mistake. He said it was meant to have been built in New Zealand, not Western Australia.

“That happened in Ireland too, with stations going in the wrong places,” he added. “But I was doing that work and this woman Austin contacted me and said she was something to do with the Fenian escape. She was the one that told me there was an extra Fenian, a West Australian, who apparently in those days was the son of a big property holder up in the north west and he got himself involved in killing someone and was going to be

Musical Entertainer / Teacher

David MacConnell

0413 259 547 wdmacc@bigpond.net.au www.maccdouble.com

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Seán Doherty Branch Dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Irish traditional music and dancing world wide.

Page Sponsored by: Reid’s Bootmakers

Bickley Music Camp a huge success for Comhaltas I would like to thank all who came to the Comhaltas Music Camp at the weekend. The turn out was more than expected as it was a long weekend great company, great food, fantastic music that went on until the wee hours.

Club President Yvonne Jones presents Sean Doherty with his plaque.

We were delighted to present Sean Doherty with a plaque with our new name Comhaltas Perth The Sean Doherty Branch. Sean has given so much of his time to Comhaltas over many years and the naming is due recognition for his contribution to traditional Irish music in Western Australia.

Great catching up with old friends sharing a meal playing music and dancing not to mention the kids all had a ball playing music and games that Marina arranged going to bed late but getting up early. We would like to thank all the people that helped in the kitchen cooking serving and washing up it was a great weekend and hope to see you all again at the next camp.

Yvonne

WEEKLY IRISH TRAD MUSIC SESSION EVERY MONDAY AT THE IRISH CLUB Comhaltas Perth meets on Monday nights. Come and learn a tune.

8pm in the committee room or join in the session (starts off slow).

You don’t have to be a member of Comhaltas to join in.

There is also set dancing most Mondays about 8.30 pm. It’s great fun, beginners welcome.

For news updates visit: www.facebook.com/perthcomhaltas

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land of

&

Ireland

honey

The Women of “The Terrible Beauty”

The Light of evening, Lissadell Great windows open to the south, Two girls in silk kimonos, both Beautiful, one a gazelle

This was the tribute W.B. Yeats paid to the Gore -Booth sisters in, one of his most beautiful poems “In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markievicz “. It was written in 1927 on the death of Constance. W.B was saddened and more than saddened he was angry and annoyed.!! That two such beautiful and privileged girls had given their lives to good works and social justice, in one case, and to the fight for Irish Freedom in the other, seemed to him to be a waste. It broke his sweeping romantic picture of great beauty in a wonderful setting, Lissadell.

Many books have been written about “The Countess of Irish Freedom” and they bear reading.

This can only be the tiniest of vignettes. The Gore-Booths were Protestant ascendency. They owned

Countess Constance Markievicz Constance Gore-Booth womens sufferage and labour in

By Sally Desmond

Lissadell a substantial estate in Co. Sligo. They were model landlords and were highly respected in the surrounding districts. Constance and Eva were raised to have concern and respect for their tenants and especially for the poor and it was this upbringing led them to unusual paths for privileged girls in those days. Eva became interested in

England and Constance became the most famous woman of The Terrible Beauty. Constance was presented at Court in 1887 and subsequently married Count Casimir Markievich.

It never really worked as a marriage and they parted in 1909. The whole affair was quite a friendly no blame parting. Constance went on to help in the foundation of Na Fianna Eireann. She also funnelled much energy into lnghinidhe na hEireann, the women’s organisation founded

by Maud Gonne. Perhaps the main reason Constance was loved

by Dublin was that she worked tirelessly for the poor of Dublin during the infamous 1913 Lockout.

During The Rising she was second-in-command to Michael Malin at the College of Surgeons.

She fought on for the week and for her pains she was the only woman to be court-martialled. She was sentenced to death by shooting but the sentence was commuted to

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penal servitude for life. In any event she served only thirteen months and said her saving grace was always the thought of Tom Clarke , who was executed with Pearse and McDonagh.

She remained a strong Republican and spoke at the Treaty Debates on behalf of the poor of Ireland and the effect such a treaty would have on their lot. When she died unexpectedly in 1927 Dublin did not forget it’s Countess - more than 300,000 people lined the route of her funeral to Glasnevin Cemetary to see her home. DeValera gave her eulogy. There was no need for Constance or Eva Goore-Booth to take up unpopular and dangerous causes but The Irish Nation was the better for the finely tuned consciences of both women.

W.B Yeates might not have agreed but his tribute puts it very clearly in perspective.

As for the men of The Rising - W. B Yeates wrote their wonderful eulogy in his poem 1916....

In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markievicz

By William Butler Yeats

The light of evening, Lissadell, Great windows open to the south, Two girls in silk kimonos, both Beautiful, one a gazelle.

But a raving autumn shears Blossom from the summer’s wreath; The older is condemned to death, Pardoned, drags out lonely years Conspiring among the ignorant.

I know not what the younger dreams – Some vague Utopia – and she seems, When withered old and skeleton-gaunt, An image of such politics.

Many a time I think to seek One or the other out and speak Of that old Georgian mansion, mix Pictures of the mind, recall That table and the talk of youth, Two girls in silk kimonos, both Beautiful, one a gazelle.

EVA and CONSTANCE

Dear shadows, now you know it all, All the folly of a fight With a common wrong or right.

The innocent and the beautiful Have no enemy but time; Arise and bid me strike a match And strike another till time catch; Should the conflagration climb, Run till all the sages know.

We the great gazebo built, They convicted us of guilt; Bid me strike a match and blow.

“It has been said here on several occasions that Pádraig Pearse would have accepted this Treaty. I deny it. As his mother, I deny it, and on his account I will not accept it.

Neither would his brother Willie accept it, because his brother was part and parcel of him.”

- Mrs. Margaret Pearse. mother of 1916 leader Patrick (Pádraig) Pearse.

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Irish Families in Perth

Western Australia

e Updat

As always IFIP love to support family events and Irish culture orientated organisations, with our association with other family groups, here is the update for future and ongoing events:

IRISH MAM’S PERTH (NOR) FACEBOOK PAGE

We now have a Monday and Wednesday playgroup/meet up at Padbury Playgroup from 9am, sponsored by Irish Families in Perth. We also have other week day meet ups and family get togethers etc. and nights out for mums and the dad’s too! This term we were busy participating in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, had a lovely Easter egg hunt etc; Mam’s wine tour, family picnics, see the photos!

We also got involved in managing the playgroup centre rather than see it close, and have been busy improving it for our little ones and thanks to lots of helpers and Irish families in Perth, we have a lovely new sand pit and cubby house!

Our Facebook page is a supportive, safe place to seek advice and have a bit of banter as well as find out about and organise events and activities.

And most importantly it has become a wonderful group of down to earth, kind Mams providing day to day support to each other, making friends for both ourselves and our little ones which is so important when most of us are so far from family and partners are working away.

This is very much a group effort and wouldn’t happen without the help of our lovely admins - Linda Morton, Maria Homan and Louise Hogan and all those who help at playgroup and on our page too.

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PLAYGROUP:

We have a lovely Meet up/Playgroup, at Padbury Playgroup from 9am on Monday’s and now on Wednesday mornings also. It’s a purpose built playgroup centre, with a covered/shaded playground around the building, which is fully fenced with a locked gate.

There is plenty for the older ones to do outside and a playroom set up with lots of toys inside alongside another room for our babies along with a kitchen for an Irish cuppa and a baby changing room with toddler toilets.

We have a great mixture of ages from bumps to 5 years, all are welcome.

UPCOMING EVENTS: A Mam’s night out on the 30th of April,

Family picnic at Mawson park, Hillarys on Mother’s day. Also couples night planned in May. So, lots happening! For any further info, any questions don’t hesitate to get in touch. Irish dancing for the younger children is also kicking off in Padbury, ‘BEAG DANCE’ is a dance class for children ages 2-5 years old, along with their parents. Run by Eleanor Rooney, its said to be a fun learning environment, preparing boys and girls for competitive dance classes.

Learning the music of the four main soft shoe dances, Reel, Light Jig, Single Jig and Slip Jig. The first class will begin: Date: 29th of April Venue: Forrest Park Community Sporting Facility, Padbury Regular Day and Time: Friday: 9.30am -10.30am.

More info see www.threecrownsirishdancing.com

SPONSORS:

Many thanks to our sponsors of IFIP: Liz O’Hagan, Masonmill Restaurant, Killarney Autos, Felix O’Neil Financial Planner, Irish Taxation ServicesEadaoin Clancy, Wrightway Training, Insulation Systems, HD brows by Trish AND your help… helps us help others!

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EXECUTIVE

President: Hilary McKenna ADCRG Vice Presidents: Teresa McGorry TCRG & Eileen Ashley TCRG Secretary: Samantha McAleer TCRG & Alison Johnson TCRG Treasurer/Booking Secretary: Deirdre McGorry TCRG Venue Secretary: Sinead Hoare TCRG AIDA Inc Delegate: Hilary McKenna TCRG Registar: Caroline O’Connor TCRG Grade Exam Co-ordinator: Rose O’Brien ADCRG

SCHOOL CONTACTS

SCOIL RINCE NI BHAIRD Lynwood Tony Ward TCRG 0427 273 596 SCOIL RINCE NI CEIDE/UPTON Subiaco & Woodvale Samantha McAleer TCRG 9405 6255/0414 188 784 Lara Upton - Kalamunda 0409 474 557 EIREANN SCHOOL OF IRISH DANCING Como/Jandakot/Rockingham Siobhan Cummins TCRG 0422 075 300 KAVANAGH STUDIO OF IRISH DANCE Osborne Park kavanaghirishdance.com.au Teresa McGorry TCRG 0412 155 318 Deirdre McGorry TCRG Caroline McCarthy TCRG O’BRIEN ACADEMY OF IRISH DANCING Butler, Kinross, Subiaco Rose O’Brien ADCRG 9401 6334/0423 382 706 O’HARE SCHOOL OF IRISH DANCING WembleyDowns/OsbornePark Jenny O’Hare TCRG 0422 239 440 SAOIRSE SCHOOL OF IRISH DANCING Caramar Sinead Hoare TCRG 0414 647 849 THREE CROWNS SCHOOL OF IRISH DANCE Kingsway & Landsdale threecrownsirishdancing.com Eleanor Rooney TCRG 0449 961 669 TRINITY STUDIO OF IRISH DANCING Morley Eileen Ashley TCRG 0413 511 595 WA ACADEMY OF IRISH DANCING Malaga Glenalee Bromilow ADCRG 9276 3737/ 0410 584 051 Sue Hayes TMRF 9377 5600/0412 040 719 Hilary McKenna ADCRG 0404 730 532

Australian Irish Dancing Association Inc.

Avril Grealish writes....

Training with a school in Ireland, was always on my Irish dancing bucket list and as a 26 year old, it was something that needed to happen sooner rather than later. Luckily, in what I had decided would be my last year of competitive dancing, the perfect opportunity presented itself; the chance to go to Belfast to train with the prestigious Carson- Kennedy School before this year’s World Championships in Glasgow.

As the pinnacle of competitive Irish Dancing, the opportunity to dance at the World Championships was one I didn’t take lightly. I knew I would need to throw everything I could into my training in the lead up to dance my best on the day. Training under five time world champion, Gerard Carson, in a class alongside world champions and medal holders was the perfect setting to push any boundaTeresa Fenton and Avril Grealish, ries I had previously thought existed.

(Kavanagh School) Training was TOUGH. I’d left a heat wave in Perth (four consecutive days over 40 degrees Celsius) to commence training in what felt like the arctic. Arriving to classes teeth chattering and putting my shoes on with numb toes became the norm, but I adjusted as quickly as I could. Training 2-3 hours (with the odd 5 hour session) on a nightly basis plus competing at local feis’ each weekend took its toll physically. How did these dancers train like this year round?! It was awe inspiring, and with their support I made it through one of the toughest, but most rewarding months of my life.

The last week in March had finally arrived, and dancers from all over the globe flocked to The Royal Concert Hall in the heart of Glasgow in celebration of this beautiful art form. The standard, as it always is, was SO high. In my age group (Senior Ladies, Over 20 years) 205 entrants had their name printed in the program. A dauntingly large number considering only the top 50 dancers are recalled to vie for a world medal. I had to let my thoughts of the outcome go, and focus on what I could control; how I danced.

