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McLoughlin’s Meats........................... 9249 8039 Meat Connoisseur............................... 9309 9992 Fenian 63 Book Launch Frank Murphy Celtic Rambles......... 107.9fm Fiddlestick ................................David 0413 259 547 Torc Ceili Club McKee Funerals.................................. 9401 1900 EasiVisa ............... Carol-Ann Lynch 9429 8860 Bord Failte / Tourism Ireland Aust Irish Heritage Assoc................ 9345 3530 The Gathering..................................... 0431 018 388 Irish Families in Perth The Claddagh Assoc.......................... 9249 9213 IACC ..................................................... 1300 513 633 St Patrick’s Day Mass........................ 0474 481 297 Avoka Woodvale / Avoka Belridge Clonakilty Fresh Frontier Killarney Autos .......................... Neil 0439 996 764 Stephen Dawson................................. 9172 2648 WA Labor Party Integrity Property Solutions............. 0423 618 506 Durty Nelly’s, Perth............................ 9226 0233 Galway Hooker, Scarborough Irish Club of WA, Subiaco................ 9381 5213 JB O’Reillys, West Leederville........ 9382 4555 Johnny Fox’s, Northbridge Murphy’s Irish Pub, Mandurah....... 9535 2666 Paddy Malone’s, Joondalup............. 9300 9966 Ric O’Shea’s @ The Beaconsfield 6226 9240 The National Hotel, Fremantle........ 9335 6688 Woodbridge Hotel, Guildford.......... 9377 1199 CTon Recruitment 0458 532 374 Kavanagh Lawyers............................. 9218 8422 Vibe Legal............................................ 6111 4890 GAA ..................................................... 0458 954 052 Irish Golf Club of WA Perth Ascot Racing Carnival Shamrock Rovers................................ 0410 081 386 AI Express............................................ 9243 0808 British Travel........................................ 9433 3288 Tyrepower Perth City ...............Fiona 9322 2214
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Imelda Gorman 0450 884 247 Email: irishsceneperth@gmail.com Lloyd Gorman 0479 047 250 Email: irishsceneperth@gmail.com Canal Walk Media
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Contents An Ghaeltacht........................................ 70 A Minute with Synnott.......................... 62 A Parade Down Memory Lane..............18 Ambassador Ó Caollaí’s St Patrick’s Day Message......................53 ANZAC Songs........................................34 Around the Irish Scene.........................82 Australian Irish Heritage Assoc...........77 Australian Irish Dancing Assoc...........88 Beauty and the Beast of Living in the Bush......................................4 Bill Daly - The Irish Race.......................56 Book Reviews.......................................... 78 Claddagh Report....................................64 Cooking with Lee....................................86 Family History WA.................................68 From Home to Home: Oral Histories of Irish Seniors in Western Australia......66 GAAWA................................................... 92 G’Day from Gary Gray........................... 42 G’Day from Melbourne..........................54 Honorary Consultate of WA.................40 Irish Choir Perth.......................................77 Irish Theatre Players..............................90 Lán An Bhéil De Mhaitheas..................72 Let It Be Me............................................. 87 Matters of PUBlic Interest....................44 Meeja WAtch..........................................20 Paula from Tasmania...............................74 Shamrock Rovers....................................91 St Patrick Has His Day, Let Sheila Have Hers!.............................14 The Fairbridge Festival..........................38 The Judge Who Fought The Law For The Right To Parade In Perth For St. Patrick’s Day........................................8 Ulster Rambles.......................................58 Wish You Were Here!............................28
Beauty and the Beast OF LIVING IN THE BUSH BY LLOYD GORMAN
FEBRUARY’S HORROR BUSHFIRES ON THE FRINGES OF PERTH WERE ON AN UNPRECEDENTED SCALE FOR THE METROPOLITAN REGION. THE TOWERING PLUMES OF SMOKE RESEMBLED THE SPEWINGS OF AN ANGRY VOLCANO AND WERE VISIBLE FROM ACROSS THE CITY. THE WESTERN HORIZON AND SKYLINE OF THE CITY WAS CROWDED WITH THE SMOKE AND HAZE STEAMING FROM THE RAGING INFERNO WHILE FAR FLUNG SUBURBS EXPERIENCED SNOWLIKE SPRINKLINGS OF ASH CARRIED ON THE WIND. AND ALL THE TIME A HIGHLY VISIBLE FLEET OF HELITAKS AND FIRE FIGHTING AIRCRAFT RELENTLESSY ATTACKED AND BOMBARDED THE BLAZES FROM DUSK TO DAWN, DAY AFTER DAY. 4 | THE IRISH SCENE
It was an extraordinary thing to witness from a distance, but thousands of residents in the affected areas suddenly found themselves engulfed by danger. Originally from Waterford but long term Gidgegannup couple Charlie and Joan Walsh Smith were amongst the thousands of people* forced to suddenly flee their homes and properties. Several bush fire fighters were injured as they battled the flames and searing conditions. Despite the best efforts of everyone involved, eighty six houses were consumed and charred to a crisp. The husband and wife team of sculptors were amongst the lucky ones not to lose their homes but that may well be in no small part because they knew a terrible time like this was inevitable. Fred Rea caught up with Charlie to find out more about their brush with danger and how they prepared for it. “Seven houses on adjacent properties very close to us on our western and eastern sides were lost,” Charlie said. “Ninety per cent of our property was burned but if you were sitting in my house looking out the window – everything looks absolutely like a normal paddock, but just a short distance to the right or left is utter devastation, with trees by the thousands gone like matchsticks.” Even though they and their Reen Road property – which is also home to their studio and workshops – were as well prepped for an emergency as possible, they were caught by surprise when the moment came. “It started on the Monday in the afternoon and I thought it was too far away to bother us because we live 40km away, we had no idea the fire would stretch for 40km and in the end the fire front was 142km wide – the biggest one ever seen here,” he said. They had to leave at short notice but they put their bushfire plan into action. “We set up here in 1986 and bought this wonderful 150 acres of bush property which only had a tin shed on it at the time, so that’s what we moved into,” he said. “The first thing that became obvious to us was
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST OF LIVING IN THE BUSH
Left: Images from the February fires that engulfed huge sections of Western Australia. Right: Charlie with one of his scultpures that survived the fire. Photos Charlie Smith that a major bushfire had been through it before. I found metal on the property that had melted, so you go into these situations with your eyes wide open and with an understanding that there was a risk living in a place as lovely as this. So we started researching, and you must remember that we were newly arrived from Ireland, so it was all new to us and the technical ramifications of living in the bush and the potential for this lifestyle side by side with this terror we have just experienced. There was a hollow area in front of the shed and it just seemed from the start that if we were going to live in this wonderful setting that we would need to be independent of power and have a back up water supply so the first thing we did was build a dam.” Joan found a copy of Joan Webster’s The Complete Bushfire Safety Book, first published in the same year Charlie and Joan came to Western Australia and which is still considered to be the bible of its genre even today. “We studied this and it became our bible and as a result we set about creating a system which would hopefully protect us in the worst eventuality,” he added. “You need your own electricity, which is a big generator, your own
water supply and a system that can deliver water to suppress bushfires around you.” They worked hard and invested heavily to get the highest Bushfire Alert Level (BAL) possible in order to protect their lives and livelihoods. As the creators of numerous national memorials – including one to the Australian Army in Canberra, HMAS Sydney II in Geraldton and Denham in WA – as well as a large number of public artworks, Charlie said they had an ongoing responsibility to be able to preserve and restore their creations into the future should the need arise. “Building on that top bushfire ranking we made sure that everything we did here was taking into account the fact that at some stage or another one of these bushfires would come roaring through, and after 34 years it did,” he said. “We installed fire suppression systems in all our buildings, and over the years as artists dealing with large scale public artworks and memorials it wasn’t just our house we were dealing with, we had our studios and we have six separate buildings here and they all had to be protected. We built a concrete box underneath our design studio which
we use to store all our hard drives and photographs, paperwork and everything to do with memorials and artworks in a fire proof box.” They may have been new to Western Australia but Charlie and Joan were quick to learn the lessons of those with experience and knowledge. Charlie recalls being at a BBQ in the house of their friend John Collie, an engineer who helps them with their large art projects, about thirty years ago. “There was some conversation about a major fire and there were some guys there talking about their experience in the bush fire brigade and a situation in somewhere like Sawyers Valley. The whole place was devastated and these guys were actually running into the fire and when they came to the top of a hill and looked down at the valley which was completely burnt and there was one house standing in the middle of it all, and even the grass on the lawn was untouched, because it was covered in sprinklers. That must have been a subconscious thought in my mind all the time and it really comes down to one simple fact if its wet it won’t burn.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
THE IRISH SCENE | 5
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST OF LIVING IN THE BUSH
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
With six separate structures on their property they installed 17 fire suppression sprinklers – each one covering a 10 metre zone – around the buildings. “According to calculations done by an engineer, we sprayed some five million litres of water over the course of five days going 24 hours a day,” Charlie added. He has developed a theory about the shape of the area that was burnt and those areas that escaped the damage that he plans to test with an expert. “If you look at the fire map you can see a cut out area there, which is unburnt. I want to talk to a scientist or someone in the CSIRO to see if we threw so much moisture into the air that it created a micro-climate that went beyond the footprint of our dwelling and studios and beyond.” Certainly the sprinklers did the job they were designed to do. As well as dousing the all the buildings in a blanket of water and protecting their contents, they also kept all the creatures inside a large aviary they had built for rescue animals and unwanted pets alive. Charlie also discovered that if provided an oasis for local wildlife. “I’ll never forget on the Tuesday when I drove up the driveway the sprinklers were going strong and when I got to the back door of the house there were all these kangaroos all over the place, soaked to the skin, I could see the droplets all over them and they were all standing there just looking at me, they weren’t going anywhere,” he laughed. When he drove into Gidgegannup to pick up feed and stock for the animals and birds in their care, Charlie experienced one of the upsides of being in a crisis situation. “When I went to pay they wouldn’t take any money, they said they were inundated with money from people to help feed wildlife.” The homes he knows were lost to
6 | THE IRISH SCENE
Above: The kangaroos that took up shelter on Charlie’s property. Left: Image from DFES showing the area burnt (black lines) and the Smith’s property (blue marker) the bushfire did not have a sprinkler system in place and Charlie is convinced property owners should have them in place, and be encouraged to install them. “It should be mandatory for people to put them in,” said Charlie. “For years we had been trying to get the insurance companies to give us some kind of rebate for the amount of time, effort and money we put into the fire suppression system. Just think about it – 86 houses lost, which means insurance companies are paying out an incredible amount of money. But if they gave incentives and rebates for people to put in fire suppression systems then they wouldn’t have to be paying out these millions and millions of dollars, its a no brainer. There is a message here, the lifestyle of living in the natural bush in the hills outside Perth are absolutely incredible, the Kangaroos and wildlife and all the rest of it but there is this other obverse side to the coin that you have to be very aware of that it can change in an instant and you are suddenly facing a monster.” As Charlie chatted with a firie in the days following the tense action the fatigued fighter told him: “If I had seen the Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse coming out of that I wouldn’t have been surprised”. Charlie believes the use of the big tanker aircraft were vital to beating the fires but he also paid tribute to the bravery of those men and women who stare danger in the face for the good of the community. “We are thrilled to have survived of course,” he added. “I have to say the volunteer bush fire fighters are unbelievable people. They just work themselves to exhaustion on twelve hour shifts, night and day and running into the midsts of the most unbelievable infernos you can imagine they were coming into our property with bulldozers and heavy equipment they did that all night, and the next night, its just incredible.” *Longford man Oliver McNerney and his wife Stella also had to flee their Bullsbrook home because of the fires. Oliver said it was a very scary experience but they are thankful their property was not damaged. Oliver has a regular Saturday slot (3pm5pm) on local community station VCA 88.5FM.
GUINNESS & KILKENNY ON TAP
17 MARCH | ASCOT RACECOURSE
ASCOT GOOD TIMES 27 MARCH - 10 APRIL | ASCOT RACECOURSE THE IRISH SCENE | 7
The judge who fought the law FOR THE RIGHT TO PARADE IN PERTH FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY BY LLOYD GORMAN By every measure Irish born Walter Dwyer was a man of impeccable character, a model citizen who made an enormous contribution to Western Australia. But there was one notable situation in his life when the proud Irishman and Catholic sided with his heritage and beliefs to openly defy the law. Dwyer was born in August 1875 in Carrick-on-Suir, Tipperary where he lived until he was sixteen, at which age he emigrated to Victoria where he worked as a teacher. Like tens of thousands of other hopefuls he came to Western Australia in about 1895 in the hope of finding his fortune in the gold rush. Instead he studied law and found employment in Kalgoorlie and Boulder before he went onto Perth to complete his studies and practice law first back in Kalgoorlie and Boulder in 1907 and then Perth in 1910. Dwyer was a rising star and cut a dashing figure in court. He was tall, handsome and very good at public speaking and argument with more than a touch of an Irish accent about him. These skills also served him well for politics and in 1911 he won the Perth seat in the Legislative Assembly, the first time the city seat had ever been taken by a Labor candidate. In 1912 alone Dwyer was instrumental in drafting the Industrial Arbitration Act and getting the Money Lenders Act – which gave borrowers protections – and the Landlord and Tenant Act through parliament. He also got married in 1912 to one Maude Mary, the daughter of a WA pastoralist. Despite his achievements Dwyer was not re-elected 8 | THE IRISH SCENE
Left: Walter Dwyer. Above: Crowds of people in Hay Street in 1916 after a military parade
to the seat in the 1914 election, something he came to regard as a blessing in disguise. In January 1915 Dwyer joined forces with John Patrick (JP) Durack – another prominent WA family of Irish origins – to form their own practice Dwyer and Durack. A West Australian newspaper report for March 20, 1914 gives a good insight into how ‘Irishness’ of Perth at the time. The fact that St. Patrick’s Day fell that year on a Tuesday did not dampen the scale or size of celebrations. “Tribute had to be paid to the memory of the patron Saint of Ireland, and workaday trifles were set aside remorselessly for the occasion,” the journalist wrote. “Mangers, artisans and office boys, boasting but the remotest of Irish ancestry, contrived excuses to break into the routine of every-day existence and do their share in the celebrations – flourish the green with the ostentation of a great national pride, and, if possible, fall into line for the procession... So the patron saint was a might influence in the city on Tuesday. His virtue and
THE JUDGE WHO FOUGHT THE LAW FOR THE RIGHT TO PARADE IN PERTH FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY
his evangelical seal were acknowledged at all places and in all manner of ways – sometimes with copious draughts of that which stirs the mind and expands the heart, but mostly with orderly and systematic displays or the wearing of a little private rosette.
point in time. It came just months before the start of World War I and as such is an unblemished account about the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Perth.