The day arrived. My nerves were in overdrive, hair and make-up Congratulations to the following done, shoes polished, dress on and I finally walked out onto that world stage. The rest is always a blur. I walked on and off with a dancers for their amazing places huge smile on my face proud of everything I had accomplished not at 2016 World Championships: just in that minute of performance, but everything that had brought Ciara Mae Crone (CeidiUpton) 34th me to that point.

Ruby Driscoll (CeidiUpton) 38th To any dancer still on their competitive journey within Irish Dara McAleer (CeidiUpton) 6th Dancing, never, EVER let invisible, non-existent boundaries stop you Jeremiah Oliveri (CeidiUpton) 18th from pursuing big goals. Train harder, kick higher. You can do it.

Dakota Courtney (O’Brien) 20th Avril Grealish, Kavanagh Studio

Shadow Minister for Mental Health; Disability Services & Child Protection PO Box 2440, SOUTH HEDLAND WA 6722 stephen.dawsonmp@mp.wa.gov.au (08) 9172 2648 • 1800 199 344 (toll free)

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SUPPORT IN THE WA G

IRISH COMMUMITY

dancing music – many were tempted and kicked up their heels. What a wonderful night – the John Boyle O’Reilly Society Association should be very proud of putting on such a terrific entertaining evening, and I can’t wait to see what they have planned for next year.

I would like to thanks The Irish Scene for bringing the concert to our attention.

Catherine Scott, Nannup

Catherine Scott writes from Nannup and tells us she enjoyed the Damien Leith Concert in Bunbury...

with a real bang – amazing vocals from Fiona (I still have goose bumps from the Children of ’16 song!), outstanding musos (mandolin, guitars, and what was that selection of bongo drums and triangles??) who Dear Editor just brought the house down, and a With some trepidation I entered selection of Irish traditional music the “Cube” in Bunbury for the and Fiona’s own songs that were all Damien Leith concert – not having just perfect. What a start and I think heard any of his recent music and many in the crowd would have been only remembering his wonderful happy just to hear these guys play all rendition of Hallelujah from his time night! on “Australian Idol”, I wondered Damien Leith began with some what the night would bring. On wild Irish reels – he is accompanied entering the beautiful new foyer

by Jess, a truly fine violinist, but recently completed at the Bunbury when in Irish mode, I don’t think I’ve Entertainment Centre, we could ever seen faster fiddle fingers! This hear the welcoming hum of a happy set the scene for a truly memorable crowd and the gentle lilt of an Irish show of great musical diversity – we tune. Up the stairs, and the sound heard everything from Roy Orbison turned into the full flight of a real to opera (Nessun Dorma – what Irish get together. Wait staff weaved a voice he has to reach those high through the crowd, offering some notes). There was something for lovely little delights of prawns, beef everyone with toe tapping and hand and a fabulous mushroom arancini, clapping Irish numbers, to perhaps and the drinks flowed freely from the the finest version of Danny Boy very stylish Sky Bar of the “Cube”. that I have ever heard, performed Fred Rea and John Wilson were a cappella and just pure soul. singing a moving and toe tapping Wonderful! His performance of some collection of old and new music, of Roy Orbisons songs brought a warming up the crowd with the wide musical icon back to life, with many variety of songs. in the audience screaming their The new Cube Theatre is a really approval at the end of each number. lovely area for a concert – the stage After a wonderful collection of songs, is only slightly removed from the Damien made to leave but was audience, so it gives a real feel that brought back by the mad applause you are getting your own private from all the crowd, to round out the performance. Peter Murphy of the evening with the song that I best John Boyle O’Reilly Association began knew him for - “Hallelujah”. It was with a short history of Fenian, John a stunning song to hear live and Boyle O’Reilly and his connection what an end to a most entertaining with West Australia and escape to performance.

America from Bunbury – fascinating Not being done yet, the Craic stuff and a great opener for a very continued back out in the Sky Bar Irish night. area of the “Cube” with Fiona Rea Fiona Rea with Jon Edwards and and her band entertaining the Marcus Perrozzi opened the show well warmed up crowd with fine

65

Colin Conway moved by service for young Irishman..

Sir, I had the privilige of attending a memorial mass in Subiaco on April 10, for a much loved Irish lad who had taken his own life, age 28, on a farm north of the city. Much was learned of the circumstances of his state of mind at the wake at JB O’Reilly’’s.

Isolation, indifference and the carrot of permanent residency all seem to play a part but who knows, he is at peace now. One thing for sure his dear father and brother accompanied his body back to the West of Ireland. His mother awaits.

His many dear friends were so moved and devastated, many on their way home. It will take them all a long road to recover.

The Claddagh Association needs to be congratulated for their compassion, practical help both financially and emotionally and to Father Joe Walsh for his moving Eulogy.

Yours Sinclely Colin Conway

Jim Egan enjoys his first Fairbridge Festival Hi, I would like to thank the Irish Scene for introducing me to the magic of Fairbridge Festival, what a weekend, as Fred Rea said in his Fairbridge preview article, “I wouldn’t miss it for quids” and over all the years I was thinking, how did I miss it, Thanks again Fairbridge Festival, see you next year.

Jim Egan Joondalup

enthusiastic applause which just goes to show we ain’t all the same.

I’ll skip over the names of the acts I wasn’t that keen on but give a particular mention to one or two that I really enjoyed. Principally the Mae Trio, three young lasses from Victoria: they were outstanding for mine. Lovely harmonies, a superb Reviewed by Phil Beck cello along with mandolin, guitar Some weeks ago saw me that there were millions of people all and occasional banjo, and most schlepping down to Fairbridge for importantly, really good songs. over the place: most of the venues the annual musical beano with my Sadly too many musically talented were full whenever anything was old mate, the proprietor of this people let themselves down badly happening –which was most of the literary treasury trove, Fred Rea. time- and there were still hundreds Comhaltas of people in the bar and eating areas Freddie White or browsing amongst the numerous road side stalls. And clearly family groups made up a large proportion of the crowd. There were kids all over the place all enjoying themselves by picking crap songs (usually selfwith more than ample festival penned) but the Mae Trio most activities to keep them busy. There definitely did not let themselves were too, hordes of microscopic down: and a lot of their songs were buskers at every step of the way, self-penned. seeking to augment their pocket Another act I really liked was money with contributions from I’d arranged to camp with Fred for Voice Mail (was that a typo in the the madding crowd. Some of them the duration so for the first time Programme or a play on words?) a were pretty good too, one ‘act’ in in several years was able to stay particular stood out to me, two young local male voice choir of about 200 overnight allowing me to see what fellers with a combined age of about common blokes doing uncommonly happens these days on the festival impressive things to paraphrase 18 playing funky guitar and banjo late shift as it were. Previous the programme notes. I spotted with verve and gusto and enjoying recent years had seen me making them in Gus’s bar latish on Saturday themselves immensely: they’ll a prudent ‘exit stage left’ relatively night and thoroughly enjoyed gravitate to the main festival stages early in the piece seeking to avoid what they did. I spoke to one of any unfortunate encounters with them afterwards (Swainy) to say booze buses or other assorted I enjoyed the show and he told hazards on our roads. The rationale me that by then they were all a bit being that had I stayed longer I’d knackered and that wasn’t their have succumbed to temptation and best performance of the weekend. rendered myself unable to drive Well they must have been bloody in the sensible manner to which Jim Egan & Lucky Oceans good earlier then.

I am accustomed. This liberating Honourable development of camping over was before very long you mark my words. mentions should go very welcome and let me get a to, in no particular Good stuff. better feel of the festival. order, Freddie Even though there was a large For the benefit of Irish Scene White, Fasta, crowd and space in the smaller readers I jotted down a few of my Freewheeler and venues such as the chapel was at a musings about the festival, giving Siar. Freddie White premium, the atmosphere was nice a sort of thumbnail character is a bluesman and relaxed, I didn’t hear an angry assessment of what goes on rather originally from voice once. than in-depth analysis. Since the Cork who Fred I managed to see about 4% of former task is considerable easier Rea recommended the acts on offer, it’s impossible to than the latter, and as I rather like I see. I managed see the lot, and I have to say I was the sound of my own keyboard, to hear a few of very impressed with the overall so here for what its worth is an standard of those I did see. Of course his songs from his assortment of various bits and bobs any diverse programme such as performance in the Chapel, but as from Fairbridge.

I said earlier, the Chapel is a small Fairbridge’s is bound to be a bit of I got the impression that venue and there was no chance of a Curate’s Egg viewed subjectively Fairbridge is more popular than and inevitably there were a couple of little me being able to squeeze my ever. I have no idea of the ticket way in to see him my not having got acts I’d only rate at about 3/10, but sales figures but my impression was having said that those acts played to there a half hour before he started.

the festival of inspired music

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I sneaked round to the back door for a little listen but it’s not quite the same so I abandoned the Chapel for the joys of the Garden Bar for a Tony McManus restorative ale or two.

At the Irish Session in the dining room I heard the other three acts, but was a little disappointed because they all sat at floor level and all played together rather than as individual acts and with no amplification. In fairness I suppose that is what happens at real sessions but this wasn’t a real session, and I reckon a bit more thought could have gone into how the show was choreographed.

The musicians could have been on the stage for example and they could have used some amplification, very hard to hear what’s going on musically when there are 200 people in a room talking all the while. Having said that though, it was pleasant enough, and nobody else seemed to much mind the format.

I saw Fasta separately in the Circus tent behind the Chapel: I enjoyed them very much I like the Quebecois Cajuny type of stuff that influences what they do. Good songs again too.

Inevitably there was a host of other acts that I wanted to see but didn’t but one can’t be in all places at all times so they’ll have to wait for next time. I was also sorry that there isn’t any effort made to either allow or encourage informal sessions to flourish. There has never been any serious attempt to encourage the punters to do their own thing although there was for a few years a ‘folk club’ in the Town Hall, which the organisers might like to consider for future years. Or maybe, and even better, a beer tent away from the main stage areas where people can get together and sing or play or both. The only sing-around stuff that I saw over the weekend was at Fred’s tent, and it was mostly me and Fred keeping the neighbours awake late on Saturday night: there should be more of it.

Overall the festival was a good ‘un and the programme was better than it has been of late years. I think the recent change of ‘artistic director’ has proved to be a good move. There was a lot more stuff on offer that suited my tastes than has been the case previously.

That’s not really a criticism of the previous director by the way: all things benefit from creative renewal and I think Fairbridge has so benefitted.

So the upshot is that Fred and I will probably be there again next Rob Zielinski year: maybe we’ll see you there: bring your instruments and voices and we might even get a real session going. A spontaneous outbreak of folk music: now there’s a happy prospect.

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A S S O C I AT I O N B U N B U RY W E S T E R N A U S T R A L I A

‘One of Those Weekends’ Fiona Rea and The Hold

By Peter Murphy John Boyle O’Reilly Association It was one of those weekends... you know...when you couldn’t have asked for anything more. Friday night at the Rose Hotel saw Sean Roche passionately belt out songs from his latest album ‘Lest We Forget’ which pays homage to those who sacrificed their all during the 1916 Easter Uprising, and so that Irish men and woman all around the world can call Ireland their own. The small crowd never Damien Leith dampened Sean’s spirits one iota and he entertained as if performing to a packed Slane Castle.

However, this was only the beginning to one of those weekends.

Saturday afternoon, there we all were - like a batsman between the crease - running madly backwards and forwards to the City of Bunbury’s ‘Cube Theatre’ loading dock, unloading amps, microphone stands and musical instruments. By the middle of the afternoon, all the equipment was in place and sound check done. Two years of planning was now about to reveal itself and on whether we could keep to our promise: this would be one of the best shows to come to the grandest

theatre in town. By 6.pm, we were all in place; showered; shaved; in our best clobber; and with our John Boyle O’Reilly Association id badges pinned to our proud chests.

Suddenly, the doors swung open, and in they all swarmed like bees around a honey pot.

By 6.30pm the upstairs Sky Bar was packed to the rafters and with the bar itself six deep.