Just before the onset of ‘The Great War Ireland’ had been reluctantly promised a measure of “The streets were a riotous picture of green, and the independence by the British Government. But the general colour scheme was carried out alike in the outbreak of the war interrupted that from going ahead as planned. Home Rule would be delivered after the war the British government said and the men of The main corners of the route were more Ireland were encouraged to enlist in or less impassable through the number of the British Army to help bring the conflict to an end. spectators which the procession attracted
“
The politics of Ireland, Ireland and England and even Australia – which also had a national debate about conscription – changed dramatically after the events of the Easter Rising in April 1916, including the brutal execution of the Rising leaders. The patriotic allegiance of Australia’s Irish community towards the country – and by extension Britain and the Monarchy – which despite many Australians at the time still considered to be ‘The Motherland’ – were called into question.
and the tram service, and other conveniences had to yield to the popularity of St. Patrick.”
demure piece of ribbon the bosom of the little Irish girl, the blatant buttonhole of the patriot, who was off for the day, and even in the streams of ribbon from the cab-horses’ mane. The city was soon full of family parties, bedecked copiously with green – for if Pat could not get off, his missus managed to suspend household operations and give the youngsters a treat in the city. “The special attractions were, as usual, the street procession and the sports at Claremont (Oval). The weather was delightful and the procession was carried out according to the ambitious expectations of the committee. Not only did it make up a much larger gathering than that of last year, but it was a spectacle of exceptional splendour, and contained a few features which must have demanded not a little ingenuity and effort in the preparation.” The newspaper outlined the city centre route taken by the parade, which dispersed at the train station so that people could get to Claremont for the next phase of the celebrations. “The main corners of the route were more or less impassable through the number of spectators which the procession attracted and the tram service, and other conveniences had to yield to the popularity of St. Patrick.” It also described the parade and displays in some detail and those taking part. Bringing up the rear of the procession of pipe bands, floats and marching groups as well as at least 3,000 school children was the Archbishop and some other VIPs in a horse drawn jaunting car. The report for the Perth parade is from an interesting
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
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THE IRISH SCENE | 9
THE JUDGE WHO FOUGHT THE LAW FOR THE RIGHT TO PARADE IN PERTH FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
There were ongoing tensions back in Ireland and across the then British empire which had an Irish population and St Patrick’s Day parades became embroiled in the heated politics of the day. In her article “Spectacles of splendour: St. Patrick’s Day in wartime Perth” on irishaussies. wordpress.com, Lynda Ganly states that Dwyer got involved in the organisation of the parade and events for St. Patrick’s Day. “Dwyer’s 1917 speech was rousing,” she writes. “In it, he described the nature of the Irish people and their history. He described St. Patrick’s Day as a day of religious celebration as well as of political and national pride. He outlined Ireland’s struggles and attributed them to its lack of political independence. His speech was a call for independence, yet at no point did it call for violence; Dwyer ended his speech by reminding the crowd that Irish people should be peaceful, and he hoped that ‘sympathy and understanding’ would be undertaken by the British with regards to Ireland. This speech was not the only evidence of emboldened Irish pride in Perth and the Irish community in the city seemed unafraid to proclaim their devotion to Ireland. In one December 1917 article in the The W.A. Record, journalists and politicians in Australia were accused of misrepresenting Irish people, describing an ‘antiIrish campaign’. The author then declared that the Irish in Western Australia had nothing to be ashamed of and were just as Australian as their neighbours”. Events came to a head in Perth in 1919. “Last night the City Council 10 | THE IRISH SCENE
discussed at some length a recommendation of the general purposes committee that the programme of St. Patrick’s Day procession be submitted before permission to parade be granted,” an article (most likely syndicated to newspapers across Australian) in the Goulburn Evening Penny Post for February 27, 1919 said. “Councillor Butt said certain streamers and emblems in last year’s procession had given offence to many in the community, and that sort of thing ought not to be tolerated. Ultimately a resolution was carried to the effect that the council was only prepared to grant permission for
“
For his part Dwyer was prosecuted, convicted and fined ten shillings for breaching the peace, which he refused to pay. The unapologetic lawyer only escaped jail because someone else paid the fine on his behalf. Dwyer was fêted at a celebratory function in the Celtic Club. “The tribute to Mr. Dwyer was something more than a mere personal affair – it was an emphatic protest against the action of the city council in its attempt to restrict the rights of Catholics and Irishmen to walk in procession, and to carry their national emblems on the feast
...the council was only prepared to grant permission for processions in streets of Perth on the understanding that at the head of such procession two average size flags, the Union Jack and the Australian Flag...”
processions in streets of Perth on the understanding that at the head of such procession two average size flags, the Union Jack and the Australian Flag, measuring about six feet by three feet each, must be carried unfurled, and that full programme of the procession giving route, details of banners, flags, signs, streamers, tableaux, or emblems be first submitted to the council for approval.” It is not quite clear what the ‘offending’ material in question was but it may have had something to do with demands for Home Rule for Ireland. In any case, the parade – led by Walter Dwyer – went ahead in defiance of the councils orders prohibiting the march. A massive crowd turned out to support the parade.
day of of St. Patrick,” an article with the headline ‘Great Irish gathering in Perth – Mr W Dwyer honoured’ in the Southern Cross Adelaide for July 25, 1919 said. “And a more emphatic protest there could not have been. The speech delivered by his Grace Archbishop Clune roused the temper of the gathering, and his trenchant criticism of the illadvised action of our City Fathers evoked the heartiest approval. The audience was a most representative one, and ‘the hall was uncomfortably crowded from the stage to the front doors’.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
THE IRISH SCENE | 11
THE JUDGE WHO FOUGHT THE LAW FOR THE RIGHT TO PARADE IN PERTH FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10
Dwyer did not disappoint. “The action of the city council towards St. Patrick’s Day procession of this year...is so contemptible, so ridiculous, so small, so mean that words really fail to express our feelings towards it. You will remember that a little while before we began our movement there was a telegram from Melbourne that the City Fathers there intended to impose ridiculous conditions on the St. Patrick’s Day procession there, and that certain flags were to be carried. About the same time, apparently, this electric wave from Melbourne must have reached the minds of the City Council here, because we find our City Fathers requiring the same conditions as the City Council in Melbourne. It may be a mere coincidence but it looks to me something more
“
Neville, O.M.I. Father Nevilles’s response won the hearts of the great gathering – it was a grand effort and his reference to the men of Easter Week brought out great resounding cheers, which left no doubt as to the love and reverence of the gathering for the dead who died for Ireland during the stormy Dublin days in Easter, 1916.” A short article headlined ‘Celebrations in Perth’ in the Kalgoorlie Miner on March 18, 1920 tells us more about how a solution to a possible repeat of the situation was found ahead of the parade for that year. “St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Perth today (dated March 17) were marked with the keen enthusiasm characteristic of the Irish community, who turned out in full
Last year’s little difficulty with the City Council regarding the procession died a natural death with the passage of the new Traffic Bill...”
than a coincidence, something that was planned. I believe that in Melbourne when the Eight Hours Day procession intended to march n their own way, they bowed their heads and allowed the procession to pass without further discussion. I remember, as regards the St. Patrick’s Day Committee, there was only one object in our minds of how the action of the City Council can be met, and it was by ignoring them – (applause) – and throwing the letter of the City Council clerk into the wastepaper basket, a proper receptacle”. The toast of “Ireland a nation” was briefly submitted by Mr. T. Slattery, and eloquently responded to by the Rev. Father 12 | THE IRISH SCENE
force to take part in the festivities. Last year’s little difficulty with the City Council regarding the procession died a natural death with the passage of the new Traffic Bill, under which the control of the traffic passed to the Police Department. For today’s display the path of the procession through the streets was cleared by mounted police. The sports programme was subsequently carried out on the WA Cricket Association Grounds.” Ms Ganly wrote: “[The police department] ruled to allow the St. Patrick’s Day parade without restrictions in 1920, and according to newspaper reports, it was a great success. Following the
Mr Dwyer in later years
legalisation of the parades, the Irish community in Perth no longer had to campaign to celebrate their heritage; they were free to embrace both their Irish and Australian identities equally.” Just over a week after St. Patrick’s Day 1950, Dwyer died at the age of 74 in a hospital bed in St John of God Hospital Subiaco and was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery. In his life he went on to become a founding trustee of the State Library of Western Australia, Western Australian Museum and the Art Gallery of Western Australia and was even knighted the year before his passing for his service to the law. For all these accomplishments it is tempting to speculate that he always harboured a spot in the wilds of his Irish heart for his rebellious stance on the St. Patrick’s Day parade as one of his favourite achievements.”
THE IRISH SCENE | 13
ST PATRICK HAS HIS DAY,
let Sheila have hers! BY LLOYD GORMAN
E
ven the most ardent agnostic would probably be better informed about St. Patricks Day than the vast majority of Irish people – including until very recently this writer – are about Sheelagh’s Day. But hot on the heels of the March 17 worldwide celebrations for the feast day of Ireland’s patron saint*, March 18 also used to be a day of significance and festivity for the Irish at home and abroad. Sheelagh’s Day (also spelt Shelagh, Sheila, Sheilah) – named supposedly after St. Patrick’s wife or mother – was traditionally celebrated as an extension of St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, but also Australia and Newfoundland where communities had grown from early emigration. While it has all but vanished, there is good evidence to suggest that Sheelagh’s Day was well known – even commonplace – in the fledgling days and decades of the country as a colony. The first documented mention of Sheelagh’s Day in Australia
14 | THE IRISH SCENE
Photos courtesy St. Patrick's Festival WA
appears to have been in The Sydney Gazette, on March 24, 1832. The article in question was a court report of a woman who tried to argue that she was drunk because of the day that it was. “Shelah’s Day — Martha Grayburn, ‘a would if I could, but I can’t’ sort of a lady, was brought up for the commission of divers peccadilloes on the evening of Sunday. Martha pleaded ‘Shelah’s Day’ in extenuation, and was ordered to ‘go and sin no more’.” The same court report in the Gazette gave an account of one Anne Kirk who “was accused of drenching her intestines to the tune of ‘drops o’brandy’, till she was in doubt whether it was this world or the next she inhabited. ‘La! Yer honor, I was only keeping up Shelah’s Day’, exclaimed Anne. ‘Then keep it up a month longer at the factory,’ responded his
worship, and she was handed off accordingly.” The insobriety and excuse for it of these two women was by no means an isolated incident. The following year (March 21, 1833) the Sydney Herald reported: “Mary Folkes, quite in the dumps, was charged by the charley, who picked her up, with rolling through the streets on Sheelah’s day, in a state unmentionable”. This article published in The Sydney Gazette (March 28, 1837) painted a broader picture. “It is somewhat extraordinary that upon St. Patrick and Sheelah’s Day, Good Friday, &c., there were less cases of drunkenness upon the Police Office list than upon any day for a month preceding. It was usually the custom for at least double the number to appear.” While St Patrick’s Day and Sheelagh’s Day were closely
ST PATRICK HAS HIS DAY, LET SHEILA HAVE HERS!
linked, people at the time did make a distinction between them as this Sydney Morning Herald article of March 24 1846 reveals: “The following, or what by the Emeralders is termed Sheelah’s day, our town was far more alive and noisy, and from several shindies we witnessed in our streets, we were inclined to think that some of the Paddys had mistaken the day of commemoration of their saint; but had made no mistake about having their spree out.” Sometimes the distinction was only minor. “St. Patrick's Day — In consequence St. Patrick's Day falling on last Sunday, the usual national manifestations were not discernible in Parramatta until the following day, when the only thing that reminded us that it was Shelah's Day, was observing a few of the fair sex in a state of inebriety,” the Star and Working Man’s Guardian said on March 23, 1844. “In the evening, a small band of private musicians circumambulated the town, enlivening it with the "dulcet sounds of flute and tabor." The number of drunken cases at the Police-office did not appear to have been increased by the festivities of the evening.” Sometimes the distinction was of major importance. On May 23 1873 The Brisbane Courier carried this colourful account of a court case. The journalist introduced the story with the line that a case before the magistrate at Clerkenwell police-court seemed to have some questions about when and who could get drunk on St. Patrick’s Day. “Ann Sarah Webb, aged fifty-eight, and described as a laundress, was charged with being drunk and disorderly in the Caledonian road on Tuesday. Mrs Webb expressed her sorrow at the occurrence, which she explained by stating that it was St. Patrick’s Day. The
magistrate, however, declined to admit this plea, for, as he truly said, Monday was St. Patrick’s Day and not Tuesday upon which Mrs Webb, who was fined five shillings, exclaimed: “there, you see, that’s where you are wrong. Monday was the men’s St. Patrick’s Day and the women always take it the day after. That’s a fact, and everyone knows it. It is called Shelah’s Day?” It is only fair on St. Patrick to point out that although “poteen” is derieved from his name, and although he instructed the Irish in the art of distillation, he was not himself given to drinking, and indeed was almost if not quite a teetotaller. He highly disapproved of drunkenness in the day-time, and in A.D. 445 issued an order to his disciples not to commence their potations until the bell rang for vespers in the evening.” While largely told in tales of debauchery St Patrick’s Day and Sheelagh’s Day were not always disgracful displays of drunkeness. “Never, within the recollection of the oldest inhabitant in this town, did St. Patrick’s Day, in former
years, pass over with so much decorum as on Monday last,” The Australian reported on March 20, 1845. “Whether to attribute this happy fact to the exertions of the friends of temperance, or to the want of cash to purchase the “cheering drop” is not known. CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
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Shelah’s Day passed off equally credibtable to the town.” The Irish Citizen (published in NSW between 1871 and 1872) reported on March 30 1872 that: “The celebration of St, Patrick’s Day (1872) at Gulgong was a complete success… St. Patrick’s, or rather Shelah’s, Day passed off very quietly.” Published in Sydney’s The Empire newspaper on March 18, 1865 there is a positive mention of the day itself. “St. Patrick’s day was duly honoured in New South Wales yesterday is beyond question, and we can only hope that Shelah’s day, which is usually understood to be the day following, may be equally enjoyed by the ladies of Ireland in receiving, which they might, presents of nice silk bonnets and gloves”**. Decades later, a March 16, 1876 report in the Brisbane Telegraph showed that many parts of Australia were still very much ‘under the influence’ of this occasion. “It is in small towns, villages, or hamlets, in the bush, on the outside of civilisation, where
Above and right: Irish mammies enjoying the St Patricks Day parade in Perth. Opposite right: The Rose of Tralee entrants drunkenness reigns on St. Patrick’s day, and worse on Shelah’s day.” And again in the Hobart Mercury, on March 26, 1887: “All residents here appear to have once again become quite fixed in their various avocations; St. Patrick’s Day and Sheelah’s day also having had that attention paid to them which was considered their due.” Curiously, an extensive search of the online database of old newspapers and journals known as Trove did not produce any references to Western Australia. It is not clear when or why Shelagh Day died out in Australia, or Ireland for that matter, but apparently the tradition is kept alive in Newfoundland. It is a part of our heritage we have lost but can still reclaim. Indeed it should be proclaimed in the same way that Little Christmas – Women’s Christmas – on January 6 – or St Brigid’s Day (Imbolc) every February 1 are
TAKE A BOW, SHEILA If Sheelagh’s Day is something we no longer remember then Síle na Giġ is something Irish culture has never forgotten. Ireland does not have a monopoly on these ancient and mysterious carvings or sculptures of a naked fertility goddess exposing her genitalia but it does have more of these grotesque figures than anywhere else in Europe (right). Thought to be around for more than a thousand years old, they were given the name Síle na Giġ in Ireland in the 1840’s. They offer a fascinating look into primitive and probably pagan rituals and practices which we can only speculate about now. Síle na Giġ deserve an article of their own in a future edition of Irish Scene. But for now the website Ireland’s Síle na Giġ reminds us how little we understand them or their appeal. “The truth is, that we have absolutely no idea what Sheelas were used for, where they came from and why they have survived so long,” the site states. “Through Reformation, Plague, Cromwell and the hippocritic Victorians, the Sheela has survived to the 21th Century, where it is hoped she can now be given proper recognition and a rightful place in world archaeology.” 16 | THE IRISH SCENE
ST PATRICK HAS HIS DAY, LET SHEILA HAVE HERS!
actively recognised and celebrated widely today. It could become a fixture in the diary for the Rose of Tralee or womens GAA sports. Perhaps an added motivation for the Irish community in Australia are its roots here. While the use of the once commonplace word Shelia to describe a woman or girl is old fashioned and out of touch with modern day sentiments, Shelahs Day does at least suggest that its origins are Irish. We should own our past and embrace the best bits for the future. Lets bring back Sheelagh’s Day for the women in our lives.
*Ireland has three national patron saints. St Patrick enjoys the title of Apostle of Ireland and incredible popularity. The others are St. Brigid (died 525) whose feast day February 1 marks the start of Spring, and St Columba (521AD-597AD) on June 9. **There is a story that St. Brigid (right) proposed marriage to St. Patrick on February 29, which is the origins of the idea that women can propose to a man on the Leap Year. According to lore he turned her down but gave her a kiss on the cheek and a silk garment.
THE IRISH SCENE | 17
A parade down memory lane BY MAUREEN HELEN
SAINT PATRICK’S DAY CELEBRATIONS TOOK PLACE ON SUBIACO OVAL FROM AROUND 1910 UNTIL THE EARLY NINETEEN FIFTIES. IN THE 1940s AND 1950s, WHEN I WENT TO SCHOOL, THE DAY CREATED A BUZZ FOR US CATHOLIC KIDS.
Bus after bus pulled up outside the gates of the now flattened Oval. Children from every Catholic school in the greater Perth area tumbled out. We girls wore our best uniforms, complete with hats and gloves. Only the bright green ribbons in our hair or pinned to our chests marked this day as special. We marched in orderly lines into the grassy centre of the oval. Shepherded by anxious nuns and religious brothers, we took up our allotted places. Their schools were on show; we were on our best behaviour. We waited in silence in front of a specially erected dais until the Saint Patrick’s Day Mass began.
FORMAL CELEBRATION OF SAINT PATRICK’S DAY The Archbishop of Perth, flanked by a number of priest, processed through the children sitting or kneeling on the grass. The celebrants took their places in front of the makeshift altar and turned their backs to us. All we could see was a bank of white and gold vestments. The celebrants intoned solemn Latin, the language of the Mass, so we had no idea of what they said. In our parish churches hymns at Mass were also sung in Latin, but on Saint Patrick’s Day we sang loudly and joyfully in English. We sang to the saint, and about him, because he was said to be the Patron Saint of Australia.
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A PARADE DOWN MEMORY LANE
Opposite: Convent girls at the St Patrick’s Day Mass. Inset: Maureen Helen. Left and below: The open air mass at Subiaco Oval, with readings by celebrants in Latin, and music by the high school band
ATHLETICS CARNIVAL The solemnities over, kids from all the schools turned their minds to the important tasks of having fun and catching up with friends. A sports carnival attracted the interest of the athletic-minded students as school competed against school. March in Perth, Western Australia can be pretty hot and I don’t remember a single day on that oval when we didn’t swelter under the midday sun. After Mass, we could take off our gloves and hats, so that many of us went home sunburned and sore. The nuns supplemented our lunches brought from home with warm red cordial and fruit that had over ripened in the heat. They did try! St Patrick’s Day celebrations on Subiaco Oval ceased around 1952, probably as a response to a major polio epidemic that frightened Western Australians in that year. Another epidemic followed a few years later, and I wrote a blog nursing patients with polio in 1958.
numbers during the nineteenth century. At first, convicts arrived. My mother’s great-grandfather came as an Irish guard, and in payment took up a lot in Greenough. You can read on my blog about my Greenough connection. After the Great Famine, also called the ‘Great Hunger’ in Ireland between 1845 and 1849, many Irish settlers chose Western Australia as their home. Young single women chose to leave their homes and come to this new country. The authorities welcomed them because of the shortage of women of marriageable age. St John of God nuns from Ireland set up their convent and hospital in Subiaco. Another Irish order founded the Home of the Good Shepherd about a kilometre away.
REMEMBERING FOR THE CITY OF SUBIACO The City of Subiaco has recently undertaken a massive city planning exercise. They invited residents to submit memories they might have of the area and later asked us to make a podcast about our experiences of the area. Two ‘ordinary’ residents were included in the list of podcasts, probably because we were the only ones to submit a memory. I wrote about the connection between Saint Patrick’s Day and Subiaco. Irish immigrants came to Western Australia in large
COMMEMORATION OF IRISH SETTLERS IN SUBIACO A monument commemorating the bravery of those young women has been placed in the Market Square Gardens in Subiaco. Street names in some parts of Subiaco also reference the importance of Irish settlers – including nuns and sisters – in the area. For example, Clare Lane, CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 and Dublin Close. Tipperary Lane, Edenderry Terrace THE IRISH SCENE | 19
Meeja WAtch
BY LLOYD GORMAN
THE VARIOUS AND UNIQUE EXPERIENCES OF IRISH PEOPLE IN PERTH CAME ACROSS QUITE A BIT IN THE IRISH MEDIA RECENTLY.
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Waterford woman Kate Doyle, who works in Perth as a veterinary nurse, was interviewed on Morning Ireland in early February about her experience with the recent bushfires that destroyed 86 homes and damaged large swathes of area on the outskirts of the city. The Irish Sun also picked up the story. “On Monday I was driving home from work and saw a big area of smoke. I got back to the house and realised that it was really close to us,” she told the tabloid. “We just kind of kept an eye on it, we didn’t think it was anything serious at that stage, we thought it’s just a fire and it will be put out. All of a sudden it got crazy very quickly. The smoke was getting bigger and bigger. The warnings were going up on the emergency page for our area, so as you can imagine we didn’t get much sleep on Monday.” She and her husband Ian Hayes, who she came to Australia with in 2011, packed all their pets and animals into the car and drove them to safety and luckily enough the 130km long fire front stopped about 7km from their house. “Because I’m a veterinary nurse, we are volunteering to go into the bush fire zone to help with the injured wildlife and animals that have been affected,” she added. As well as the bushfire, Morning Ireland also asked her about being on the other side of the world unable to get home.
THESUN.IE/NEWS/6515323/PERTH-BUSH-FIRE-EVACUATION-IRISH-WOMAN-HORROR/?UTM_TERM=AUTOFEED&UTM_ MEDIUM=SOCIAL&UTM_SOURCE=TWITTER#ECHOBOX=1612470263
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MEEJA WATCH
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The RTE website appears to be the first Irish news outlet to report the story that most of Perth was going into a five day lockdown (Single virus case sends Perth into snap lockdown). "We are trying to crush the virus as quickly as we possibly can" Premier Mark McGowan was quote in the story on January 31. RTE.IE/NEWS/CORONAVIRUS/2021/0131/1194112-CORONAVIRUSAUSTRALIA/
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A native of Cahir, Co. Tipperary Aisling McCarthy spoke to Dermot and Dave on TodayFM on Australia Day about her experience – and that of the other 18 Irish female players drafted to play in the Women’s Australian Football League – and making the move from the Western Bulldogs to the West Coast Eagles. The hosts first question was “How is Perth?”, to which she responded “Yeah, its brilliant, the sunshine makes everything a bit better and then having a bit of freedom as well, I don’t want to talk about it to much, I know its hard at home with the lockdown and all that. I do be a bit conscious when I’m talking to my parents and my friends, its just a totally different world over here. We’re not taking it for granted and just enjoying what we have because we don’t know what’s around the corner. I think that’s what we’ve learned from the last year.” Aisling revealed she shares a house with sisters Niamh and Grace Kelly from Mayo, who also play for the Eagles. TODAYFM.COM/PODCASTS/ DERMOT-DAVE/I-THINK-WE-BRINGA-BIT-OF-UNPREDICTABILITY-TO-THEGAME-MEET-ONE-OF-THE-IRISH-STARSPLAYING-IN-THE-AUSTRALIAN-FOOTBALLLEAGUE?UTM_MEDIUM=SOCIAL&UTM_ SOURCE=TWITTER#ECHOBOX=1611677275
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Cork Ladies Football legend Bríd Stack had a similar story to tell the Irish Examiner. She signed a deal with the GWS Giants before Christmas. “Stack, an 11-time All Ireland winner, her husband Carthach and 14-month-old son Carthach Óg, began their journey on December 9,” the newspaper reported on January 11. “They were due to fly from Dublin to Adelaide and then quarantine there. However flight diversions meant that the trio ended up with a lengthy London layover, an overnight in Singapore before touching down in Perth. The Novotel Hotel in the city was their home for their next two weeks, emerging from their quarantine on Christmas Day. The family were set to fly to Sydney on St Stephen's Day but that plan was scrapped as government and state officials ordered that borders be closed to New South Wales amid Sydney’s worsening COVID-19 cluster outbreaks”. True to her character, Stack said it was a stressful experience but she looked for the good in the situation.
IRISHEXAMINER.COM/SPORT/GAA/ARID-40204613.HTML
On January 27 Dublin based radio station Newstalk ran an item under the heading: The Irish abroad – ‘Amazing’ mandatory quarantine has seen the good times return in Perth’. “It has been pretty good,” said Perth based Cork native Nicola Healy. “We are out, we are able to socialise, meet our friends, go out to shops and have people over to the house and stuff, so yeah, it is a lot different to home at the moment.”
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“We’re getting to see a bit of Australia, which is lovely,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll get to Sydney in a couple more weeks and we look forward to that too. It’s a fantastic experience, an opportunity for my family and I suppose I am so, so grateful and delighted that the boys could travel with me.”