Up at the west end of the bar, Fred Rea and John Wilson were going through their well rehearsed repertoire of Irish and Australian songs, and with Fred’s version of Hugh McDonald’s of Red Gum ‘The Diamantina Drover’ punctuating its way through clinking of glasses and loud chatter. John’s ‘Rising of the Moon’, a ballad recounting a battle of the United Irishmen during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 penned by John Keegan Casey in 1866 was another highlight for me. John, from Donnybrook, is a familiar face in the south west music scene.

Up first on the main stage and

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there to support our main act (Damian Leith) were Fiona Rea and her band. And oh boy... did Fiona’s lively communication skills have our capacity audience (250) eating shamrock out of her hand?

However, it was only when Fiona and her band struck-up their first note, did I know there and then that tonight’s event wasn’t going to be any ole ordinary one. The acoustics

Fred Rea and John Wilson

were world class and Fiona’s vocals and her band’s rhythm section made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. After charming the audience with renditions of classics like The Streets of London and her own compositions you could tell by the audience’s reaction they didn’t want Fiona and her band to leave the stage. Highlight of the band’s set would have to be Declan O’Rourke’s, ‘Children of 16’; a song that pays homage to those 40+ innocent children who lost their lives in crossfire during the 1916 Easter Uprising. It was to be a pivotal moment in the band’s set,

as you could hear a pin drop.

After a short intermission, the audience made their way back to their seats. House full and lights down, the cheer that went up for Damien Leith and his band I’m sure was heard as far away as Donnybrook. And what a charmer, performer and ambassador to his country of birth is this man from County Kildare!

Damien, his guitarist and violin player just couldn’t put a foot wrong, as every song was so professionally executed. Songs from his last album ‘Songs of Ireland’ had the audience on their feet clapping madly, especially when he broke into ‘The Rocky Road to Dublin’. A standing ovation signalled the ever popular Leonard Cohen ‘Halleluiah’, but with an Irish twist that had some members of the audience dancing in the aisles. My last recollection from the wings was an audience on their feet in pure rapture, for what had to be the best show ever seen in the grandest theatre in town.

Sunday morning saw the faithful gather at the John Boyle O’Reilly Memorial at Australind to pay homage to the great man himself. Guided tours along the JBO Heritage Trail were well attended and with an extra tour having to be put on after lunch. Poetry, song and orations peppered the still morning air.

The association was delighted to present Tony Costa with the Ern Manea Award for his support the of O’Reilly cause since the commemoration first began. However, highlight of the morning celebrations was when ‘The Catalpa Pipe Band’ from Perth emerged from a grove of paperbark trees to charm the faithful with their renditions of Irish rebel tunes.

You know... It was one of those weekends...

For more information abount the JBOR Association contact Tom Dillon on 0417986298 or bdillon1@bigpond.com www.facebook.com/jboreilly or www.jboreilly.org.au

Fairbridge Festival 2016 The Editor Irish Scene,

international favour.

I particularly liked the music of Freddie White who hails from Cork whose music I heard for the first time and the Irish Session which combined a few groups Dear Fred such as Fasta and Freewheeler who put on a great I wish express a few words of thanks to the Irish Scene feast of traditional Irish music for the large crowd in for advertising the ‘Fairbridge Festival of Music’ which attendance.

I attended for the first time with friends last weekend.

I look forward to attending the 2017 festival of music.

The variety of music on offer was spectacular which Kind Regards catered for all tastes from Folk to Country and Sean McDonagh Western, Traditional Irish and the String band with an

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“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars”

Oscar Wilde Review by Lloyd Gorman There are a few ways to judge the quality of a play.

The power and persuasiveness of the actors to portray their characters, the strength of the script and plot, the attention to detail in the set design and quality of the props and backgrounds and the use of light and sound or other effects are all essential elements to make a good production great. These factors can have a major impact on the ability of a play to get people into a hall in the first place, and to mould their ideas and impressions as they leave and afterwards.

The Plough and the Stars in the Irish Club had all of this. The Irish Theatre Players contribution to the centenary of the Easter Rising was a great choice about the Rising, taken from the Dublin trilogy of plays by playwright Sean O’Casey that also includes Juno and the Paycock and Shadow of a Gunman. It was first staged in 1926 in the Abbey Theatre, just shy of ten years after events of Rising. A lot of the audience who watched it then would have had first hand experience and raw memories of that time and passions and emotions around the subject would have run deep and indeed there were riots during a performance from some who felt it twisted historical events, even slandered those who died for Ireland.

Of course todays audiences don’t come with such baggage, but we do come with expectations that the drama will reflect those times closely and draw in modern minds. The cast in this production did justice to the writing of O’Casey justice and the spirit of the occasion. It was funny where it was meant to be and tragic when it needed it. There was no overacting or disappointing performances, the cast held their own on what must have been a demanding run of 12 shows, and the lead up to that and everything it entails.

The night Irish Scene was there it was a full house and while this made things a bit snug for the audience it was heartening

to see so many people - young and old alike - come out and see a famous Irish play, maybe for the first time or again for some. I saw a production of the Plough and the Stars in the Abbey Theatre many moons ago and enjoyed having my memories of the play brought back to life. For the players themselves it must be very gratifying to play regularly to a house that is full or nearly full, a feeling that the whole effort is worthwhile and has hit the target.

A line in the play caught my attention. Early in the play the character of The Covey speaks the lines: “What does the design of the field plough, bearin’ on it the stars of th’ heavenly plough, mean, if it’s not Communionism?

It’s a flag that should only be used when we’re building th’ barricades to fight for a Workers Republic!”.

Lines like this connect this very Irish play with the Australian tradition of the Eureka Stockade (1854).

The hundreds and thousands of gold miners who took part in that historic incident threw up a barricade to defend themselves and their demands for a fairer go.

Their action is even said to have helped move Australia forward to become a more democratic and politically inclusive society. They were lead by Irishman Peter Lalor and assembled under the Eureka

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The Real Hougoumont

Flag and were considered to be rebels by the authorities.

The flag they stood and even fought under became a powerful symbol of their struggle and the Southern Cross is a well known and established symbol of their rebellious spirit. The Plough and the Stars flag, which was the banner of the Irish Citizens Army which was set up in 1913 to defend striking workers during the Lockout but also took part in the Rising itself, does not enjoy the same recognition or status in Ireland.

But this play reminded me this flag, which is so intimately connected and representative of the Easter Rising and flew with the tricolour during the fighting in Dublin, deserves more respect and attention than it has been given. For me that was a powerful message to take away from a production - amateur or otherwise of the Plough and the Stars.

To borrow a phrase from another O’Casey play - Juno and the Paycock, the character of Joxer asks repeatedly, “What is the stars?”. Perhaps they are our past but also our future!

Kim Redman, John Boyle O’Reilly Assoc Picture 1 The most popular image of the last convict ship to come to Australia, the Hougoumont, is the sketch in Picture 1. However, the latest evidence shows that the sketch is of a four-masted steel barque with a slightly different name – Hougomont – that was first launched in 1897, well after the infamous convict ship that transported Fenian John Boyle O’Reilly and the other Fenians to Fremantle in 1868.

Regarding the ship in the sketch, Wikimedia states, “Despite its provenance, it is not the convict ship Hougoumont”.

The Battye Library (Perth, Western Australia) states regarding sketch 1, “This four-masted barque was built at Greenock, Scotland in 1897. Please note that it is NOT the convict ship of the same name, sometimes spelled Hougoumont, which transported the last convicts to Western Australia in 1868”.

Pictures 2 & 3 show what is most likely the same ship as in sketch 1 when she ran aground off the village of Solway (North England) in 1903 and of her being towed into nearby Maryport harbour for repairs.

Picture 4: Wikipedia states that the Hougomont is “Not to be confused with Hougoumont”. And provides a Picture of the Hougomont docked in an unidentified port circa 1900 (State Library of South Australia PRG 1373-15-80) We now have two Pictures of what is almost certainly the Hougomount that transported Fenian John Boyle O’Reilly and the other Fenians to Fremantle in 1868.

Picture 5: is from a book called ‘My First Book’ and was published in 1894. The book is a collection of 22 well known 19th century authors including the likes of Rudyard Kipling.

The note accompanying this Picture states, “In this ship, the ‘Hougoumont,’ I served three years. She was a transport, and was in the China war, 1860-1.

Her burden was about 1,000 tons. This picture represents her as a sheer hulk employed in the construction of the Forth Bridge. I saw her towing down Channel in this state in 1889—she drew abreast of my house at Deal—and I could have wept to witness my old floating home in so miserable a condition”.

Picture 6: The Crimean War Veterans in Western Australia website shows both the sketch in Picture 1 and a Picture of the Hougomount that is very similar to Picture 5. This Picture can also be seen on the Canmore website (The online catalogue to Scotland’s archaeology, buildings, industrial and maritime heritage).

Picture 7: Wikipedia states: ”Hougoumont was the last convict ship to transport convicts to Australia. A three masted full rigged ship of the type commonly known as a Blackwall Frigate”.

A Picture of a Blackwall Frigate in 1853 from the Wikipedia link (Picture 7), closely resembles Pictures 5 and 6.

Any thoughts or comments on this matter that might clarify the situation further are most welcome. kim.redman@hotmail.com

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Easter Monday at the Irish Club

Seniorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lunch at the Irish Club

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Easter Rising Parade 19162016 Subiaco

by Lloyd Gorman

About two weeks after the St. Patrick’s Day parade and festival on March 13 in Leederville, the Irish community in Perth had another – even more unique – reason to get out and strut its stuff publicly in the neighbouring inner city suburb of Subiaco.

On Easter Monday (March 28) hundreds of people – made up of groups of friends and families with babies and children – assembled in a loose fashion around the Irish Club on Townshend Road.

They came together to take part in a parade marking the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising in Ireland. The day before in Dublin a spectacular five mile long route was marched by thousands of Irish soldiers and ex-service personnel, gardai as well as the navy, air corp and coast guard. It was a display akin to the best Anzac Day parade, which large numbers of spectators turned out to watch.

The footpaths of Subiaco weren’t exactly packed with onlookers but the street was filled with marchers.

The parade started from the Irish Club in the early afternoon. It got underway as the Catalpa Pipe Band emerged from the downstairs section of the club building, followed quickly by seven men all dressed in matching period dress who carried with them large mounted photographs or portraits of the seven signatories of the Proclamation who would be executed by firing squad for being the ring leaders shortly after the rebellion was put down.

A smaller pocket of period dressed men carrying flags came behind them, and behind them came the crowd, which included prams and buggies, someone in a wheelchair and even a woman on crutches. For those who wanted to parade their pride in their Irish heritage nothing it seems would deter them from taking part.

Following the strains of the pipe band the good natured and orderly crowd turned left onto Hay Street and streamed down the road until it hit the crossroads with Rokeby Road. The crowd – which included former Subiaco mayor and former Irish child migrant Tony Costa, curved around the corner of the Subiaco Hotel (which as we saw from the March/April edition of Irish Scene has a long and proud Irish tradition of its own) onto Rokeby. About mid point of making the turn onto Subiaco’s main shopping strip a police car came screaming up from the Roberts Road end of Rokeby with its blues and twos on, in the direction of the marchers. But as quickly as it appeared the squad car turned right onto Hay Street, away from the procession.

When the top of the parade hit Barker Road it turned left, to bring it back in the direction of the Irish Club. This leg of the parade also marked perhaps the most interesting part of the event.

The moving mass sprawled out when it came close to St. Andrew’s Anglican Church. A small detail dressed as Irish rebel soldiers with an escort carrying the Irish Tricolour and the Plough and the Stars flag. From the steps of the church a uniformed officer read aloud the Proclamation. The pipe band and men carrying the pictures of the Rising leaders stood silently in front of the re-enactment while people jockeyed a bit for a space where they might see or at least hear the proceedings.

A loud applause and cheering greeted the end of the reading, which appeared to go off flawlessly. Once more the band struck up and the parade made the relatively short distance back to Townshend Road and the Irish Club where the band and re-enactors put on one final display before the gathering dissolved into the club or other surrounding waterholes to carry on the celebration and share the occasion with friends and family.