Nicola works as a nurse and is also the PRO for St. Garbriel’s GAA club. “What has really been shown to work here, and the reason we are living such a normal life, is that hotel quarantine,” she added. “I just find that amazing. Anyone that comes in internationally right now is escorted to a hotel – there are different hotels in the city, all the big-name hotels – and they are quarantined for 14 days without leaving the hotel. That is why we have no community transmission as of this evening.” NEWSTALK.COM/NEWS/THE-IRISH-ABROAD-AMAZINGMANDATORY-QUARANTINE-HAS-SEEN-THE-GOOD-TIMESRETURN-IN-PERTH-1141362
CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
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THE IRISH SCENE | 23
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The Irish Times carried the first hand account of Sonya Redmond, originally from Wexford, in a story headed: ‘We put to the back of our minds the fact that we can’t leave Australia’ on February 8. The piece revealed the internal struggle felt by many Irish people here. “I’ve lived abroad in Australia for just under nine years. Perth has been home for the past seven of those. A home bird at heart, the thought of moving back to to family in Ireland is always on my mind, but I rationalise it away thinking of the lifestyle and job prospects I have here in Australia. At the end of this repetitive inner debate I usually decide that, just for now, I am better off over here, but it is always a very dissatisfying conclusion.” Phone calls are the only way she can stay in touch with ‘the ma’ back in Ireland. “My mam and I would always comfort ourselves with the fact that we are only 24 hours away from each other and can see each other the next day if we need to. Well, 2020 put a stop to that sort of thinking for us both.” Sonya, who is married to Kenneth McCarthy, works as chief of staff on the Crawley Campus of the University of Western Australia. “I am fortunate to work in a beautiful university in Perth with lush green grounds, although that usually prompts the reaction from people in Ireland of, “Well, look where you are, sitting out in the sun, while we are freezing over here.” I typically play it down. “Ah, yeah, but it’s too hot, to be honest: it’s uncomfortable.” Sonya also wrote about Perth’s recent bushfires. “Being from Ireland, the reality of the damage that can be caused by such fires is truly shocking, and the fire warnings on the radio really jolt me,” she added.
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Not many of us will be getting back to Ireland anytime soon but on January 20 CNN carried a story on their website about one of the greatest escapes ever executed. ‘The Catalpa Rescue: The story behind one of Australia's most incredible prison escapes’ was published as a travel piece by the American outlet. “Perth, Australia (CNN) — It all began with a letter sent from inside an Australian "tomb," a document so convincing that it prompted a US gang to sail some 20,000 kilometers (12,427 miles) to execute what could arguably be considered one of the most outrageous prison escapes in Australian history,” wrote CNN correspondent Ronan O’Connell. “The year was 1876. Using a series of codes and disguises, the bold group snuck into Western Australia to free six Irish political prisoners. Now, 145 years later, a new generation of Australians is learning about this prison break thanks to WA Museum Boola Bardip.”
EDITION.CNN.COM/TRAVEL/ARTICLE/CATALPA-RESCUE-ESCAPE-AUSTRALIAPERTH/INDEX.HTML
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24 | THE IRISH SCENE
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MEEJA WATCH
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During more normal times, most of the traffic between Ireland and Australia seems be skewed towards those emigrating, but there are those whose lives went the other way. On January 16 the Irish Times carried an obituary for Dr Michael Mulcahy, a Dublin psychiatrist who transformed care for people with intellectual disabilities. “Inspirational to colleagues and personable to residents, he was appreciated for his kind and progressive approach at a time when stigma and lack of ambition for people with an intellectual disability was the dominant culture,” the article stated. As far back as the 1970’s Dr Mulcahy spearheaded the revolutionary project to build more than 20 bungalows in the grounds of Stewarts Hospital in Palmerstown, Dublin for patients to live independently and with dignity. Almost single handedly Dr Mulcahy transformed the sector and brought great improvements to their lives.
IRISHTIMES.COM/LIFE-AND-STYLE/PEOPLE/MICHAELMULCAHY-OBITUARY-TRANSFORMED-CARE-FORINTELLECTUALLY-DISABLED-1.4458436
In a well written and insightful piece published by the Irish Independent on February 20, Ronan O’Connell shared with readers his family’s recent experience of hotel quarantine in the Westin Hotel, Perth.
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The tribute piece also explained a bit about his own personal life and his origins. “The third of four children of Dr Daniel Mulcahy and his wife, Josephine (nee Delaney), Michael Mulcahy was born in Perth, Australia. His parents had Irish roots and when his father died at the age of 33, his mother returned to Ireland, remarried and settled in Ballinakill, Co Laois where she had a third daughter, Judy.”
On day six he was able to tell his mother back in Ireland that “it’s easy and actually quite fun”, but admits then that he spoke too soon. “By Day 10, all three of us were struggling. I was feeling claustrophobic, my wife was anxious and our 10-month-old son Aidan had lost his spark,” writes Ronan. “He’s not the same,” my wife said with a worried expression, as she stroked his hair in one of our adjoining rooms at the Westin Hotel Perth. He counts himself lucky at least that they had each other throughout the ordeal, his 72 year old mum had already gone through the process but did it alone. The end couldn’t come soon enough for them and they had to wait for the exact minute to be able to leave the room that had been like a prison for the last two weeks. “At 7:06pm I poked my head out the door. Down the hall, I saw another quarantine guest doing the same,” he added. “Then, as if a starter’s pistol had been fired, the stampede began. After being locked up for two weeks, suddenly there was a hall full of us jostling for a spot in the elevator. Quarantine was over. Never again, please.” INDEPENDENT.IE/LIFE/TRAVEL/MY-14-DAYS-IN-ANAUSTRALIAN-QUARANTINE-HOTEL-I-WAS-FEELINGCLAUSTROPHOBIC-AND-OUR-10-MONTH-OLD-SON-HAD-LOSTHIS-SPARK-40109116.HTML
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Wish you were here! BY LLOYD GORMAN
British soldiers in active service during the Great War were allowed to return to ‘Blighty’ for a holiday every 15 months. For troops from further away, such as the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp (ANZAC), they could apply for furlough, an extended period of leave from frontline service so that they could make the long trip home. Not all ANZACs – also called Diggers –voyaged down under when their leave came up for grabs. Many choose to go to Ireland, often taking uniformed mates back with them.
IN BETWEEN THE BATTLES & BLOODSHED OF WORLD WAR I, SOLDIERS OFTEN EXPERIENCED LONG BOUTS OF BOREDOM AND DRUDGERY, BUT THERE WERE SOME OCCASIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO BREAK FREE FROM THIS VICIOUS CYCLE, IF ONLY TEMPORARILY... 28 | THE IRISH SCENE
It is known that some 6,600 men and women of the Australian Imperial Force that went to war in Europe were originally from Ireland, while as many as a quarter of their comrades at the time would have had Irish heritage and relatives and would have been assured of a warm welcome from a friendly face, a second home away from home. And as much as it would have been possible to escape the war, Ireland would have felt at least like it was another step removed from the wholesale horror and destruction gripping Europe. Photographs contained in the National War Memorial in Canberra reveal examples of Diggers enjoying themselves as visitors – even tourists – to Ireland. Then as now (COVID aside) Killarney, Co. Kerry was a well known tourist area. Going for a jaunt in a pony and trap around Muckross and the lakes was also popular for a day trip. Renting a horse was also another option for servicemen to make their own outing in the picturesque mountainous area. Being able to roam around a beautiful landscape in the company of friends and family without the threat
WISH YOU WERE HERE!
Top: Francis Eileen Boyd (fourth from left). Below: Leslie Craig before (left) and after his amputation
There was another but less attractive way for soldiers to get away from the fighting. If they fell sick or were wounded in action, men were first sent to a field hospital from where more serious cases were sent to hospitals or facilities back in England for treatment, operations and a chance to recover and recooperate. Lesile Craig was a West Australian farmer before he joined the 10th Light Horse Regiment in October 1914. In February 1915 he led a parade of the Regiment through Perth before the unit embarked at Fremantle aboard HMAT Mashobra on February 8 1915. The 10th Light Horse served
Private JJ Chapman had been amongst the ANZACs to land on the first day of the attack on Gallipoli (25 April 1915). Due to illness he was evacuated to Malta in August and from there to England. Almost exactly twelve months since the start of the Dardanelle/Gallopoli campaign (20 April 1916) Chapman and a mate took the train and ferry to Dublin, where they checked into a hotel in Sackville Street (O’Connell Street). The two men spent their first day in Dublin sightseeing but then took the train to Killarney. On the trip down they met two Australian nurses who were with the Red Cross Voluntary Aid Detachment and had been staying
in the city centre themselves. They travelled on to Killarney where they would spend a pleasant weekend visiting the localities famous attractions and locations. The trip back to Dublin however on Easter Monday became the start of an ordeal Chapman and many other vacationing troops on the train could not have expected. Their train stopped at Limerick for a period and then travelled on to Cork where the passengers were forced to spend the night onboard. About 2.30pm the next day after it took the train twice as long to complete the three hour trip they pulled into Kingsbridge station (Hueston station) were the young Australian and other soldiers was taken to the nearby Royal Barracks (now Collins Barracks) which was the base of the 10th Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers (who had also served at Gallipoli) and told to await orders. The next day and for the next 24 hours Chapman found himself involved in the suppression of the Easter Rising. “Given rifle and ammunition and had to fight enemy in the streets,” he wrote in his diary. “Nearly got hit several times. Only a few casualties on our side.” After that he was posted on guard duty at the barracks or neighbouring Arbour Hill military prison, which was used to hold insurgents. On at least one night Chapman and a group of Australian VAD’s met in a nearby hotel and swapped stories about what they had seen and done. CONTINUED ON PAGE 30
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of being shot or bombed must have been a welcome relief to the veterans.
with distinction at Gallipoli. It was there that Lieutenant Craig – officer commanding C Troop – was shot in the left leg and right arm on August 7. Because of his wounds he was evacuated to Alexandria in Egypt. Doctors were able to treat and heal the injuries to his arm, but the leg could not be saved and had to be amputated. After this he was sent to to the 3rd London General Hospital at Wandsworth in June 1916, where he was to be fitted for a prostheic leg. During his convalesing there, he met Francis Eileen Boyd, a Voluntary Aid Detachment from Ireland who was working at the hospital. The pair fell in love and were married in her hometown – Lifford, Co. Donegal – on September 17, 1917. Within a month the newlyweds were on their way back to Western Australia where they set up home at Dardanup and raised four children.
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On May 2 Chapman was given an overnight pass and he used the time to stroll into the city to see the extent of the damage caused by the rising and fighting. Two days later he was back on a ferry and train to England with a chit explaining that the 9th Australian Infantry man had been detained in Dublin from 25th April to 4th May “owing to rising and was employed on duty”. After a few months back in England, Pte Chapman was sent back to his Battalion in France. We know about the story of Chapman and the other Australian and New Zealanders who happened to be in Ireland at the time and got caught up in the 1916 Rebellion, through the extensive research and writings of Australian academic and historian Dr Jeff Kildea and his book Anzacs and Ireland. Likewise, we know something of the role of a prominent West Australian in Ireland thanks to the efforts of a South Perth resident. Robert K. O’Connor QC researched, wrote and presented “Super VC and Two Croix De Guerre – The life of Lt Lawrence Dominic McCarthy VC” for the Lt. Frederick Bell VC Memorial Lecture in Cottesloe Civic Centre in 2012, an event I was lucky enough to attend. McCarthy had a link to Ireland (his father Patrick was from Cork) but he – and his wife Florence from York – both died when he was very young. Dominic – and his two brothers – did not have an easy life but he was a widely respected and popular character, known as “Fats” to his mates. McCarthy was awarded his ‘super’ Victoria Cross for his action on August 23 1918 at Madame Wood, near Vermandovillers, on the 30 | THE IRISH SCENE
Western Front in France. His Battalion was stopped in its tracks by artillery and a well defended line of machine gun nests. Single handedly McCarthy attacked the German position and successfully took out five machine gun nests, captured 50 prisoners and killed 20 enemy in close quarter fighting. Irish Scene understands from its own research that he was in Dublin when confirmation of the VC for his courage came through. Certainly O’Connor’s work tells us that: “For an extended period from Left: Lt Lawrence Dominic McCarthy VC. Right: Pt Martin O’Meara VC 15 April 1919, McCarthy was on duty in Ireland, his position The Swan Express newspaper of being “North Dublin Union Area 30 January 1920 reported on the Officer for Ireland” for Australian day after McCarthy landed back in soldiers who were stationed Western Australia: “Lt McCarthy is in Ireland. It seems it was his suffering from the strain as a result responsibility to take control of an of his war experiences. His old Irish uprising by being in control colleagues at Lion Mill hope this of the military operations in an will not interfere with his famous area of conflict. laugh.” “The Australian War Memorial Three years earlier to McCarthy’s holds a postcard dated 14 outstanding act of bravery, November 1919 of Sackville another soldier from the 16th Street, Dublin from McCarthy to Battalion distinguished himself in his brother Pat (Mr P J McCarthy, August 1916, this time at Mouquet Lion Mill, PO) on which McCarthy Farm, Pozieres. Over the course wrote: “Dear Pat, Expect to be of four days (August 9 to 12) of leaving for Australia any day heavy bombardment, Tipperary now. Flossie following later. Bro born Private Martin O’Meara Lawrence”. McCarthy arrived back crawled into the murder zone that in Western Australia on 29 January was no mans land and pulled 25 1920 on the SS Runic as the ship’s Australian soldiers and officers adjutant, and his wife arrived in back to the safety of their own Western Australia a month later on lines. He also carried ammunition 28 February 1920. and supplies to the Australian’s
WISH YOU WERE HERE!
Left: An unidentified group of Australian soldiers and officers pictured together enjoying a day at the Dublin Royal Easter Show in 1919. Photos: Australian War Memorial newspaper to report he was a new recipient of the medal (only the second West Australian at the time to be recognised in this way) on September 9 while the Irish newspapers carried the story on September 11.
own guns and positions. O’Meara was wounded three times during the war, including once at Mouquet Farm just a couple of weeks earlier. O’Meara was recommended for the VC by a commanding officer on August 16 1916 and confirmation of the award came through on September 8, by which time the Irish born Digger was recovering in hospital at Wandsworth in London. The Daily News in Western Australia was the first Australian
According to Ian Loftus’s book ‘The Most Fearless And Gallant Soldier I Have Ever Seen’, while he was recovering in the London hospital O’Meara wrote to a friend in Perth that he was looking forward to visiting his family in Lorrha, Co. Tipperary. “Martin O’Meara visited his homeland as best as can be established, during the second half of October 1916,” Loftus writes in his book. “A contemporary account of his visit noted that he arrived in the evening by train at nearby Birr and then walked to the family farm at Lissernane (around eight kilometres) along the course of the abandoned Birr to Portumna railway line. This account also records that he surprised his brother and sister when he arrived at Lissernane. It was reported on 28 October that Martin O’Meara had ‘arrived home quietly this week. He came without giving notice to any one, walked from the station along the disused railway to his home, and it CONTINUED ON PAGE 32
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was only when he made his personal appearance that the news spread like wild fire of his return.” O’Meara was reported as being present at a meeting of an organising committee to welcome him back and give him a ‘token of esteem and gratitude’ from the local community in Borrisokane on October 24.” A ceremony and presentation did go ahead, but without O’Meara’s involvement or presence. For reasons that were not clear then and remain clouded to this day, he had slipped away from his native birthplace as stealthily as he had arrived.
Cross medal. Richard Kelliher was born in September 1910 at Ballybranagh, near Tralee, Co. Kerry. Before emigrating to Brisbane in 1929 with his 15 year old sister Norah, he worked as a mechanic in a local garage owned by his brother.
When O’Meara arrived back into Australia after the war in late 1918 it was necessary for him and other returned military personnel to go into quarantine at Woodman Point, south of Perth, because of the deadly Spanish Flu pandemic.
Kelliher enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force in February 1941 and would first see action in Syria before being posted to Papua where his unit helped to drive back Japanese forces.
Today his Victoria Cross medal is ‘stuck’ in Ireland, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was loaned from the Australian Army Museum of WA to the National Museum of Ireland back in 2019 for what was meant to be a strict 12 month period, ending in July 2020. It was the first time ever that Australia had agreed to allow a VC to leave its shores – and required a change in legislation to make that happen. Irish Scene contacted the Army Museum in Fremantle to get an update about the medal. “The VC is still in Ireland in the custody of the National Museum of Ireland and it will return to Australia when conditions allow,” co-curator Richard Bennett said. “We understand the museum is currently open and therefore the medal will be on display.” Regular readers of Irish Scene – and a growing section of the Irish and Australian communities – will be very familiar with the brave but brutal story of O’Meara’s life and deeds. But less well known – at least in the West – is the story of another Irish-born Australian soldier who was also awarded a Victoria 32 | THE IRISH SCENE
An entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography by Richard E. Reid tells us something of the action for which he was given the VC and about his ongoing connection with Ireland. “On 13 September [1943] Kelliher's platoon came under heavy fire from a concealed Japanese machine-gun post [in Papua]. Five men were killed and three wounded, among them the section leader Corporal Billy Richards. On his own initiative, Kelliher dashed towards the post, hurled two grenades at the enemy and killed some of them, but was forced back to his own lines. Seizing a Bren-gun, he ran to within 30 yards (27 m) of the machine-gun nest and silenced it with accurate shooting. He then crawled out under enemy riflefire and dragged Richards to safety, probably saving his life...In 1946 he was selected in the Australian contingent for the victory parade in London. King George VI presented him with his V.C.; the Kelliher family from County Kerry attended the investiture. Kelliher returned to London in 1953 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and in 1956 for the V.C. centenary celebrations. On each occasion he visited Tralee.”
WISH YOU WERE HERE!
Left: Kelliher is pictured here in this photo held by the Australian War Memorial. The slightly blurred image is said to show Kelliher (above) with family in Ballybogan, Ireland and thought to have been taken around 1946.
After the war Kelliher worked as a gardener until his death in January 1963. Three years later his wife sold his VC and campaign medals to the 2nd/25th Battalion Association which donated them to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The main Anzac Day commemoration in Ireland is regularly held most at Grangegorman military cemetery in Dublin. Grangegorman is the final resting place for ten ANZAC’s and an Australian nurse, most of who died on the same day in a maritime attack tragically just one month before WWI ended. They were amongst the passengers onboard the RMS Leinster that sailed between Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire) and Holyhead. The mailboat was a vital lifeline between Ireland and England and a popular way for visitors and service people to get from one country to the other. Not long after she set off from the Dublin port on the morning of October 10 1918, the Leinster was attacked in Dublin Bay by a German submarine. In the explosion and sudden sinking, some 569 passengers and crew were killed, drowned or lost at sea, the largest loss of life in Irish waters ever. Amongst the Australian victims were Private James Carroll, who was originally from Sligo before he emigrated and later joined the AIF and came to Europe as a solider. Private Joseph Gratton went to Ireland to visit a cousin. Private Joseph Barnes was badly wounded not long after he arrived at Monument Wood near Villers-Bretonneux and was in Ireland recuperating from his wounds.
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ANZAC Songs BY LLOYD GORMAN
JOHN PATRICK O’DONNELL AND HIS TWIN BROTHER THOMAS HENRY WERE IN THEIR EARLY TWENTIES WHEN THEY LEFT THEIR HOME IN TULLOW, CO. CARLOW TO MIGRATE TO AUSTRALIA AROUND 1911. Following in their father’s footsteps, the O’Donnell boys found work with the Bank of Adelaide in South Australia and stayed with an uncle in their adopted home. When World War I broke out, John – like many thousands of other eager young men – quickly enlisted aged 23 on August 26 1914 with the 10th Battalion (his brother enlisted with the same battalion in 1916). His hometown for enrolment was given as Balaclava, Wakefield, South Australia but his next of kin was given as Mrs Elizabeth M. O’Donnell, C/O National Bank Ltd, Carlow. Co. Carlow. Ireland. The young bank clerk shipped out for Egypt on October 20 1914 and it would be another five years before he returned to Australia. O’Donnell was amongst the men 34 | THE IRISH SCENE
of the 10th Battalion who landed at Gaba Tepe, Gallipoli on April 25. According to a newspaper report he was “hit 10 times and wounded four times” and there was another strange incident where: Corporal John Patrick O’Donnell “[he] with 28 others he was posted as missing, but subsequently the whole of these Australian heroes reappeared in the trenches”. He would later serve on the Western Front. We don’t know if O’Donnell might have ducked across to Ireland while he was back in Europe, but we do know that a poem (see right) he wrote about Gallipoli was published in the Dublin Evening News on 18th September 1915 and then reprinted in the Advertiser (Adelaide) on 2 November 1915. In the final months of the war, O’Donnell had a chance to pen some more poetry while he was recuperating from war wounds in Netley Hospital in Hampshire. One of those was a poem in memory of his twin who died at Weshoek, Flanders on 28 September 1917. That poem (far right) touched on their emigrant past and the sacrifices made by so many in that war. O’Donnell returned to Australia in June 1919 where he would live out the rest of his life. He died in Adelaide, on March 7 1982, aged 91 years.
ANZAC SONGS
LINES ON AUSTRALIAN GRAVES AT GALLIPOLI BY CORPORAL JOHN PATRICK O’DONNELL The ghastly moon comes creeping Across old Seddul Bahr The sobbing wind goes whispering Its mournful news afar. The stars look down upon the land, the white mist covers allotted Those gallant hears who aired their bloodshed And heard their country’s call. Oh, many a home is desolate, And many a heart is sore, Away beneath the Southern Cross, That far Australian shore. Their lvoe ones lie a-sleeping now Where Grecian heroes lie: The same pale looks down on them, the same stars in the sky. The teamster cracks his rawhide thong, the horses strain anew, Old Mulga Bill comes rattling in As only he can do. Mick Flannigan’s bar is chock-a-block, for half the town is there, the latest list of casualties to spread upon a chair. A cheery word to Mrs F, A nod to Lanky Mick, He shoves his way across the bar to where the crowd is thick. A whisper circles round the place, the men fall back a pace, he slowly scans the long, long list until he finds the place. No need to ask of news of him, The only son he had – Killed at the front – not twenty yet – Why, he was but a lad. A score of hands stretch out to grasp, He sways, and almost falls. Then slowly leaves the crowded place, and heeds not all their calls. So many another heard is sad. Through all that peaceful land: The touch of “German Culture” now Is felt on every hand. Their fame shall live unsullied Through ages yet to be, Those gallant dead in lonely graves Across the Aegean Sea.
TO TOM BY CORPORAL JOHN PATRICK O’DONNELL Do you recall way back on sunny shores, The grand old gumtrees by McCarthy’s creek; The Kookoburas laughing in the trees, And all the world asleep. Sometimes I think I hear your merry laugh, As down the gully distant hoofs drew nigh, And all around the wondrous tropic night And starry sky. But when again the Spring in France shall break, With scarlet poppy and wild Somme flowers, Perchance some little sky lark’s note shall shake Departing Winter’s stillness in the bowers. And when the tempest of my life is o’er, And night draws nigh – may I so hope to chance To sleep as peaceful, when my Spring shall break, As those who fell for France. O’Donnell’s collection of poems were published in 1918 in a small book called ‘Songs of an Anzac’. Publishers Browne & Nolan were based in Dublin, adding to the suggestion that he might have returned to Ireland at some point. Two copies of ‘Songs of an Anzac’ can be found in the reading room of the library inside the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
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ANZAC SONGS
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GRAVE CONCERN FOR BROTHERS LEFT BEHIND More than 30,000 Allied troops and nearly twice as many Turkish soldiers were killed during the failed Gallipoli campaign. Burial details were ad hoc and haphazard at the beginning of the conflict but as the death toll increased it became necessary to better organise the removal of corpses – that could be retrieved. Several graveyards were opened by the Allies, a force which included Australian, Irish (British), France and Indian soldiers. In the months’ long bloody fighting there was just one day in May when both sides agreed to a one day truce
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Top: HRH Prince Harry, President Michael D Higgins, President of the Republic of Turkey H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and HRH Prince Charles at Helles Memorial, Gallipoli in 2015 Image: www.dfa.ie Above: One of the Allied forces cemeteries from the Gallipoli campaign near Mudros Image: copyright IWM so they could recover and bury their own dead. Before they evacuated the Turkish peninsula under the cover of night, the Western powers chartered and surveyed the graves of their war dead for future reference. The Allies would not return to the area until 1919, after the war had ended. By this time many of the isolated and smaller graves had become grown over or lost. Many of the wooden crosses on the graves themselves had been taken away or used as firewood. The daunting task of relocating the graves and remains fell to the Imperial War Graves Commission. By 1924 the majority of that work had been carried out with the building of permanent cemeteries. Those with no known graves or who were buried at sea (if they died on nearby hospital ships or islands) are commemorated with memorials at Hill 60, Chunuk Bair, Lone Pine and Cape Helles. In total there are 47 different cemeteries for all those killed on both sides of the battle, which proved to be a brutal failure for the Allies. In April 2015 President of Ireland Michael D Higgins became the first head of the Irish state to visit Gallipoli for the 100th anniversary.
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The
Fairbridge Festival FAIRBRIDGE FESTIVAL 2021 CELEBRATES THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY, FOLK, ROOTS AND WORLD MUSIC – WITH THIS YEAR’S EVENT DELIVERING THE BIGGEST SHOWCASE OF LOCAL MUSICAL TALENT THE FESTIVAL HAS EVER SEEN AT THE FAIRBRIDGE VILLAGE, PINJARRA FROM APRIL 9 – 11. From Indigenous artists to emerging folk musicians and dance bands, this year’s Festival line-up also includes jazz, pop and even some classical music alongside an inspiring range of children’s activities and family workshops, theatre, comedy, dance, crafts and more. As we’ve come to expect from one of Australia’s most loved, family-friendly music and 38 | THE IRISH SCENE
camping festivals, there’ll also be a series of spine-tingling exclusive performances including Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse with brilliant jazz pianist Russell Holmes and the Dolce Quartet, whereby ancient language and heartfelt stories entwine with strings and ethereal piano. Richard Walley’s Six Seasons with Junkadelic Brass Band featuring Noongar singers celebrates tens of thousands of years of cultural knowledge through song and story; and Bustadelic Junkamento will see Melbourne’s irrepressible Bustamento ska band fuse with Junkadelic brass to create a musical energy of cosmic proportion. The Peacock Sessions in our newest venue will explode with Celtic, old time and bluegrass sessions featuring the state’s hottest players, and the World Music Café is a social enterprise concept whereby audiences can
meet a migrant and refugee team for a fusion of stories, food and music. Fairbridge Festival 2021 also features some interstate acts including Blackeyed Susans vocalist and one-time guest singer in The Triffids, Rob Snarski who’ll bring his velvet-voiced performance with superb guitarist and producer Shane O’Mara, and Taasha Coates from The Audreys will perform in duet mode with a new album in tow. There’s even some surprise international guests with Germany's The Beez returning to the Festival after warming the hearts of audiences with their oompah take on classic pop tunes with a show titled “Look What We’ve Done to Your Song”. FOR THE FULL LIST OF OVER 80 ACTS PERFORMING AT FAIRBRIDGE FESTIVAL 2021 – HEAD TO FAIRBRIDGEFESTIVAL.COM.AU. TICKETS ON SALE NOW.
THE IRISH SCENE | 39
MARTIN KAVANAGH
HON CONSUL OF IRELAND
2021 WILL BE A VERY DIFFERENT ST PATRICK’S DAY. OUR THOUGHTS IMMEDIATELY GO TO IRELAND AND THE TOUGH TIMES FAMILY AND FRIENDS ARE FACING WITH COVID-19. Apart from the medical experts I imagine many of us are surprised that Covid-19 is still be having such a major impact on our lives 12 months down the road. Hopefully the vaccines will soon lead us all back to a degree of normality.