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York Remenbers Irish Famine Victims List of single Immigrants passengers per Palestine Mrs Amos, Matron Ann Archer, M. Border S. BURROW S. EVANS J. MAYNE J. NEILLE M. RAWLINGS H. STILLMON C. CUNNINGHEM M. GERAGHTY M. FLANAGAN M. FLYNN B. STAUNTON M. TAYLOR M. EGAN B. FITZGERALD E. HANSBERRY W. WARDE M. KILROY B. FULLY M. CUNNINGHAM S. PINDER, M. BUTLER M. HEAVY M. FLYNN B. CONCANNON M. NOON M. KILFOYLE C. HUGHES M. NEILLE M. LOWE M. EGAN C. COLDHAN C. GLYNN M. COOKE M. MANNION M. DOOLEY C. FULLY E. CARBERRY M. CARBERRY E. ARNOLD C. COLEMAN M. ALKINS M. HALL

O

n May 8th a Famine Commemoration will be held in York at St Patrick’s Church. It will be an opportunity for us all to remember those who sacrificed their homes in Ireland and travelled to a new land, Australia. We will be in particular remembering the women who made the long journey to Australia on the sailing ship, The Palentine. On that ship was a group of Irish women from workhouses who made a decision to leave a country ravaged by famine, poverty and death as a result of famine. Many, if not all were orphaned as a result of the Famine.

These young women arrived in Fremantle on board the Palestine sailing ship in 1853 just three years after the first convict ship had arrived in the West Australian colony. By this time (1850) some 4,175 orphan girls from work houses across Ireland had already been sent to the eastern clones.

On the ship Mary Ann were unmarried Irish women - including Mary Ann Taylor. It had sailed from Plymouth and taken 155 days and was often a rough passage - and was even feared lost at point.

During the 22 week long voyage there were 12 deaths and six babies born. No doubt glad to be off the ship and back on solid ground Mary Ann walked the 60 miles to Toodyay through bushland to start a new life in Australia. We will be especially remembering Mary Ann on the weekend.

Mark O’Brien and his wife Carmel have made the long journey from Ireland to be present at the event. Mark coordinated the making of a travel box for Mary Ann at Arbour Hill Prison for the commemoration.

The weekend will also see the launch of Bill Marwick’s book on his ancestor, Mary Ann and the launch of a beautiful song by Bill’s daughter Donna dedicated to Mary

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The Palestine

Ann. The passenger list of the single passengers is printed on the left and you will see M. Taylor and also E. Carberry. Elizabeth Carberry went on to marry James Maguire of Dardanup who played a major role in the escape of John Boyle O’Reilly.

At the recent St Patrick’s Day mass at the Perth Cathedral, the travel box was used during the ceremony and following the service was placed outside the cathedral near a plaque on the wall. The plaque was dedicated to Father Martin Griver, who the second bishop of Perth. It was the same Fr Griver who married both Mary Ann Taylor and also Elizabeth Carberry to their respective husbands.

I am writing this piece on Anzac Day at a time when we are rightfully remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice. I have no doubt many of the ancestors of the women from the Palestine were part of the war effort. But surely the sacrifice of these women should also be remembered and they will be on May 7th.

Fred Rea

Do the men of England care not, Mother, The great men and the high, For the suffering daughter’s of Erin’s Isle, Whether they live or die?

Come nearer to my side, Mother, Come nearer to my side, And hold me fondly, as you held My father when he died; Quick, for I cannot see you, Mother, My breath is almost gone; Mother! Dear Mother! Ere I die, Give me three grains of corn

Easter 1916 Remembered at the Perth GPO As part of their Heritage Series, on 23rd March, 1916, the Perth Chamber Orchestra produced a well-crafted program, melding traditional Irish pieces with classical. It was an inspiring night for the full house attendees, with performances by Fiona Rea, Fiona Cooper-Smyth, Bryan Rice Dalton, Rob Zielinski, adding to the wonderful Perth Chamber Orchestra.

As the general audience were seated and the VIPs began to file in from their pre-show reception there were sudden noises in the GPO auditorium. Sounds of gunshots.

We turned and in the quietening hum of audience chatter we saw the source – three Irish dancers down the centre aisle rising with sporadic hard shoe steps on the hard parquet floor. Mixed with the murmur of the incoming VIPs it had a haunting echo of the beginning of the Easter Rising in the GPO Dublin on 24 April 1916.

Then silence. A flute, a female voice – a woman in white emerged with a candle choralling ‘She Moved through the Fair’ and slowly she too disappeared. Beautiful theatre. The story of the 1916 rising followed projected on the wall that was informative, succinct and moving but for the cannulated stonework across the middle of the screen.

The 15 piece chamber orchestra

directed by Irish born Jessica Gethin played the soothing elgiac sounds of Mahler’s symphony No 5 and the scene was set.

A reprieve in the insurrection saw Irish stew served to us in our seats. This was a second course after the colcannon cake and wine on arrival and was to be followed by desert of triple fudge Irish cream brownies in the second interval.

The program featured music, song, verse and text with a lineup of ten guest performers and a troupe of Irish dancers. The vault-like hall of the GPO did not favour the spoken word but the experience shared by the audience was splendid. Slides of Ireland back-lit some of the music which ranged from classical European, Irish and Celtic to traditional Irish.

Highlights were ‘The Foggy Dew’ sung by Bryan Rice Dalton suitably attired in cap and waistcoat, and a most evocative arrangement of ‘The Children of 1916’ sung by Fiona Rea that I really look forward to hearing again.

From the ashes of the rebellion the Irish fiddle, bodhran, banjo and mandolin stirred the new nation to a resurrection of the old Irish traditions now free to give creative expression and brought the building to life with the full complement of the chamber strings.

Congratulations to producer Bourby Webster who devised a most imaginative entertainment mix that did great honour to the memory of Easter 1916.

Tony Bray

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PERTH

Life is looking pretty Rosy for Denise

By Lloyd Gorman Denise Quigley now knows exactly where she will be between August 17 and 23. The Donegal hairdresser wasn’t expecting to be back in Ireland in 2016 but she will soon be touring Ireland and standing on a stage in The Dome in Tralee as the Perth Rose in the world famous Rose of Tralee festival.

After a month’s long local nomination and selection process that culminated in the Perth Rose of Tralee Ball in Crown on April 23rd, Denise was picked out of five beautiful and talented contenders. She had a lot of support on the night and even the following morning when Irish Scene interviewed her, the pleasant surprise of being named the Perth Rose still hadn’t quite sunken in.

“It hasn’t dawned on me yet, I’m getting all these messages of congratulations,” she said. “I still can’t believe it, its amazing, I got such a shock, I wasn’t expecting it at all, I was delighted, absolutely delighted.”

Amongst the well-wishers and friends in the audience Denise had a

CENTRE

Denise Quigley and Escort Danny Costello

very special guest, her mother Ethel who had arrived just a week earlier as part of a five week holiday.

“Denise bought me a ticket as a Christmas present, to come out to see her because she hadn’t planned on coming home this year, because she has a friend getting married next year and she was going to go home for the wedding. So it was just coincidence that myself and my son - Denise’s brother Gary - both happened to be in Australia for the Rose Ball.”

Denise booked a flight for her mother and brother Gary before she entered the competition. “About six or seven weeks ago she told me she was going to be a Rose, she had been talking about entering it and then one Sunday night when we were talking on the phone she said she’d put in the nomination papers.

When she got word back she said, “Oh mammy, I’m going to go for it, it’ll be a bit of fun and I’ll meet other girls.”

The Quigley family have been keen observers of the Rose of Tralee festival, including Ethel who has

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been watching it since she was very young. “It was big in our house,” she added.

The family have even directly experienced the magic of the Rose festival in Tralee.

Ethel said that in 2012 they, and others, travelled to The Kingdom to support a local girl who was representing their native county.

This time around the Quigley’s will be shouting for one of their own, even if she’s not going to be in the Donegal colours.

There is another reason why this will be a personal pilgrimage for Denise and her family. Her boyfriend and escort on the night of the Rose Ball in Perth Danny Costello is a Tralee man, hailing from Ard Fert just outside the town.

“What’s even funnier than having my mum and brother out here for the Ball is the fact that Danny booked tickets to go home in August at the end of last year and he really, really

immediate connection to the Rose of Tralee. “My auntie, Virginia Costello, was involved with the Rose for years.

She looked after the Roses when they got there, sorted out their accommodation and help them.”

While he won’t be her official escort during the Rose festival, Danny will of course be there for her and is looking forward to taking her to places like Dingle and the Ring of Kerry, places he said are the best in the world on a fine summer’s day.

Denise with her mother, Ethel wanted me to go and I said I couldn’t go home this year because my mum is coming out, so he’ll happen to be in Tralee when I’m in Tralee, its funny how it all worked out.”

After Denise was named the Perth Rose her predecessor from last year, another Denise, Denise Lynch, passed on some useful words and tips of advice for the fast moving and unique journey that is to be a Rose in the Rose of Tralee festival.

Denise knows it is going to be a whirlwind trip and a once in a lifetime opportunity and relishes the thoughts of it and the show of support she will get from friends and family - who are already scrambling to book accommodation for the event.

After the hullabaloo and excitement of the Rose has passed Denise said she hopes to make the most of the trip home. “I’ll extend my time a little bit, I’d like to take my time and enjoy it, and I’d love to travel the west coast of Ireland, the Denise is presented with her trip particularly to Tralee by sponsor Jennie Allen south west coast, and of British Travel just be a tourist and take it all in.”

Denise was in Tralee once with Danny on their last previous trip to Ireland, about two years ago. For Danny it was already going to be a special occasion. The wedding he is planning to attend is of friends and neighbours of theirs, a couple from Galway, who they lived beside in Queensland where they met and lived previously. They came to Perth about a year ago, where he is a Fly in Fly Out worker. When Denise mentioned that she was thinking about entering the competition he was very supportive because he works long swing shifts away and it would be a good way for her to get out of the house and meet people. “I’m very proud of her,” he said. “The Rose of Tralee was always there for us, when we were kids we used to go in and watch the fireworks on the Wednesday night. Mother would watch it on the TV and we’d always have little bets about who was going to win.”

His family - including his mother who was “happier than anyone” about Denise’s news, has another, more

Rose of Tralee Raffle Winners 1st Prize Denise Quigley ticket #162; 2nd prize Stephen Casey ticket #330; 3rd prize Bernadette O’Gorman ticket #005

ou Thank Y

Farewell and thanks: Rose Committee

The hard working and dedicated members of the Perth Rose of Tralee committee announced on the night that they will all be stepping down and they hope new candidates with fresh blood and ideas will replace them to organise this vital community event.

“Jessica, Sarah and Lindsey would like to take the opportunity to thank the Irish community for their support over the last six years. Our special thanks go to Nyomi Horgan and Lisa Parkinson who not only act as our chief judge on alternate years but have also been there to support and guide us.

The Rose is a big time commitment for the committee members. It takes a lot of hard work to organise and run every year and it has become challenging for all with work commitments and raising young families.

“We are proud of the shape we are leaving the Perth Rose in, having worked hard to secure ongoing major sponsors such as John Hughes, Tighe Jewellery Studios (formally Alban’s Master Jewellers), Masonmill Gardens Restaurant and Elma Lauren Hair and Beauty.

“A number of other committee members have been involved: Annemarie O’Brien, Kate Friend, Sarah Grootveld, Mary-Jean Simms, Samantha McMullen, Karen Cadd and Ailish Dillon.

“We are sure that the Perth Rose centre will continue on, to ensure that Perth will remain part of the International festival into future. We wish the new committee the best of luck and can’t wait to attend Rose functions as guests.

Jess, Linds and Sarah

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In the heart of the Hibernian Metropolis

By Seth Kaplan June 16th, 1990 and a small group of actors was wandering between sights in Dublin acting out small scenes from James Joyce’s Ulysses (at a bookshop along Aston Quay).

It was earlier at Davy Byrne’s pub that I had attached myself to this troop, The Baloonatics. They were slowly making their way to the Ormond Hotel, stopping now and then to do a bit of a scene from Joyce’s book. To see them perform, to hear the accents, to see the mannerisms and to be “on location” was really striking. All I knew was I was liking it, I was enthralled, I was smiling and I was

getting a little drunk.