ST PATRICK’S DAY FESTIVAL
A very unfortunate casualty of Covid-19 is the cancellation of the 2021 SPD parade and festival. Whilst it is a great disappointment, I think everyone understands that it was a prudent and sensible decision in these uncertain times. On behalf of the Irish community may I express my deep appreciation to the committee, organisers and the many volunteers who have worked tirelessly to organise the event. We are fortunate to have so many selfless volunteers in our community. Whilst it will be very strange not to have the SPD parade and festival, we also understand how lucky we are to live in WA and to enjoy a relatively normal way of life in a Covid-19 world.
COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS
I wish to express my appreciation to the many volunteers who give of their time and commitment to the Irish community in WA, particularly the Claddagh, GAA, Soccer, ITP, AIHA and the Irish Club.
GREENING
I’m happy to report that many Perth venues will be green for SPD including Optus Stadium, Council House and Elizabeth Quay and the Bell Tower. My thanks to all these venues for their goodwill towards Ireland and the Irish. I also understand that religious services will occur at the Cathedral and St Georges.
PASSPORTS
Whilst Ireland is at Level 5 lockdown the production of passports has ceased. If you require an emergency passport, please contact the Honorary Consulate in Perth or the Passport Office Webchat service.
EMBASSY AND HCWA
My thanks to Ambassador Breandan and his team at the embassy for their dedication and commitment over the year and also my thanks to Lynda, Yvonne and Richard at the HCWA. I’m sure we will all hold our heads high on 17 March and celebrate our culture and our identity.
Happy St Patrick’s Day!
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G’day from Gary Gray AUSTRALIA’S AMBASSADOR IN IRELAND Stay up to date with what’s happening in the Australian Embassy, Ireland by following:
HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY AND ST PATRICK’S DAY 2021 The 26th of January 2021 is a significant date for Australians in Ireland, as much as St Patrick’s Day 2021. 2021 marks 80 years since Robert Gordon Menzies, our longest serving Prime Minister visited Eamon De Valera in Dublin, and 75 years since the establishment of formal relations between the Government of Australia and the then soon-to-be proclaimed Irish Republic. The creation of diplomatic relations in 1946 was illustrative of the deep and very Australian personal ties between our two island nations which have continued for almost two and a half centuries. Embassy, Much has happened in the last 75 years. We have seen the world evolve in an Ireland unprecedented way; witnessing the first missions into outer space, hundreds of millions of people lifted out of poverty, the proliferation of democratic institutions across much of the world, the establishment of the United Nations Security Council, of which Australia was a founding member and onto which Ireland soon takes its rightful place as a member for the next two years. @AusEmbIre Australia Day acts as both a day of celebration and a day of reflection for many Australians: celebrating the modern and open democracy we have become, while acknowledging the pained history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples of Australia who remain uniquely connected in culture and in history to the land. Indeed, since the First Fleet arrived in Australia in 1788, Ireland has left an indelible mark on Australian society and created one of the most established Irish immigrant communities anywhere in the world. 11% of Australians claimed Irish ancestry in the 2016 census – the second largest grouping on our continent, and the newest wave of Irish immigration has meant that almost 80,000 people who were born in Ireland live in Australia today. These long standing and significant ties have influenced our value system and created an interconnectedness that permeates every aspect of relations between our two nations. From prime ministers and premiers, priests, pastoralists, and poets; medics, winemakers, inventors and musicians - as well as the occasional bushranger - Australian history is in part, Irish history. The Irish have shaped Australia’s public The Australian Rock Show continues with our weekly Aussie rock bonanza life. Former Australian Prime Ministers Bob Hawke hosted by the ‘Thunder from Down Under’, Gaz and Taz and Paul Keating, former New South Wales Premier John Fahey, Minister Susan Ryan and the first female Australian Minister, the Hon Margaret Guilfoyle (born in Belfast) - all celebrated their Irish heritage. The influence of Irish Australians on Aussie culture continues. A number of Australian Football League Premiership players are testament to this enduring connection in addition to a number of other notable influences such as;
@ausembire
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G’DAY FROM GARY GRAY
The team at the embassy celebrating Australia Day Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, former Australian of the year Prof Patrick McGorry, WIFI inventor Dr John O’Sullivan and former Chief Justice of Australia, Sir Gerard Brennan are all examples of the continuing Irish influence on Australia. The Irish in Australia will be celebrating St Patrick’s Day in a much more traditional way than us Australians in Ireland – at the pub. With COVID-19 infections still at an alarming level in Ireland, this is the second year Irish national day celebrations have been put on hold. Again this year, Australians in Ireland will connect with their Irish friends and family to celebrate via ‘zoom’ instead of a cozy pub that is such an important part of Ireland’s social fabric. The last 12 months have been difficult for both our countries. Last year, at this time the people of Ireland gave generously to help Australian communities as we worked to recover flora, fauna and livelihoods destroyed in the horrific bushfires. The recovery needed to be significant and the Irish people ensured that it was a truly global response as they backed relief efforts through the Irish Red Cross and for that we are extremely grateful. With the advent of COVID-19, we have seen Irish nurses and doctors working
in Australian hospitals and many of their Australian counterparts doing the same here in Ireland. We share in the optimism of the Irish people as March comes to an end and the days are brighter and longer, that the year ahead will see us connect with each other again in the ways that we all know and love. From the Australian Embassy’s vantage point on St. Stephen’s Green we have seen the incredible effort from Irish people and businesses in continuing to operate under the most strenuous of circumstances, and we anticipate being welcomed back into cafés, restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs as the year progresses towards normality. We have seen renewed global cooperation and collaboration to beat the virus that has hurt so many. It is in this context that open democracies and open economies such as Australia and Ireland must work together to safeguard the freedoms that make our lives great. Climate change is now, and has been for some time, irrefutable. In Australia we have seen firsthand what this has meant, and it is why we are moving fast. We have reduced our total emissions by almost 17 per cent since 2005
and are on track to meet and beat our 2030 target of 26-28 per cent below 2005 levels. But addressing the planetary impact of human activity is for us all, not for any one region of the planet. As we come together to face growing global threats, Australia remains steadfast in its climate commitments as part of the 2015 Paris Agreement, and we look forward to the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow later this year to review global progress and if deemed necessary, strengthen our commitments to safeguard our planet for future generations. With a renewed optimism for 2021, Ireland and the world will be able to look outwards again to address climate change and seek renewed opportunity in global free trade, prosperity and equality. For the team here at the Australian Embassy in Ireland, we live and work in a truly interconnected world working with the Irish Embassy in Canberra and the terrific Austrian-Irish diaspora and network in Australia. We encourage everyone with an interest in Aussies in Ireland to connect with us across social media channels this St Patrick’s Day as we remember and celebrate the influence Ireland and Australia has had in building the international institutions that promote collective action and celebrate the great Irish women and men who helped along the way.
THE HON GARY GRAY AO
Australian Ambassador to Ireland THE IRISH SCENE | 43
Matters Of PUB-Lic Interest
BY LLOYD GORMAN
FOXY JOHNNY It’s always good to walk into a pub and be greeted by a familiar and friendly face, and that is exactly what punters will get with Johnny Fox’s in Northbridge, the reincarnated Rosie O’Grady’s. Paul Moloney has been a fixture of the Irish pub trade and multiple venues around Perth – and before that back in his native Dublin – for some time now, but the opening of Johnny Fox’s in early February represents the pinnacle of his career as a publican. He and his business partner want to share his vision of a great local with everyone who walks through the door of the James Street venue. His arrival as a co-owner of Johnny Fox’s with Clint Nolan of Lavish Habits has been a long time in the making. Paul can trace his pedigree back to some of Dublin’s most iconic and famous public houses. “I went into hospitality when I was 15,” Paul told Irish Scene. “From my Junior Cert to Leaving Cert I was always working in pubs at the weekend and I just loved it, the atmosphere, the craic and everything about it. And it runs in the family. My grandmother used to run Mulligans in Poolbeg Street and she lived above the pub for years, and my father was a lounge boy and then a bar man there too. I used to go there a lot and there was a bartender there who knew my grandmother and he always remembered me after the first time I went there. I also had an uncle who 44 | THE IRISH SCENE
Left: A familiar face around the Perth pub scene – Paul Moloney behind the bar at the new Johnny Fox’s. Above: Mulligans in Poolbeg Street, once run by Paul’s grandmother. worked in Davy Byrnes in Grafton Street, so it runs deep in my family’s history.” Paul’s ambitions of becoming an architect were quickly supplanted by his true calling. “I dropped out of college where I was studying architecture to become a bartender full time”. He went on to study the hospitality at DIT in Cathal Brugha and Mountjoy Square which gave him a good grounding in the theory and practicals of the occupation. “When I was working as a bartender it was considered a trade. I was doing my apprenticeship and I was a part of the union. I had a head bartender who was training me so I went into it full on and enjoyed it.”
MATTERS OF PUB-LIC INTEREST
Paul cut his teeth as an apprentice at the Lord Mayors and then the Carnegie Court Hotel in Swords, before going to a brand new establishment The Old Borough which he helped open ‘from the ground up’. His first few years in the sector saw things go from boom to bust. “The pub where I was assistant manager had eight full time bartenders but then we lost six of them and they were never replaced, it was just the way things were going, slowing down. It was CONTINUED ON PAGE 46
Paul outside Johnny Fox’s Irish bar in Northbridge
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2012 and Ireland was in its slump. There was something like a pub a day closing down at the time. Because it was a career move for me, I had to look somewhere else to guarantee I had work and then Australia came up in the Evening Herald while I was sitting in the pub having a pint. So I applied for the job in Perth and came out to manage The Shed.” Paul was with The Shed for three years before he joined Lavish Habits under his then-boss and now partner Clint Nolan. “My first role with Clint was opening
Joe’s Juice Joint and then Alabama Song, and then I put him in touch with the old owners of The Shed when it was on its way down and he hooked up with them and ended up taking that on and turned it into Henry Summer.” Paul ran the rebranded Shed for a couple of years. It was during his time there that he was approached by the Ark Group to open The Galway Hooker. “That gave me a great opportunity, something I had wanted to do was get involved with an Irish bar over here and put my hand to what I
Above: Irish Club’s new entrance. Finishing touches still to come
KNOCK KNOCK OPEN WIDE The first thing that will strike anyone who has dropped into the Irish Club in Subiaco in recent weeks is the revamped entrance to the building. New glass panel doors – complete with etchings of the Club logo and the like – painted a nice clean white have replaced the solid brown wooden doors that have been there for an age. They make quite a difference to the facade of the club’s Townshend Road premises and also opens the venue up in a sense to the wider community and passerbys who no longer need to be curious about what’s on the other side of those forbidding wooden doors. The update is also another sign that the club is on the mend and improving thanks to the tireless efforts of the committee, supporters and members themselves. And a little bird tells Irish Scene that the enhancements won’t stop there. 46 | THE IRISH SCENE
was most used to at home,” he said. “Going to work for the Ark Group wasn’t something I was expecting to do because I loved working for Lavish Habits and for Clint. I learned a lot from him but I took the chance to go to Scarborough and get the Galway Hooker up and running.” Anyone who has been to the Scarborough watering hole will know how popular the locale is, having gone from being an empty shell to a vibrant, purpose built Irish pub and proved to be a hit with Irish folk, tourists and the wider community alike (the Galway Hooker will celebrate its third birthday later this year – more of that in a later edition). Paul left his job with Clint on good terms and this left the door open for the two men to join forces later in a new venture that both of them had at the back of their minds for some time. “When I was leaving I told Clint that I’d love to work with him again and we shook hands. Then when this place came on the market he called me and said “do you remember you mentioned Rosie O’Gradys a few times and that you would like to have a look at it if it ever came up for sale?” and it did, so we had a look and put an offer in and
MATTERS OF PUB-LIC INTEREST
ROUND ONE TO RIC’S Congratulations to Ric O’Shea’s Irish pub in Fremantle on winning the competition to grace the cover page of this edition of Irish Scene, just pipping the crew and customers of Paddy Malone’s in Joondalup for the honour. No doubt the boys and girls at Paddy’s (who put in a great effort above) will want to try to settle the score the next time we run the competition. Thanks to everyone who made the effort to take part. While Paddy’s will be well known to many people in the northern suburbs and further afield, Ric’s might be a new name for some. The pub – inside the Beaconsfield Hotel – opened its doors shortly before Paddy’s Day last year and like every other pub, bar and restaurant, it
here we are.” There were other competitors in the race for Rosie’s, but Clint and Paul were the strongest contenders. “I think there were three or four interested parties but whether they met the lease agreements or the terms I’m not sure, but I think we were just the ideal candidate. Brockwell had it for 30 years and we came in and
had a chat with him about taking over and what they have here and all the rest. They said they were delighted it was going to remain an Irish pub because I think some of the other parties were thinking of turning it into a brewery. So I don’t know whether Brockwell had an influence but he said it would be sad to see it change from what it was after he put 30 years into it. And it’s in such an iconic building
quickly fell victim to the pandemic and lockdown. It’s been such a turbulent 12 months for Scott and his gang at Ric’s that they postponed their official opening until this month. No doubt it will be a big night/weekend for the new arrival and its staff and customers.
and is an institution for the Irish and it is one of the top three pubs in Perth that people go to when they come here. So we’re very greatful for all the help Brockwell and Scotty gave us in the transition and the legacy they’ve left is outstanding and a credit to them and the Irish community hold them very dear, we hope we CONTINUED ON PAGE 48
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can continue on with that. I don’t want to change up something that’s already beautifully established, I want to keep the heart pumping but maybe a little bit stronger. We could have gone down all these different avenues with the venue but its already got 30 years of beautiful history and heritage and we want to continue that. We hope to be here 15 years, that’s what we’ve signed for.” The changes that will be made will all restore a little more heritage to the venue. The new name is a partly based on one of Ireland’s most famous pubs – Johnny Foxes – in the Dublin Mountains, the backyard to the Irish capital and Paul’s proud county. But the name is also a tribute to another Dublin legend, Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy fame. “Phil Lynott is my favourite musician of all time and he had an album (his seventh) called Johnny the Fox, so its also about that. We’re re-opening opening the Boston – the live entertainment room at the back of the pub – as Lynott’s Lounge after we’ve upgraded the stage, sound system and lights and all that and you might even see a portrait of him.”