The summer of 1990 I had signed up for a four week Irish Literature summer program through Georgetown University. I was 25 and had finished with my undergraduate studies a few years before, a degree in English. I was floundering about trying to figure out what to do with my life. I worked here and there, nothing with future and then I stumbled upon this summer course. As an undergraduate I had an English professor who taught us James Joyce’s “The Dead”.

It had really struck a chord. It was sort of an academic awakening for me. There was so much to it, it was deep, it was funny, it was sad, it was serious, it was beautiful. With that one lesson I thought “Maybe this James Joyce guy has written other things I’d like?”

I read, and tried to read as much as I could.

I did read Ulysses, but was well aware that I didn’t understand it. Some things stuck; the language, the characters, the voices, the musicality, and, mostly, the humour. This got me thinking that maybe if I read more Irish Literature maybe more of it would make sense. I did what I could, but it was this course that really opened my eyes. We read Flann O’Brien, John McGahren, Brian Moore and Seamus Heaney to name a few.

And it worked. I went on to get a masters degree in Irish Studies I have been to Joyce conferences in Dublin and elsewhere, I at-

tended the James Joyce Summer School, I’ve even visited his grave in Zurich, on Bloomsday no less. But still, without fail, everytime I look at or read or hear about Ulysses I learn something new.

What is Bloomsday? Bloomsday itself is June 16th, 1904. That is the day that all of the action in Ulysses takes place. And why that specific date?

The most common theory is that it is the date of Joyce’s first date with his eventual wife Nora (who was also his model for Molly Bloom, Leopold’s wife) But, there is no proof that that was the actually day of their first date and Joyce himself never actually said why he chose it as the day to set his epic.

Another theory states that he chose that specific date because no major world events happened on it. Just another bland, normal day. The first celebration of Bloomsday came in 1929 when his publishers, Sylvia Beach and Adrienne Monnier held a grand luncheon for Joyce and 30 guests (at the Leopold restaurant near Versailles) in honour of the 25th anniversary of the original Bloomsday.

The modern celebration of Bloomsday began in 1954. On the 16th of June that year a small group of Dublin literary men - Flann O’Brien, Patrick Kavanagh, Anthony Cronin, John Ryan and Niall Sheridan and others -hired horse drawn carriages to take them around the city to various Ulysses locations.

They started the day at the Martello Tower in Sandycove, where the novel begins. Their Joycean journey that day was rather alcohol fuelled, but not without its intent to celebrate Joyce’s masterpiece and it’s setting, the city of Dublin. Since then Bloomsday has turned into a worldwide celebration of all things 78

Joyce. From marathon word for word readings of Ulysses, to actual marathons (the Bloomsday Run in Spokane Washington), to celebrations in Szombathely, Hungary (the fictional birthplace of Leopold Bloom) to @Ulysses (a 2011 attempt to tweet Ulysses 140 characters at a time). While Bloomsday has become a bit of an industry (at least a week long) I for one am still impassioned by it and it’s sourcebook.

Saturday June 16th, 1990, was my first Bloomsday. The day began bright and early and with a slight hangover. To be fair, I was 25 and was on a Irish literature summer program in Dublin Ireland. I would be disappointed if I hadn’t had a hangover.

It was a Saturday but we had an informal class. John McGahern was came to talk to us and he read from his new novel ‘Amongst Women’.” That in itself was a pretty amazing event for any day, let alone Bloomsday (Amongst Women was nominated for the Booker Prize that year) It was a beautiful sunny summer day (yes, in Dublin Ireland) and with class over I headed over to Davy Byrne’s Pub. I had heard that people dressed up in period costume and went there. For all I knew, that was it. Take a few pictures, have a pint or two and look at the people in period costume, maybe have a conversation or two about Ulysses or Bloomsday and try and learn a bit more about it. Then, walking slowly and deliberately down Duke Street came The Diceman. In 1990 the term perfor-

mance artist was not a common thing. But here he was. A well known local icon and all done up for Bloomsday. And then the Balloonatics did an impromptu performance. It was Bloom considering lunch at the Burton.

Three men pantomiming gluttony and sloth at a lunch counter, Bloom standing back a bit, observing and commenting, and a narrator. All in period costume and hats. I watched. It was the first time Ulysses was alive in front of me: We wound our way down and over to the Ormond Hotel. There a small space had been set aside for some set pieces by the Balloonatics. More drinks were had as we waited and gathered in a small banquet room. The performance was about an hour in total, with various sets of actors doing small vignettes from Ulysses, Dubliners and

Finnegan’s Wake. The latter thrilled me. I had always been intimidated by “The Wake”. I just didn’t get it and couldn’t make any sense of what I was supposed to be reading. I knew of it and about it, but didn’t know it at all.

I had no reference point to go from.

But then I heard these two actors do a ten minute scene and I’ll tell you now, if you hear that read aloud and acted out, well, it doesn’t exactly make sense, but you can almost get the gist of it. And I did. I had a walkman that could record (for you millennials, a walkman is kind of a giant ipod that played cassette tapes). I taped that scene and to this day still have and listen to the recording. You can hear me laughing at parts on the tape. It was wonderful. When these scenes finished, we milled about the Ormond for a bit and a small group of us decided to go to Mulligans Pub. There I was told how in the back room of the bar Joyce had set the arm wrestling match of his story “Counterparts” in Dubliners. We were a good crowd at Mulligans and my journal notes that we stayed until last call. And then as quick as it began my first Bloomsday was over. But the first of many.

Still now, every June 16th, as possible, I find myself doing what I can to enjoy Bloomsday. Last year, 2015, I took part in a marathon reading of Ulysses in Washington DC. Sure, some years I’ve been lucky enough to be in Dublin for Bloomsday. Other years I’ll content myself with some reading and maybe a few pints. It’s become a special day for me. I still am far from understanding the book, and the more I learn about it the more I realise that.

But on June 16th (or anyday for that matter) if you’ll listen, I will tell you all that I know about it and do what I can to explain it to you and try and let you realise that it’s accessible, it’s amazing, it’s funny and it’s wonderful.

Seth Kaplan is an American photographer, graphic designer and Joycean enthusiast and lover of Irish literature and culture. He travels regularly to Ireland, particularly to celebrate Bloomsday in its native setting.

His journeys have previously taken him to Western Australia in the 1980s where his father was teaching at UWA for some time. Seth hopes to return to Perth later this year to visit Irish friends living here.

By Lloyd Gorman

Goodbye, Jacqueline

Jacqueline O’Brien, widow of the legendary Irish racehorse trainer, Vincent O’Brien, died in Dublin, Ireland on March 15. She was 89. Tributes flowed from the Irish and Australian communities and horse racing sector.

March 15 was also the opening day of the UK Cheltenham Races, where she and her husband knew and loved so much and claimed so many wins he had a race there named after him and was also crowned horse racing’s greatest ever figure, beating the Queen and Queen Mother, Aga Khan and retired champion jockey Lester Piggott for the gong.

Mrs O’Brien was born in Perth nee Wittenoom, one of WA’s oldest pioneering families which she wrote about in The Wittenoom Way, which a history of the family and the 200 years story of WA. She co-wrote it for her children, who all live in Ireland, with the exception of their eldest son David and his family who have a famr near Perth but the book became very successful with wider audiences.

The idea for it was hatched in St George’s Cathedral while Mrs O’Brien was showing a grandson a plaque dedicated to her great-grandfather, the Rev. John Burdett Wittenoom who came out to WA as the colony’s first chaplain.

“Tom said to me that our Irish family, brought up in Ireland, didn’t know anything about their West Australian heritage - they can’t even remember the name Wittenoom -- so he said ‘write a book’, and I did,” she told her local newspaper, the POST in 2010. “They may or may not be interested in it, but at least it is there if they want to research further. I’m glad the history is down on paper.”

Like any good investigation the research for the book threw up some very interesting and sometimes unexpected results.

“I found out, for example, that Edith Cowan was a granddaughter of the Reverend Wittenoom. We didn’t realise she was a part of the family.

“I don’t think many people know much about her but she worked long and hard for the rights of women and particularly children, both legally and medically. She helped found the King Edward Memorial Hospital and the RSPCA.” The book also revealed a surprising coincidence between her family past and Mr O’Brien’s life.

“William Burges, the uncle of Thomas Burges who married Augusta, the second daughter of the Rev. Wittenoom, made good money as a pastoralist and returned to Ireland from the Murchison,” she said. “He bought a beautiful property in Fethard, Tipperary.

“William’s father had been a doctor in the village and his three young sons -- William, Sam and Lockier -- had left Ireland to come to WA in 1829.

“That same property, Coolmore, was bought by Vincent in the 1970s and from here, with his son-in-law, John Magnier, he created a thoroughbred breeding empire.”

She co-wrote Vincent O’Brien – The Official Biography, Great Irish Houses and Castles and Dublin, a Grand Tour, and was the photographer for Ancient Ireland. All four of her books became number one best sellers. She featured in an article in Irish Scene about four years agon and proved to be a remarkable and beautiful lady and and absolute joy to meet.

She met and married Vincent in 1951 and was a devoted and dedicated wife and partner for all their days.

He died in 2009, aged 92. They lived in Ireland for most of their marriage but also divided their time in Ireland, with their home in Dalkeith, Perth.

They two sons, David and Charles, and three daughters, Elizabeth, Susan and Jane, 19 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

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From Tasmania with Paula Xiberras

ROY, ROMANCE, TREKS AND TRIBUTES MEANS THIS IDOL IS NEVER IDLE!

by Paula Xiberras Damien Leith is set to perform in Tassie again after touring here last year as part of a 45 day tour of his play ‘The Parting Glass’ which left him ‘over the moon’. Such was the response and success of the play Damien tells me it may ‘pop out’ again sometime in the future.

This time it’s a flying visit to perform one of his exclusive run of six shows celebrating the anniversary of Roy Orbison’s 80th birthday. Tasmania has the honour of having Damien perform the show on Roy’s actual birthday. With such a fly in fly out visit Damien says he would be lucky to take in a ‘sneaky’ game of golf!

Roy Orbison, a gentle man was something of an enigma to other male artists of his era. Instead of the very masculine songs other male artists were creating, his songs were romantic ballads. Roy, not on purpose, reflected a mysterious persona with his dark glasses (he began wearing his sunglasses after mislaying his own prescription glasses on a plane trip) and his dark clothes which were simply worn because Roy lacked a stylist and just ‘did the best he could!’

Damien has worked with Roy’s co-writer Joe Melson and says he has learnt from Joe, including, the prime importance of the lyric, and not losing that emphasis amidst all the other factors involved in the construction of a song.

From a very young age Damien has been an admirer of Roy’s music and recounts his focus on attempting to hit those high notes like Roy. This year also sees the tenth anniversary of Damien’s win on Australian Idol, Damien hints that there may be some special plans a foot to celebrate this event later in the year and that Launceston, who unfortunately miss out on the Roy Orbison show this time around, will be included in the Australian Idol celebrations.

There’s also on a new album of romantic ballads and if that is not keeping this renaissance man busy enough he’s also set to complete some personal goals, non-music related including doing the Inca trek and a half marathon!

TROUBADOUR TOMMY

by Paula Xiberras

80

Well, maybe Tommy Tiernan wouldn’t really call himself a troubadour but one can sense when talking to him that behind the comedic mask there lies a serious poet.

I recently chatted to Tommy from Ireland prior to his just completed and very successful latest tour of Australia.

I remark to Tommy that there isn’t a Tasmanian date this tour, with true comedic timing he replies he ‘must have done something awful last time!’

With that sharp wit I wonder if Tommy had ever considered another career. Tommy says he did consider a career in the priesthood but he wasn’t holy enough and that comedy became his choice because he was not ‘torn between two lovers’ and so could approach it with gusto. Comedy was the thing Tommy had a talent for.

I suspect Tommy is overly modest in not nominating a talent for anything else. As he tells me he has a great love of words, literature, reading plays and writing poetry, a way with words that goes beyond that required for a command of comedy.

In saying that it takes an extreme and quite inclusive talent to be a comedian, no joy for the thin skinned and demanding complete commitment.