JACK’S BAR As we saw in the last edition of Irish Scene (“30th anniversary a blast”) it was a great night in the Geraldton Mid West Irish Club when the members and friends were able to finally get around to celebrate the third decade of
48 | THE IRISH SCENE
Left: Jack Regan. Above: His namesake bar at the Mid West Irish Club in Geraldton
its establishment late last year. Central to the club getting off the ground in the first place was one Jack Regan. In recognition of the original and ongoing contribution made by the past president, a plaque for Regan’s Bar was unveiled on the night, a well deserved honour for the Irishman. Sadly, the following note was posted on the club’s facebook page on February 4. “Yesterday... at 3.30pm Australia, Ireland and the Midwest Irish Club lost one of the greatest men who ever walked on this earth,” the statement said. “Jack Regan former president of the Midwest Irish Club (25 years) sadly
passed away at his family’s side in the afternoon. It is with deepest sorrow I am writing this post as Jack to myself and to many other people seemed like he would live forever. Jack moved to Australia many years ago from Ireland and was a great family man. He was always a great listener, advisor and mentor to people through their life. Jack was a massive west coast eagles fan, hated the Dockers and liked nothing more than having a little Tullamore Dew watching the footy. We will miss him dearly and would like to offer up our condolences and deepest sympathies to his family at this very sad time. May you Rest In Peace mo chara daor.” When the Broken Pokers – who provided the entertainment for the anniversary night but who also play there regularly (including most recently in late February) – got the news of his demise, they played a touching version of that most appropriate song ‘The Parting Glass’ for him during their online show. The funeral mass for Jack was held on February 25 at St CONTINUED ON PAGE 50
j b orei l ly s .c om . a u
ST PATRICK’S
WARM UP Saturday 13th March
ST PATRICK’S DAY
CELEBRATIONS Wednesday 17th March
OPEN 11am-MIDNIGHT
OPEN FROM 7.30am • Walk ins only
Full menu available 11am-9pm Irish Dancers @ 3pm & 7.30pm Craic N’On Live @ 4pm Sole Cellars Live @ 8.30pm
Breakfast until 11.30am St Patricks Day menu 11.30am to 9pm Irish Dancers & Live music throughout the day
99 Cambridge St, West Leederville T: (08) 9382 4555 E: oreillys@iinet.net.au THE IRISH SCENE | 49
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 48
Lawrence Church Bluff Point, and for the wake the mourners retired to the club house and his bar where many drinks were toasted in his honour. Vale Jack!
FANNY MCGEE’S CRAIC STRIPPED BARE! The charming traditional Irish styled facade of Fanny McGee’s Craic at the Jarrah Bar and Cafe in Hillarys was begrudingly whitewashed back to being a blank bland wall in late February. Owner Wes Darcy, originally from Wicklow, went on Facebook and later Channel 9 news to explain why he was forced to remove the decorative red framed windows, planter boxes and even the sign for the name of the snug little bar from view. The directive came from the Department of Transport, which operates Hillarys Boat Harbour. “I feel what we’ve done in Jarrah Bar and Cafe for the community is really nice,” he said. “We’ve taken some culture from down the generations and generations and applied that in how we fit out the business and how we behave as a business. We have done a really nice job of the little bar here, we’ve painted it red, put a sign on it and some planter boxes with reticulation and we actually clean up the car park every morning too, paper, bottles rubbish.” Despite all this and adding to the vibrancy and attractiveness of Hillarys Boat Harbour, not everyone appreciated it in the same way. “During the latest lockdown, the Department of Transport’s latest dictatorship approach was to remove and clean up any of the artistic or creative differences that we’ve made to what was the back of a building that was a bin shed, which you have to look at from the community side of Hillarys. We’ve been told to paint the red white even though they gave us approval to paint the building and to paint the windows, and to remove the reticulated planter boxes. We’ve been instructed too to take down the sign which was painted by local artist by Dean Devilliers who did a 50 | THE IRISH SCENE
Top: The original red and white facade of Fanny McGee’s, which has now been repainted all white (centre). Above: Jarrah Bar owner Wes Darcy being interviewed by Channel 9
MATTERS OF PUB-LIC INTEREST
lot of our painting inside, including a massive black and white mural of the St. Jame’s Gates entrance to the Guinness brewery in Dublin.” Even a sign with a flower plant on it at the front of Jarrah Bar – created by his brother Garth who is a film set desinger – was to be “ripped out”. The ramficiations for not complying were severe, Wes – who is also a co-owner of the Mullaloo Beach Hotel – was warned. “The threats were they would breach our lease and master lease on the building unless we rip this down,” he added. “We feel this is very unfair to do this to us particularly at this time, even if they had of waited to give us time to get back up on our feet there might have been something to take from this.” The works were an extra expense on the buisness which had been hit again recently during the snap five day lockdown. He said it felt like his business was being targeted because there were “all sorts of signs and all sorts of colour” used in other sections of the marina, and the design guidelines for the precinct were over 20 years old. Wes said he wasn’t sure what the right solution was but found it hard to believe that the government department that licences boats was the right one to understand the needs of businesses. The department’s Director Coastal Facilities Donna West responded to questions from Irish Scene. “The Department of Transport (DoT) manages Hillarys Boat Harbour as it is a state government managed asset for the community, and has established approval and communication processes in place for building modifications to ensure public safety,” she said. “DoT is working with the building owner and its tenant, Jarrah Bar and Café, to resolve this issue.” At time of going to press, Irish Scene understands that Premier Mark McGowan was due to visit the venue and meet with Mr Darcy to discuss the situation. Hopefully, as the next story shows the intervention of the state’s most senior political figure (the McGowan government is currently in caretaker mode) who has prides himself on his “common sense approach” will help move the situation along and give Fanny’s its character and personality back.
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT! The Fanny McGee’s situation brings to mind a similar crazy debacle that another Irish pub and publican in Perth found themselves in, exactly five years ago this February!
What was meant to be a routine inspection of JB O’Reilly’s paperwork to sell tobacco escalated into an example of bureaucratic overzealousness that was only knocked on the head when the then-Premier Colin Barnett stepped in. The debacle began when an official from the Environmental Health Directorate carried out an inspection at the premises, which sold cigars but not cigarettes. He found everything to be in order and was on the way out of the Cambridge Street premises when he noticed the vintage signs on the walls for old tobacco brands. The old fashioned signs had been up on the walls during every other inspection since the opening of the venue 23 years earlier, but on this occasion the official took umbrage with them, deeming them to be a breach of the strict rules stopping the advertising of tobacco products. At first JB’s owner Paul North probably thought this guy was having a lend of him. But before he knew it, the flabbergasted publican was on the sharp end of a Tobacco Controls Act 2006 breach order and told he had 14 days to take down 24 offending signs or face a hefty fine. Paul – who described himself to me as “vehemently anti-smoking myself” – had stopped selling cigarettes well over a year earlier and said JB’s was one of the few pubs in Perth where you couldn’t buy smokes. “They are all antique and original signs from Ireland, England and Australia for cigarette brands that no longer exist,” he explained further. “I've paid thousands of dollars for individual signs, one of a sailor in a Gold Flake ad cost me $3000 alone. You wouldn't do that to advertise cigarettes. They are part of our history, pieces of art and part of our culture and that is what people want when they come somewhere like JB's, they want nostalgia. They are trying to rewrite history, you can’t tell me that they would encourage anyone to smoke today.” Paul dug his heels in for a fight and even spoke about taking it to the High Court of Australia if necessary. In a way it is a pity it didn’t reach the highest court in the land. It would have had all the makings of an Irish version of The Castle. The story first broke on the Rumour File on 6PR in 2016, and was quickly pounced on by the main news outlets and TV stations first in WA and then across Australia. It created a sensation, the kind of publicity money can’t buy. The whole affair died as quickly as it had started when the premier was asked about it at a press conference and called it ridiculous. CONTINUED ON PAGE 52
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“They are collectors pieces, they show an era gone by,” Mr Barnett told reporters. “It is not promoting smoking or selling cigarettes and if that's the way they want to decorate their pub, good on them. This is where there has been a lack of common sense. I am overruling it. They can keep their decorations. If they have old tin images of smoking and cigarette promotions from a bygone era – if that’s the way they decorate their pub, they are totally entitled to do it. We just need to apply common sense here. That is, the decorations of the hotel are not promoting smoking or marketing or selling cigarettes, so I don’t have any difficulty with that at all.” Shortly after that, the action against JB’s was dropped and Paul and his team were free to concentrate on getting ready for St. Patrick’s Day that year.
SKIPPY STRAYS INTO AN ‘IRISH’ PUB! It sounds like the opening line of a bad joke but that was the setting for a short video clip posted on Tik Tok in late February that went viral on social media and then in traditional media outlets. Katie Hutton (aka cardqueenkatie) who works at the John Forrest National Park Tavern, posted the brief clip showing Matt the kangaroo hop in through a door and make himself at home in the premises. “I keep telling you mate, you can’t come behind the bar, you don’t work here,” Katie can be heard telling the very familiar and friendly creature in the clip on the social media platform. While it was a just another typical day at the pub, the video caught the imagination of people everywhere and was watched by over 11 million within 24 hours of going online and spawned a raft of mock and copy cat versions. “Basically I just had a slow Monday at work and decided to make a video,” Katie told Gareth Parker on 6PR on February 25. “Because my husband goes on about Tik Tok so much so yeah, I Above: The cheeky kangaroo hopping in the John made him a video to Forrest National Park Tavern have a little bit of a laugh at work.” She shared it with about a dozen people and could not have expected it to take off and be watched by so many people around the world. Despite the success of the video, she 52 | THE IRISH SCENE
Above: Paul North, owner of JB O’Reilly’s, famous for its vintage signs, including advertisements for cigarettes. Image courtesy POST Newspapers has no intention of giving up her job at the tavern for a career as a social media influencer. “I love working there its the best job I ever had never... I’d much prefer everyone come and meet me for a drink in the pub,” the down-to-earth bar worker said. There is an Irish angle to this story. The tavern is owned by one Tom Fitzgerald, who is originally from Patrickswell, Limerick. He bought the business in 1998 and he retired about 18 months ago, but the watering hole is run today by his daughter Megan. Tom is more than familiar with the copious number of kangaroos who occupy the national park. “Not that we want them coming into the pub and going behind the bar exactly but they are all around the place. Its great for tourists if they are sitting there and see them come through, its something they won’t forget,” Tom said. In his time Tom marked every St. Patrick’s Day with a generous special drinks promotion. Irish Scene hopes to catch up with Tom for a proper chat in the near future and find out more about his pub, which is only one of two taverns in a national park in the whole of Australia (the other just happens to be in Yanchep!)
Ambassador Ó Caollaí’s
St Patrick’s Day message BREANDÁN Ó CAOLLAÍ AMBASADÓIR NA HÉIREANN/ AMBASSADOR OF IRELAND
IS CÚIS ÁTHAIS DOM AGUS MO BHEAN CHÉILE, CARMEL, DEA-GHUÍ A CHUR AG POBAL GAELACH AGUS CAIRDE NA NGAEL IN IARTHAR NA HASTRÁILE, GUÍMID LÁ NA FÉILE PÁDRAIG FAOI SHUAIMHNEAS AGAIBH. My wife Carmel and I are delighted to have this opportunity to send our best wishes for a most enjoyable St Patrick’s Day and festivities to the readership of The Irish Scene, which continues to be such a valuable source of information to the Irish community in Western Australia. St Patrick’s Day is one of the world’s truly global and inclusive heritage celebrations, so join the millions across the globe on this day of days. We have seldom needed such an uplifting celebration as much as we do in 2021. Enjoy the fun and celebration! 2020 was a difficult and challenging year for many in our community in Western Australia and indeed all across Australia. How much more difficult and challenging has it been for our families and friends in Ireland where the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been much greater and much more negative. We take this opportunity to salute and thank all those women and men who are working in the frontline response to this pandemic. You are true heroes, wherever you are working and whatever your contribution. We know how disappointing it is that your wonderful St Patrick’s Day Parade is not going ahead. We want to thank all those who were committed to its success and wish you well for your renewed efforts in 2022. We wish to express our sincerest best wishes to Honorary Consul,
Marty Kavanagh and his dedicated team for their commitment to the advancement of Irish interests in Western Australia. I also want to thank the Claddagh Association for their tireless work for some of the most vulnerable members of our community. History has shown that we Irish are a resilient and determined people, we confront adversity and unify in our efforts to overcome whatever challenge is set before us. Now more than ever let us rally in common cause, to support the most vulnerable of our communities and make everyone feel included and part of the fun. As we say in Irish: ‘Ní neart go cur le chéile’ (Our unity is our strength).