Also required ‘a sensitive ear’ for the audience reaction, engagement, delivery tone, a sound story and the necessity, while not to ‘fundamentally change’ material, to manipulate and make adjustments to suit a particular audience.

And how does a comedian like Tommy prepare for a show and sharpen his craft? Tommy says he listens to other comedians. He cites Dylan Moore albums, Spike Milligan and Monty Python as all wonderful resources that put him in the comedic frame of mind.

While those classic comedians get him ready for a show, I ask Tommy what he does to relax in between comedic commitments and he tells me it can range from meditation to ‘being in the moment’ by reading his much loved poetry.

Tommy has always had a strong fan base in the Australian Irish community but encourages all those nonIrish lovers of comedy to come along to his show.

Maybe in another time and place Tommy would be a bard or a court jester for kings but in our time he is the king of jest.

“I BEG TO REPORT…”

Superintendent Owen Brien’s Dublin Metropolitan Police Surveillance of Irish Extremists from June 1, 1915, to April 20, 1916

By Sean M. Leary

When a box filled with iron frames arrived at Lipton Ltd, in Nenagh, County Tipperary, little did the owner know that Owen Brien, Superintendent of the Dublin Metropolitan Police [DMP], already recorded its contents in detail on January 14, 1916.

Conscientiously, Brien compiled

his list, just a man doing his job well. A box heading to Tullamore filled with carpenter’s tools, another filled with cart lamps for Lynch’s Ironmongers in Ballinalough, Co. Roscommon; the list details items discovered as a result of searches for arms at the North Wall, in Dublin. “No arms were found amongst the above,” Brien writes in conclusion.

Superintendant Owen Brien and his team collected their intelligence meticulously, reporting their findings to the Under Secretary for Ireland, Sir Matthew Nathan, at Dublin Castle. The DMP Reports, available online from the National Archives of Ireland, capture not only the “Movements of Dublin Extremists,” but the growing discontent and swelling of emotion which would eventually lead to the April 24, 1916, Easter Rising.

Of the 260 files, all but two are without Brien’s signature. His detailed reports are a treasure trove of information. Over 700 scanned documents with attachments, such as newspapers and memorandums, list the comings and goings of Republicans in detail, as well as periodicals and newspapers in circulation in Ireland at that time. Papers such as Na Bac Leis [Of No Concern] The Irish Volunteer, The Irishman and The Workers Republic are attached to numerous files and used to monitor activities throughout the

country as well as measure the mood of the people. Na Bac Leis, written in Gaelic, was translated, and the English translation was provided to help the authorities at Dublin Castle stay ahead of the Republicans.

More than 230 people are mentioned in the reports.

The highest attention given to members of the Irish Volunteers, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, and Sinn Féin.

Republicans such as Pierce Beasley, Thomas Byrne, Con Colbert, Bulmer Hobson, Seán T Ó Ceallaigh, Seán Mac Diarmada, John McGarry, Joseph McGuinness, Herbert Mellows, Michael O’Hanrahan, William O’Leary Curtis, Michael Joseph O’Rahilly and James Joseph Walsh are mentioned frequently, according to 2011 Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys T.D. Thomas J Clarke’s shop at 75 Parnell Street features strongly in Brien’s reports. Clarke had served 15 years in Pentonville prison for his participation in O’Donovan Rossa’s Fenian Dynamite Campaign’s failed attempt to blow up London Bridge. Clarke’s shop appears to have been a meeting place for all Republicans as they planned the Easter Rising.

Clarke is mentioned in almost every report. When the old Fenian, O’Donovan Rossa, exiled in America, died on June 29, it was Clarke who cabled John Devoy with the message, “Send his body home at once.” O’Donovan Rossa’s funeral on August 1 in Ireland caused Dublin Castle anxiety. A special report, filed on July 30, titled “O’Donovan Rossa Funeral Procession” shows how Brien and his intelligence team knew what was going to happen before the events at the funeral on August 1.

Patrick Pearse’s speech at Glas-

81

nevin Cemetary stirred the emotions of all nationalists and remains to this day one of the finest examples of writing in Irish history.

“They have left us our Fenian dead,” Pearse said at O’Donovan Rossa’s graveside, “and while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland unfree shall never be at peace.” The words, however, were not logged in the DMP files. Owen Brien’s next record commences on August 3, with no reference to the funeral or the speech by Pearse.

After 11 months of surveillance, Brien’s reports stop on April 20, just four days before the Rising began.

On 21 April [Good Friday] 1916, arriving in Kerry from Germany, Roger Casement was arrested on charges of treason, sabotage and espionage against the Crown. On April 24, Easter Monday, Patrick Pearse stood outside the General Post Office and read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic signaling the start of the Rising.

Long before phone tapping and computer hacking, Owen Brien Superintendant of Dublin’s Metropolitan Police and his intelligence team, were telling tales.

“I beg to report…” Brien states at the start of each typed file. And report he did, leaving us with another perspective of the covert planning and immense effort that went into the Easter Rising of 1916.

Owen Brien died on July 16, 1924. He lived in Finglas, Co. Dublin.

WAGS Western Australian Genealogical Society Inc.

posted some of my better shots. I still receive images from this group in my timeline. They remind me of the special time I spent in Ireland and get me itchy to go again.

At the October meeting of the Irish Special Interest Group at the WA Genealogical Society, member Sabrina Armstrong is going to demonstrate how simple it is to set up a Facebook account and she’ll show us some of the wonderful Irish family history Facebook groups we can belong to once we have a Facebook account.

Immersion – get in deep

Irish family history is always considered the “difficult child” in family history circles. And it’s not for the reason you think. Family historians tend to leave their Irish ancestors until the last because it can be just so hard. There are people who have been working on their Irish ancestors for two decades and more. They haven’t given up, and neither should you.

To paraphrase one of our political leaders, there has never been a more exciting time to be researching your Irish ancestors.

No, really. So much more is coming available all the time. Check out the Genealogy in Time blog and see for yourself. This monthly blog updates family historians with the latest records available online for various parts of the world.

Even if all your ancestors were Irish, do not despair.

There is plenty to get you started.

A good strategy is immersion, particularly if you were not Irish born and you did not grow up learning Irish history and geography. Get your whole body immersed in all things Irish family history. That can also mean all things Irish. Subscribe to a couple of free online e-newsletters. There are lots of them and what will suit you depends on where your ancestors were from. Some offer a premium service for a fee but try the free version first.

Social media is another wonderful place to be in Irish family history. Make Facebook friends with some of the lovely people all around the world researching their Irish ancestors. Learn from them and share what you know.

There are 32 historical Irish counties, and - would you believe - there are 33 associated county Facebook pages, including one for people who don’t know which county their ancestor came from (ISR County unknown).

There are also a number of general groups covering all Ireland, such as Irish Genealogy, Irish Roots Hunters, Irish Surname Registry, Irish Workhouses, Irish Genealogical Research Society, Ireland and the High Kings, Irish Clan. If you have a query about Irish family history research there are so many groups of friendly and helpful people willing to have a go at answering it. All you have to do is ask (politely).

People planning a trip to Ireland sometimes ask these groups for advice about places to go and stay, driving itineraries and where to hunt out records or graveyards. Group members are located in Ireland as well as many other parts of the world.

Before my first trip to Ireland I joined the Facebook group Ireland by the Roadside where amateur and semi professional photographers share their images of Ireland. It got me in the travel mood and afterwards I

Catholic parish registers update

The new Ancestry and FindMyPast indexes to the free Catholic parish registers put up last July by the National Library of Ireland are now available, as foreshadowed in the last issue of Irish Scene. In the spirit of sharing both indexes are free to access and search. The indexes include a link to the relevant images on the National Library of Ireland website. To use this you need to register with either Ancestry or FindMyPast but you don’t need a paid subscription to access the Catholic parish registers index.

Mary Ann Taylor Travel Box

The Irish Special Interest Group has been coordinating a group of people who are re-creating the kinds of garments issued to Irish workhouse migrants like Mary Ann Taylor in the nineteenth century. A team of volunteers is currently fully occupied drafting, cutting and sewing gowns, petticoats, chemises, bonnets, neckerchiefs, aprons, collars, caps and shifts.

By 8 May all the sewing must be complete when descendants of Mary Ann Taylor are to place the items in the replica box by before the box is donated to the York Residency Museum for community education, thus bringing this community history project to a fine conclusion.

Irish Special Interest Group Meetings

At the April 2016 meeting of the Irish Special Interest Group member Mary Byrne spoke about the push and pull factors which impacted on Irish people moving to other parts of the British Isles in the 17th to 19th centuries. The presentation by new member Anne Walsh about the Easter Rising 100 years ago has been deferred to the July meeting when there will also be time to get involved in helping develop a county research guide or work on your own personal research in the WA Genealogical Society’s resource centre.

Meetings for the remainder of 2016 will be on Sunday 17 July and Sunday 16 October, starting at 2pm at the WA Genealogical Society, 48 May Street, Bayswater. More information on the WAGS webpage under Events. Visitors and new members always welcome. Gold coin donation for afternoon tea.

Jenni Ibrahim Convenor, Irish Special Interest Group WA Genealogical Society - Phone 9271 4311 Email irish@wags.org.au Irish SIG w/page see http://membership.wags.org.au

82

Online Forum http://membership.wags.org.au/forum/irish-sig (free registration, open to anyone) References www.genealogyintime.com/records/newest-genealogy-records.html

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83

Around the Irish scene Compiled by Fred Rea

Jaxon Joe Tighe born 13March in Kathmandu Nepal.

Weight 2.39kilos. Admiration for the Australian Embassy for their impeccable assistance and most of all our Honary Irish Consul Marty Kavanagh for his guidance and legal advice which assisted the ultimate success of our adventure. What a journey. .. but what a result. Congrats to Graham and Andrea

Damien Leith is well stocked up with Taytos during his Bunbury trip performance.

The Taytos were courtesty of the Irish Club and Taste Ireland.

Michael Murray shares a farewell drink at An Sibin with the Merry Ploughboys, Dermot Byrne and Paschal Clarke prior to their departure to Ireland for the Easter Commemorations.

Bernard and Geraldine O’Sullivan with their 10 beautiful grandchildren at Eamonn and Mary’s beautiful daughter Estelle’s christening

WHERE’S DANNY? Our own Seniors and Capitol radio DJ Oliver McNerney with Mary Black at Mary’s book launch at The Irish Club

Jim Egan enjoying a nice breakfast of McLoughlin’s Black Pudding and Pork Sausages at the Fairbridge Festival

LARRY CELEBRATED 90TH Larry Bowes from Birr county Offaly recently celebrated his 90th birthday. Pictured are four generations of Larry Bowes at the lunch at Lakers Tavern in Thornlie. Family came from Ireland, UK, Canada, Victoria and Queensland.

Pictured L-R: Larry Bowes (his dad was also called Larry Bowes), Son - Larry Bowes (my Brother who is coming from the UK), Grandson - Larry Bowes (my brothers son also from the UK) and Great Grandson – Larry Bowes (my brothers grandson). Cheers Rod

84

Around the Irish scene Compiled by Fred Rea

I know of many blokes who would love a kiss on the cheek from Paul North of JB’s but I didn’t know Bob Walsh was on ther list!

Enjoying the Craic at the Woodvale Tavern on St Patrick’s Day is Frank Glackin, Mary and friends.

Pat Ducey celebrating his 70th at JB O’Reilly’s with family and friends!

Didn’t your mother tell you Bernard (O’Sullivan), it’s rude to point? Geraldine sees the funny side.

Patricia Grant with Grand children from Dublin Ireland, and Conor & Anna her two Grand kids visiting from Perth Western Australia

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along and we hope enjoyed themselves.

We love seeing you at our Claddagh Events.

The Plough and The Stars – Special Matinee for Claddagh Seniors

On the 16th April our Claddagh Senior’s had a wonderful afternoon at the Irish Club watching their very own special matinee of The Plough and the Stars.

It was such an enjoyable afternoon and both our seniors and volunteers had a great time.

We had a raffle on the day and there were some lucky winners in the audience for Foster and Allen tickets for 23rd June at the Astor Theatre. We would like to thank the Irish Theatre Players for giving our Claddagh Seniors a subsidised price and also thank the Irish Club for providing us with light refreshments.

Thank you to all those who came

Claddagh New Membership and Upcoming Renewals

The Claddagh Association are welcoming new members.

As a member you are entitled to a vote at our AGM, receive a regular newsletter and overall you are helping the Claddagh where possible provide support to the Irish community in times of crisis.

Our aim is to provide a fund for the provision of financial assistance for those in need. This objective is achieved through fundraising, donations and members’ fees.

If you are interested in joining please contact admin@claddagh. org.au or go to www.claddagh.org. au and fill in the online membership form.

The Claddagh Association offered free membership this

financial year, however, as of 1 July 2016 we are re-introducing an annual fee of $10 to help support the association.

We would like to thank our current members and advise them that we will be sending out renewals in early June and we hope to receive their continued support. Without the support of our members, sponsors, volunteers we would not be able to carry out the work we do.

Christmas in July- The Mighty Quinn We are excited to advise that we will have our annual Christmas in July Dinner on the 25th July at the Mighty Quinn.

This is a guaranteed afternoon of fun with a three course meal, live music, games and prizes.

This is always a sell out so please book ASAP to avoid disappointment on 0497 446 531

Laura Treacy - Co-Ordinator

08 9345 1713 admin@cladddagh.org.au www.claddagh.org.au 193C Flinders St, Yokine WA 6060

McLoughlin Butchers Malaga Proud Supporters of the Irish Scene Drop in and see our range of Irish prepared meats 58 Westchester Rd, Perth WA 6090 mcloughlinbutchers.com.au Like us on facebook 86

Fr Padraig Kelly GAAWA President, Gerry McGough

Fr Padraig Kelly – His Cup floweth over

By Fred Rea/Lloyd Gorman

Perth enjoys a very active GAA scene and a passionate following. One of the annual highlights of the sporting year for Gaelic players is the Fr. Kelly Cup 7 a side tournament.

Fred Rea recently ran into the man this well established and contested trophy is named after. He met Fr. Padraig Kelly in the Irish Club and found out more about the man whose legacy continues to this day.

“I’m originally from Galway, but am now stationed in Ndola, Zambia, Central Africa. It’s known as the copper belt of Zambia. I came there first in 1974 as a government teacher but also as a priest. I spent five years in teaching, mostly teacher training and then I was elected to leadership and spent eight years in leadership and running a parish and outstations with the people, learning and speaking their language.”

Fr. Kelly is a fluent speaker of the local tongue.

“When you are in the environment, meeting the people, you pick it up, but its great to have it really. They are a very genuine and lovely people to work with and a great sense of respect for people and courtesy, respect is the big thing I noticed when I came to Zambia.”

It is a long way from the west coast of Ireland but there is a spiritual link of sorts between it and his adopted home. “I started in secondary school in Ballinafad but I came from a small place that had no secondary school, Cornamona, Co. Galway. The secondary school was provided by the Society of Missionary Priests (SMA) for young lads who wouldn’t get the opportunity of a secondary education otherwise, back in the 1950’s and 60’s most of Connemara was our secondary education, so you finished at grade seven. I didn’t know what I wanted to do but I felt I wanted to be a priest. I eventually told my mother, and then my dad. Both of them gave me permission and I went off and studied for five years in Ballinafada, near Castlebar. We had missionary priests teaching us, men who had worked in the missions; they were very balanced people, who had a lot of experience outside of Ireland.”

Fr. Kelly’s association with Western Australia came about by a curious turn of events in West Africa. “In 1969 I was appointed to mid-west Nigeria (with the SMA) and the civil war was on there at that time. I couldn’t get a visa from the Nigerian government because there were a number of Kelly’s on the stop list who were involved with the civil war that were there, on the Biafra side. They were excluded from returning to Nigeria and anybody who had the name Kelly was automatically excluded as well, as I was, even though I’d never been to Nigeria. So then I was asked by my

society if I would come to St. Brendan’s College, near Fremantle, in Hilton, as a teacher. I spent three years there in that school and doing parish work on Sundays in Palmyra and Brentwood. We grew up playing Gaelic football and hurling and had a great love for the game.

I came to the Irish Club, then at Highgate, and I met a Mayo man, by the name of Martin and we both started talking about football and hurling and next thing we bought a football and cloth to make jerseys and announcing that there would be football starting on the Esplanade, so every Sunday we did that. We gradually formed little teams and had matches on Sunday and ran a sort of league system and as more and more people came along eventually teams were formed. So it was a great social occasion and it meant the men and women came together. Then we moved to St. Norbert’s College, Queens Park and we were there for a long time, actually until I went home in 1973. That’s how I first met Tommy Kearns and his wife, Kathleen; they had just come out from Ireland. I was saying Mass in Brentwood near where the rest hall the migrants from Ireland could stay for the first four or five weeks upon arriving before they’d need to move out and get their own accommodation. So after Mass I would bring them to the football in the afternoon and they would meet each other and talk about or find out about work, houses and the like.

It was a great way for young people to get to know each other.”

Fr Kelly said he was a bit disappointed initially to be sent to Western Australia but soon changed his mind. “I loved it here, I enjoyed it, they were a great three years in my life and I made many friends and this visit is to catch up with some of them again, especially those who are old and sick.”

He usually returns to Ireland once a year as well to recharge the batteries. “At my age I go back for a few months, just to get a break, back to Galway. It’s a lovely city but I stay in the country, about 35 miles from Galway, near the Mayo boarder. The big love for hurling and football is still there, particularly Gaelic football, going to matches. I love that and going with friends. I do some fishing too on Lough Corrib, trout mostly, mainly using fly.”

So what are the origins of the Fr. Kelly cup Fred asked the visiting Cleric? “I think it must have hapContinued over...

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St Finbarrs Celebrate 40th Anniversary The very successful local Football GAA Club was founded 1976 and this year celebrates its 40th anniversary.

A founding father, Peter McKenna shared some memories with the Irish Scene of the early days and the great characters who formed the club.

The club name came about after Mick Kennedy from Cork insisted if he was to play for the team the name be called after a Cork club, St Finbarrs. The deal was done and they got their player and Mick got his way!

BRING ALONG YOUR OLD ST FINBARRS PHOTOS

Fr Padraig Kelly Cont....

Enquiries: Peter Mckenna 0447 258 000 or Alan Burke 0417770093

pened after I left (in 1973), I remember presenting a cup one time alright, it was a day I couldn’t play myself because I busted my finger so I made the presentation to the winning captain. It was a cup, but whether it was the one that became the Fr. Kelly cup I don’t know.”

After his short trip to Perth, Fr. Kelly was heading back to Africa to continue his good work. True to say the world is a small place. He recalls meeting another Fr. Kelly, Fr Fritz Kelly who was a priest at nearby Shenton Park but who was also a missionary priest in Africa like him. “I met him in Zambia, he was a great character.”

Fr Padraig Kelly catches up with old friends at the Irish Club Tommy Kearns and Sean O’Casey

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Those involved at the beginning to name a few, Sean O’Casey, Denis Bratton, Neil McCague (RIP), Peter McKenna, Mick Morgan, Dave Ross (RIP), Danny Rice (RIP) and others.

Training was on Langley Park on the Esplanade and retired to the Ozone Hotel for refreshments.

Sean O’Casey and Mick Morgan were the inaugural coach’s/trainers.

Training was a Wednesday night.

Membership was free at the time and players and supporters were sold a can of beer for $2 after the game. This made sufficient funds to run the club.

This was football only and St Finbarr’s was the first club formed within the Irish community that resulted in a league being formed with Greenwood, WAIT, Queens Park, Kalamunda, Como and other teams. The late Paul Andrews, MLA was part of the Queen’s Park club.

Fundraising for the club began in Gosnells with the help of the local Irish in the Shamrock Club. Later

the Irish Club became the focal point for fundraising. At the time a midi of beer would cost around 50c so this was a sound way of getting the club established.

One of the important fundraisers was the season beginning Ulster Fry at Davey Ross’s home in Belmont.

There were no McLoughlin’s or Trinity Butchers then but Peter McKenna told us that a Scottish butcher in Fremantle prepared a sausage meat loaf with vegetables etc. This was a Belfast delicacy and even the Corkmen enjoyed it. Didn’t last long! Thanks to the ladies and bakers in the club there was lots of soda bread on offer and that also went down a treat.

Those families who attended these fundraisers were the Colgan’s, the McMahons, the Hawkins family, the Burkes, McGoverns, the Wisdoms, the Reillys and many more.

The club made trips to Kalgoorlie and Bunbury in the early days to promote the game. The matches in

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Bunbury were played in Karri Park.

There were some notorious characters involved at the time and we are sure that at the reunion on June 3 will hear many of the stories.

Steve O’Sullivan from Beara was one of the greats at the time and they say he had just one foot, his left. No hand ball. No right foot, just his left.

Adrian McGuinness was another who played up and his episodes at the fund raising nights are legendary, only to be told by him.

Over the years Andy Roche, Tony Sheehan, Frankie Fagan, Joe Brennan, Michael Murray, Mick Manning to name a few, had some involvement in the club.

On June 3rd in the Irish Club in Subiaco past and present players, supporters and officials will gather to celebrate a wonderful contribution to the Irish community in Western Australia. If you want to know more please contact Alan Burke 0417770093 for more details.

Fred Rea

SHAMROCK

Rovers

Rovers return to Vic Park Season 2016 has commenced and the club finds itself back at its spiritual home in Victoria Park.

All teams are now back playing at Harold Rossiter Reserve after a trial period of having its State League commitments north of the river. It’s a good feeling having all our teams back at the ground we have called home for 30 years. With Victoria Park being a central location it has made it easier for under 18 players to attend training and for long term supporters of the club to attend matches.

Two weeks into the season our State League team has had one win and one loss. We have a vastly different squad to last season due to players moving back to the motherland or trying their trade in the National Premier League. This has meant first team manager John O’Reilly has been very busy trying to replace “like for like” players in an attempt to ensure Rovers challenge for the title again this season. We had a solid night series campaign reaching the semi-final stage of the competition. Since then we lost our opening league encounter at home to Joondalup United 0-3 but were able to bounce back a week later with an impressive 3-2 win away to perennial title challengers Ashfield SC. Our State League reserves and under 18’s have both lost their opening two matches of the season. Both squads are very young and we hope that by keeping the squads together for successive seasons will help build the foundations of the club for years to come. We continually look to add to our youth stocks and invite any young player who would like to play for Rovers to contact Marty on 0410 081 386. We still have positions available for young players to have their fees covered by the club but they need to contact Marty.

In an attempt to win a fifth championship in succession our Amateur squad has got off to a perfect start – winning three from three. Robbie Fanning and Fergal Burke have again taken on the role of coaching but with Fergal making the move back to Ireland in May we are looking for a replacement. If you would like to coach a seriously competitive side who are attempting to win promotion into next years Premier League then please contact Wayne wbrooksie@hotmail.com for more information.

Lastly, if you would like to promote your business

we can help. Shamrock Rovers Football Club can provide exciting benefits to your organisation. If the following could assist you and your business then please contact me on the number below.

• Branding on club jerseys and/or apparel • Marketing and promotional opportunities • Preferred venue for club celebrations or functions.

• Signage within and around clubhouse • Partnering on club fundraising events • Preferred supplier of goods or services Mick Manning Shamrock Rovers President 0418 917 050

Rovers in Action...

www.shamrockrovers.com.au 90

Michael Manning President Shamrock Rovers

Gaelic Football & Hurling Association of Australasia Western Australia FOOTBALL: 7’s:

On Easter Saturday last, the 26th March the WA Gaelic Football season kicked off in Tom Bateman Reserve with the Football 7’s. All football clubs in WA participated and we were delighted to welcome Men’s and Ladies teams from Singapore Lions GAA Club. The sun shone brightly and a big crowd witnessed top quality 7’s football throughout the day. On the day there was also a Bar, Food and a Bouncy Castle to entertain the kids and a great day was had by all. After a mammoth 8 hours football, St Finbarr’s came out on top in the Ladies competition while the Singapore Lions triumphed in the Men’s decider. A reception was held in the Irish Club following the football where medals and awards were handed out. On behalf of the State Committee can I take this opportunity to thank all of the volunteers who helped out in the bar, kitchen and around the grounds making sure that everything ran to plan. Can I also thank our Football Sub-Committee for the effort they put in planning and organising the competition and all of our clubs for their participation.

A special thanks to Singapore Lions GAA Club for making the trip to Perth. Hopefully it is the start of regular matches between our clubs and GAA brethren in Asia.

FR KELLY CUP:

The 10th April saw our pre-season competition, the Fr Kelly Cup take place at Tom Bateman Reserve.

There was both a Men’s and Ladies completion played off in a league format with semi-finals and then finals taking place. After an enjoyable day and some impressive football skills, Western Shamrocks and Southern Districts contested the Ladies decider while Southern Districts and Western Shamrocks met in the Men’s final. After two intriguing matches played in a competitive spirit, Western Shamrocks won the Ladies final while Southern Districts

won the Men’s decider. Presentation of medals and trophies took place in the clubhouse after the finals and sincere thanks is extended to the Football Sub-committee and all the volunteers running operations behind the scenes, who made the day such a successful event.

The next football action commences on Friday the 29th April with the 1st round of the Ladies League taking place at 6:30pm in Tom Bateman Reserve. The first round of the Men’s League takes place at 12:15pm on Sunday the 1st May at the same venue. All are welcome.

league format with one final deciding the outcome, Western Swans and St Gabriel’s battled their way to the Camogie final while Gerry McGough, Sarsfields and President Western Swans locked horns in the hurling decider. After a top notch display of

HIGH SCHOOLS COMPETITION:

Following on from the successful high schools competition held in November 2015, another competition will be held on the 12th May 2016.

The day will consist of a coaching session in the morning while games will take place in the afternoon. The venue will be John XXIII in Mount Claremont and already there are 3 teams from 5 schools confirmed to take part on the day. Please contact Ciaran Gallagher on 0414498910 or ciaran@gallaghermigration.com.au if you would like further information, to get involved or to help out in any way on the day.

Emma Byrne WS Captain receiving Camogie Trophy from the family of Tim Hickey

camogie, Western Swans emerged victorious on a score line of 2-04 to

HURLING: Tim Hickey Memorial 7’s:

On Saturday the 16th April, the Hurling season in Western Australia got off to a flyer with the staging of the annual Tim Hickey memorial 7’s competition. The tournament featured hurling and camogie teams from Western Swans, Perth Shamrocks, Southern Districts, St Gabriel’s and Sarsfields. Throw in took place at 1:30pm in R.A. Cooke Reserve and a big crowd witnessed glorious conditions and super stick work throughout the day. Playing 10 minutes aside and roll on roll off substitutes there was a high standard displayed in all matches with no quarter asked or given by all the teams involved. Played in a

Shane Coleman Captain Sarsfields with the hurling trophy

St Gabriel’s 1-01. In the Men’s final Sarsfields and Western Swans took part in a hum dinger which resulted in Sarsfields coming out on top on a score line of 6-03 to Western Swans 4-00. After the finals the family of Tim Hickey presented trophies to the winning captains Emma Byrne of Western Swans and Shane Cole-

Football: BGC Grounds, Tom Bateman Reserve Cnr Bannister & Nicholson Rds, Canning Vale Hurling: RA Cook Reserve, Coode St. Morley

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is compulsory and all players are asked to contact their clubs to arrange their registration for the coming season.

CLUB AFFILIATION:

All clubs are asked to have their affiliation fee paid to the State Treasurer before the commencement of the respective leagues in Hurling and Football.

STATE GAMES:

The 2016 Australasian State Games will be hosted this year by Queensland with games taking place in Brisbane. The State Games will run from Wednesday 27th October to Saturday 1st October. The Games will include competitions in Men’s & Ladies Football and Hurling & Camogie as well as a Minor Competition. It is hoped that Western Australia will send a number of teams including a Minor outfit with a trial for the State Games Minor Squad to take place. Further details regarding this will be provided in due course. Can I also ask our clubs to start thinking about nominating club members as State Coaches for the Brisbane Games as the deadline for nominating same is approaching quickly. Please approach your club representative to pass on your details to our Football and Hurling Sub-Committees if you are interested in being a State coach.

We are currently working on a new Website, Facebook Page and Twitter Account to inform everyone on all aspects of Gaelic Games in WA. Further details to follow.

Finally, if you are interested in taking up Football or Hurling, becoming a Referee, getting involved behind the scenes or providing sponsorship for any of our competitions, please do not hesitate to contact myself as State PRO or Gerry McGough, our State President.

Sincere thanks is extended to all our players, referees, volunteers and sponsors for their continued support of Gaelic Games in Western Australia.

man of Sarsfields. On behalf of the State Committee can I take this opportunity to thank the family of Tim Hickey, our Hurling Sub-Committee for all the effort they put in making the 7’s such a successful event, all the volunteers who ran operations off the field along with the players pitch-side, and Kentz Engineers & Constructors, proud sponsors of Hurling and Camogie in Western Australia. The next hurling action throws in with Round 1 of the Hurling League taking place on Saturday the 7th May 2016, with a 2pm start at R. A. Cooke Reserve. All are welcome.

JUNIOR ACADEMY:

The Junior Academy is once again up and running for another year for all budding Henry Shefflins and Colm “Gooch” Coopers! Registration took place on the 10th April to coincide with the first day back at training.

Currently an inter-school carnival and blitz is being organised in schools north of the river and it is planned to hold challenge matches throughout the season. A new initiative for the Junior Academy will be the staging of Cul Camps in the July and October school holidays.

More details to follow. The Junior Academy will again be operating out of Kingsway on Rugby Pitch No 2. All budding hurlers and footballers are welcome to come down and learn the skills of our games in a safe and fun atmosphere.

Kind Regards, Tom Murphy, PRO Gaelic Athletic Association of Western Australia; President: Gerry McGough – 0410 233 532 PRO: Tom Murphy – 0458 954 052 Hurling: R.A. Cooke Reserve, Coode St, Morley.

Football: Tom Bateman Reserve, Wilfred Rd, Canning Vale.

ONLINE REGISTRATION:

On the 14th April a meeting was held in the Irish Club with Natalie Walsh of Active Network to outline the new program for online registration of GAA players being rolled out in Western Australia. Online registration

www.thebreakwater.com.au

58 Southside Drive, Hillarys Boat Harbour Ph: 08 9448 5000 Fax: 08 9448 6000

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Gaelic Games Junior Academy Update Well we’re back! We kicked off again on the 10th April at Kingsway Sports Complex and despite it being school holiday time we had plenty children come along to get involved again! Especially the 4-6 year olds, we’ve never started with so many at the start of the season which is great for the future of our hurley swinging, football kicking little legends!

At the end of Term 1 on the 6th April we had an inter school blitz! From the hard work of Gerry Crowley, and PE teachers from a few local schools (Tapping, Hocking and Carramar) we had 9 teams

of 9 a side school blitz, Gaelic football was played the battles continued for most of the school day in Carramar Primary School, it was a huge success the kids really enjoyed this ‘different’ sport and the day has had very positive reviews all round!

Of course the whole idea is to give our academy kids some competition so that’s the next step, arranging competition against our own academy. So well done to Gerry and thank you to Tapping, Carrramar and Hocking Primary schools for supporting this event!

School blitz kids from Hocking, Carramar and Tapping Primary Schools.

As we head into Term 2 of the school year, the Gaelic Games Junior Academy embark on our second year of hosting Cúl Camps! We will host one week during July school holidays and 1 week during Oct school holidays.

There will be limited numbers to 50 children per each week and the cost will be very reasonable to if you intend on enrolling your child, please let us know as we will have an early bird booking special!

Please contact ggjunioracademy@gmail.com for more details. Or pop up to Kingsway sports complex any Sunday from 12-1.30 to chat to a committee members for more details.

QUICK INFO GUIDE: Training: Sunday 12-1.30pm Venue: Kingsway Sports Complex Ages: Boys and Girls 4years - 12years Equipment needed: None, all provided.

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Cul Camps: Dates 4th-8th July inclusive.

Times 9.30am - 2.30pm Venue: Tapping Primary School Ages: 6 - 12 years Boys/Girls Equipment and Kit provided.

TIM HICKEY MEMORIAL 7’S

Meadow Springs, Sunday 20 March 2016 St. Patrick’s Day Trophy / Provincial Competition Individual results: 1st: Kevin McGloin 39pts, 2nd: Dom Hyde 36pts 3rd: Anthony Gannon 36pts,

Fifth: Ulster 26 points First picture shows Club President Peter McKenna with winner Kevin McGloin. Second picture shows the winning Provincial Competition team, Leinster.

Hartfield Country Club Sun 17 April Captain’s Cup Individual results: 1st: Philly Archer 41pts, 2nd: Paul Jenkins 40pts 3rd: Andy McDonald 39pts, L/Gross: P.J. Kenny L/P: Steve O’Sullivan, L/Drive Ladies: Sally Ann McDonald Congratulations to all the winners.

Picture shows Club Captain Anthony Gannon with winner Philly Archer.

L/Gross: Andy McDonald L/Putt: Michael O’Grady, L/Drive Men’s: Paddy Kavanagh L/Drive (Ladies): Louise Brophy Special congratulations also go to the 16 players who have qualified for match play throughout the year and the chance to become the next champion of the Irish Golf Club WA! The next round of match play is coming up soon.

Provincial Competition: The provincial competition saw a friendly rivalry between the four Irish provinces and an international team. Special thanks also to McDonald Surveys, kind sponsors of the Provincial Trophy. Results were: Provincial Competition Champions: Leinster 127 points Runner-up: Internationals 122 points Third: Connacht 111 points Fourth: Munster 108 points 94 94

St Gabriel’s Hurling & CamogieClub

St Gabriels GAA Club caters for players of all levels of ability, including those who have never played the sport before. Joining the club is a fantastic way to get fit, meet new people and be involved in lots of fun social activities.

Sponsors: PTR Asset Finance: Simon 0423 032 014 www.ptrasset.com.au PERI Australia Pty Limited John 0418 885 604 www.periaus.com.au An Sibin Irish Bar, Northbridge Shane 0404 784 102 Player Contact List: Camogie: Danielle McInerney 0405 418 809 Hurling: Ronan Kilroy 0439 979 237 F/Book:S.t. Gabriels Hurling WA StGabriels CamogieClub Website: stgabrielsgaaclub.com

The hurling and camogie teams train Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7pm in Wembley Downs. Check the contact details below and get in touch if you are interested in getting involved.

The annual Tim Hickey Memorial Sevens Tournament got the season off to a start on April 16th. Congratulations to Sarsfields and Swans on winning the hurling and camogie respectively. Thanks to all who helped in organising the tournament and those who helped out with officiating. Well done to all players and management who represented St. Gabriels hurling and camogie teams on the day.

A big thank you to our sponsors An Sibin for hosting the post-match get-together Both the hurling and camogie team are looking forward to the start of the league in May. We would like to thank our sponsors, players, team management and club members for their contribution to the club so far this season.

PERI Australia Pty Limited John 0418 885 604 www.periaus.com.au

An Sibin Irish Bar, Northbridge Shane 0404 784 102

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Proud Sponsors of St. Gabriel’s Hurling Club WA

An-mhaith to Denise Quigley Perth Rose of Tralee 2016

Mary Black at the Club

Pie & Pint Night EVERY MONDAY Every Thursday Trad Music & Irish Classes COMHALTAS

Live music from 7pm.

Join B CLU THE t the bar! sa

Form

Music Lessons Set Dancing 8pm followed by the Seisiun Irish Language Classes 7pm

IRISH CLUB SENIORS

SENIORSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; LUNCH

Ist Friday of the Month. $15 per person Bar open from 12.30pm.

Lunch at 1pm.

Bookings 9381 5213

The Irish Club A GREAT PLACE FOR A PARTY Functions & Fundraisers Contact Club:

Tel: 93815213

Irish1@irishclubofwa.com.au

Have you renewed your membership yet?

Visit website to download the renewal form.

Do you have an email address? If so, please let us know.

irishclubofwa.com.au

The Irish Club is a members only club, and we welcome new members. Application forms can be downloaded from the website.

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