Tony and Veronica McKee PO Box 994 Hillarys WA 6923
Tel (08) 9401 1900 • Fax: 9401 1911 Mob: 0413 337 785
info@mckeefamilyfunerals.com.au www.mckeefamilyfunerals.com.au THE IRISH SCENE | 53
G’Day FROM MELBOURNE Oh how our lives have been turned upside down since the arrival of COVID-19. One day we were all smiles and next day we’re all wearing masks. Remember the time when you couldn’t go into a courthouse, a bank or for that matter almost everywhere wearing a mask? We are all hidden behind masks nowadays that reminds us of the nasty part of life, such as gangsters, bank robbers and I.S.I.S. When I migrated to Australia I remember being amazed by the friendly greeting kiss on the cheek by the fairer sex. Now the friendly kiss and the warm handshake is only a memory of an era stolen by COVID-19. I am not an authority on whether a mask should or should not be worn but I have a problem as to how wearing one is affecting a lot of people. I know there are divisive views on this but when it comes to people like me who have only one lung, and my wife who is asthmatic, when we have to restrict our breathing port holes, it doesn’t make sense. Our home has no boundary and is only two meters from a beautiful lake that is home to lots of wildlife and native birds. I assume we can’t give or get COVID-19 from our feathered and fluffy friends. So it don’t make sense for me to be wearing a mask and scaring the living daylights out of my native friends, even if they occasionally poop on my veranda. It is now 1.30pm on Friday February 12th as I continue to write this article and the news has been broken by the Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, locally described as Dictator Dan, that the State goes back into Stage 4 lockdown as from 11.55pm tonight. What Stage 4 means for us is we are only allowed out of home to exercise for two hours a day, shop only for essentials, travel no further than 5kms from home. Again our liberty has been stolen from us, by a man that can’t be trusted in charge of quarantine in the State. I better kick on from all this doom and gloom and talk about my regular friends in lockdown. In late September last year, a pair of swans took up residence in the lake outside our kitchen door. We watched as they nourished their newly hatched brew some weeks later. Last week our swans and their brew of six, now fully grown, sadly flew off and left us. As swans pledge for life, we expect them to return again next year to do the same thing again, I hope. They have been replaced by some shags who seem to do a lot of fishing and are quite funny as they toss their catch in the air so the head of the fish goes down the throat first. I remember going to the circus many 54 | THE IRISH SCENE
years ago in Cork and don’t remember the jugglers being as accurate as the shags are, I haven’t seen the shags drop one of their catches yet. Recently I had the non-native Indian myna birds removed from our property because they attack all the other birds that occupy our garden. Their removal has now cleared the way for the return of the blue robins that went missing because they were regularly attacked and killed by the mynas. The robins are amazing birds, they are so active and agile considering their size. At the moment we have two families of them staying in the garden rent free with an abundance of insects to feed on. Adding to the menagerie of ducks, water hens and pukeko swamp hens, we have also taken two hives of 40,000 bees. Yep I will forgive you for thinking that we are stone mad. If you’d told me last year that 80,000 bees would be sharing the same garden as us, I would have told you that you were mad. Well guess what, I’m surprised to be learning so much about such an important process that gives us the magic that is honey. Another few things I’ve learned about my tiny hard-working friends, is that they only live for about 37 days. They survive longer in winter when they don’t leave the hive to work, due to rain, snow and cold. The Queen Bee can live for 6 to 7 years, that’s assuming she doesn’t get dethroned before then. I learned the hard way how to defend myself against being stung, but let me first tell you the mistakes I made, when I decided to trim a hedge near the hive. I tried to be as quiet as a mouse, so as not to disturb them, I was doing fine for a while until one of the 80,000 decided to pay me an in-your-face visit. Cordially I whisper hallow, he then must have thought, aha I have just caught a thief before he got to our honey pot. The penny dropped as soon as he started to buzz around by ear and I began to wave my hands to swat him off. My waving actions, I learned later, was like waving a red flag to a bull, in bee language. I soon found myself confronted by a swarm of bees, as the little coward no doubt called for backup. I immediately discovered I could run at a pace that I never thought achievable before. Once in the safety of home, I stood at the window and looked out at the swarm of my attackers and I would almost swear I could hear them calling out ‘Come out here you big ugly bear and fight”. I have always believed in a fair fight one on one, however a swarm of bees against
G’DAY FROM MELBOURNE
me, I don’t think so. The computer says NO! Pity I didn’t read up on a few things to know about bees first before assuming I had known all there was to know about them. Never wear dark clothing near a hive or swarm, as the bees will assume you are a bear who is going to rob their honey. They will sting and fight to defend what’s theirs, if they are confronted. Don’t wave your hands around like clown near a bee, if you haven’t swatted him dead first, just back away. As they have a flightpath to their hive, don’t walk in front of it as that might lead you on the path I found myself on last week being chased by the bee army again. In saying all that, please don’t think for a second that they are aggressive little critters, because they are not. Like us humans we don’t like others moving into our space. I better buzz off for now and let you enjoy some honey on your bread.
MIKE BOWEN
UNTIL NEXT TIME, BE GOOD TO THOSE WHO LOVE YOU AND SLAINTE FROM MELBOURNE
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The
Irish Race
Scattered over the surface of every country in Europe may be found ancient monuments, the remains of prehistoric times and nations, and of a phase of life and civilization which has long since passed away. The men by whom these works were made, so interesting in themselves, and so different from anything of the kind erected since, were not strangers and aliens, but our own ancestors, and out of their prehistoric civilisation our own has slowly grown. No record or tradition has been bequeathed to us, or of its nature, ideas or sentiment, how it was sustained, only by excavation and extrapolation can we learn anything. The following are some words from Historian & Folklorist Standish O’ Grady (18461928). He is rarely mentioned these days, and this excerpt is from his book ‘The Story Of Ireland’, published in 1894. ‘In ancient times the country was full Standish O’ Grady of bards, who, with their harps, used to travel from one house to another, singing songs for the people about the island in which they lived, and the brave deeds of their ancestors. These bards had three names for Ireland which they used more often than others. They called it Banba when they thought of its plains, woods, and mountains; and Fodhla when they thought of it in connection with learning, laws and history; and Eire when they thought of its warriors , heroes, and kings. The bards, too, used to celebrate the valour and excellence of an ancient hero called Ir, and so got into the habit of alluding to the island in their songs as the land of Ir. So we get the name Irland or Ireland , which is in everybody’s mouth today, though it was first invented over two thousand years ago by one of those makers and singers of songs who used to go about the island with their harps, amusing the people and also 56 | THE IRISH SCENE
instructing them in their history. No one knows that bard’s name, or anything about him, yet the word that he invented is known all around the world today.’ A comment was made some years back that the only apparent outward semblance of Ireland achieving freedom from Britain was the fact that the post-boxes were painted green instead of red. This should be taken in the humorous context in which it was meant to be delivered. In 1921 we did not have an awful lot to start with but we were fortunate to inherit the British Civil Service. Some time ago I noticed two wall mounted post-boxes in Cork bearing the royal insignia underneath the green paint. The original British Post Office boxes were bright red. When Ireland gained Independence in 1921 the post-boxes were retained, even the postage stamps were retained with overprints for some time. Now the post-boxes are painted green, but the royal insignia can be clearly seen. The ones I have come across are those of Edward V11, this was Queen Victoria’s son who reigned from 1901 until his death in 1910. When I saw these it struck me as to how short a time we have been out on our own as a country. Sometimes I get the feeling that we can lack confidence and belief in ourselves as we are a small nation on the outer edges of Europe. In the early 1920’s when our first independent Government looked around at what they had to start with, they realised that they had very little. In the previous CONTINUED ON PAGE 63
BILL DALY Originally from Tallow in West Waterford, Bill spent 30 years in Cork as a Senior Manager in the Electronics Manufacturing industry with such companies as Apple, EMC and Logitech. He has been working on his own as a Consultant/Contractor in Manufacturing Operations and Materials for the past 18 years. He also attended UCC and has a BA Degree in Archaeology and Geography. Bill is now resident in Connemara, Co. Galway since 2009.
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Visit our website for an update of our full range of products as well as current stockist: www.freshfrontier.com THE IRISH SCENE | 57
Ulster Rambles A few nights ago, I watched an old episode of the Graham Norton Show. (I tried STAN, I tried NETFLIX, I tried FOXTEL on demand, I ended up in my library; you get the idea I am sure.) The majority of the guests were from Ulster; well two out of three that is. They were Liam Neeson, Jamie Dornan and Helen Mirren. Helen and Liam lived together for some time in the eighties and often visited Liam’s family home in Ballymena. Helen of course was born in London so Ballymena proved to be quite an experience for her. Jamie was born in Holywood (also famous for the birth place of Rory McIlroy) which lies midway between Bangor and Belfast. That particular road I knew very well in my youth having hitched many a ride on it on numerous occasions. Jamie was telling us stories of his youth when he was a boarder at ‘Methody’, my old school as most of you know by now. His story was about a rugby match he was involved in at the famous Ravenhill ground where Ulster competed against all opposition. It reminded me of St. Patricks’s Day in Ulster around that time as I will now relate. In the late sixties, pubs in the North were very much regulated. They were not allowed to open on Sundays. Strangely enough, parks were also closed on this holy day. At the time, I accepted this as being quite normal (well I never knew anything different!) and often welcomed the enforced rest from a late Saturday night with the boys. The 17th March was a public holiday (a religious one I suppose) and of course all the pubs were officially meant to be closed. This date was also set for the final of the schools cup; rugby that is. I am sure the GAA had some similar final but in those days I knew nothing about their sporting activities. However the bar at Ravenhill was open! I had never really given it much thought but I assume it had some special licence. The consequences of this small fact meant that many more people attended the rugby than would have been the case. Some of them even watched the game. The bar of course was well attended. I left the Province in the early seventies so I regret to say that I have not been able to find out when all this changed. Ulster (sorry N. Ireland in this case) was able to devise many of its own laws. For example the 58 | THE IRISH SCENE
schools never went Comprehensive in the seventies as did the rest of Britain. There are currently 67 grammar schools and 135 non-grammars, so grammars make up about one third of post-primary schools. As a result, about 45% of children in Northern Ireland attend a grammar school. When I was teacher for a short time at Ballymena Academy, I was surprised by how many of the students were from outside the Province. Recently I have found that there are further benefits from residing in this small area of the world. One of the outcomes of Brexit is that people born in Northern Ireland have the right to Irish as well as British citizenship. Those people who exercise that right will retain their EU citizenship. This of course is something not available to people elsewhere in the UK who may have only British citizenship. The consequences of this outcome range from the mundane to the profound. People travelling on Irish passports will be able to use EU/EEA lanes and e-gates at airports. Those with British passports will not. Not so important at present you might well suggest as very few people are travelling much in this COVID age. More fundamentally, people with Irish passports keep their right to freedom of movement within the EU. That means they can live, work and study in an EU country without a visa and with no time limit. Furthermore, these rights extend to their spouses and dependent children. Put another way, whilst Northern Ireland will no longer be part of the EU, people born and raised here that choose to be Irish citizens will still be EU citizens. All right, technically it is not an oxymoron but if I could think of two words which described the above, it would be very close to one! On the educational side of things, the UK will no longer be participating in Erasmus, the EU student exchange scheme. Instead, the UK government is setting up its own scheme, known as Turing after no doubt Alan Turing, the English mathematician who (according to my University computer science lecturer) was one of the fathers of our present day computer system. However, students at N. Ireland’s universities (I believe there are around five, not counting the
ULSTER RAMBLES
Methodist College “Methody” in Holywood
more numerous colleges) will still be able to take part in Erasmus due to funding and administrative assistance from the Irish government. Ireland’s Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said: “The government of Ireland made a very solemn commitment to Northern Ireland that, even after Brexit, we would make sure that there were still ways for us to co-operate and collaborate in relation to higher education.” It seems the Province is benefitting from both sides. What about trade you might well ask? Businesses across the UK will still be able to sell their goods to the EU without tariffs being imposed. This is due to the trade deal reached between the EU and UK on Christmas Eve. But businesses in GB will face a range of new non-tariff trade barriers such as paperwork, certifications and checks on goods as they enter the EU. Northern Ireland will not face these non-tariff barriers as it will effectively remain within the EU’s single market for goods. This is a consequence of the NI Protocol, (whatever that is) - apparently a special deal to prevent the re-emergence of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Heaven forbid! As an example, a lorry load of Northern Ireland meat products could board a ferry at Dublin port and disembark at a French port with no new paperwork or checks. However, if a similar load was travelling from Scotland to France, it would need to be accompanied by new export health certificates and the authorities would need advance notice of its arrival. It would have to go to a border control post where the load may be physically examined. Of course there is a significant flipside to this: new trade barriers within the UK. That lorry load of Scottish meat could be driven to Cardiff or London without any new checks or controls. But when entering Northern Ireland it is as if it is entering the EU. So it will need to undergo all the same bureaucracy and checking as when it was entering a French port.
Gone are the days I am afraid where in Heaven the cooks were French, the policemen were British, the mechanics were German, the lovers were Italian and the bankers were Swiss - whereas in Hell the cooks were British, the policemen were German, the mechanics were French, the lovers were Swiss and the bankers were Italian or maybe Greeks. We can all only thank our stars that the authors, comedians and actors are still Irish in both situations above. To prove this, you could check out Jamie Dornan in the new movie (or should I say ‘in the pictures’) ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’. Not a great story in my opinion but well-acted by Jamie in a very different role than his “50 Shades”. Talking of St Patrick’s Day, Fiddlesticks (Suanne and I) will be appearing at the Beaconsfield Hotel from noon until 3pm. You might like to check out this hotel (or as I like to know it by: Irish pub) and confirm that it really does have an Irish atmosphere. Fiddlesticks performed there at the same time last year and despite almost in lockdown, everyone had a great time. See the ad on page 23 for more details.
I HOPE TO SEE SOME FAMILIAR FACES THERE BUT IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT, I WISH YOU A HAPPY AND MEMORABLE ST. PATRICK’S DAY AND AS ALWAYS MAY YOUR GOD GO WITH YOU. DAVID MacCONNELL
CONTINUED ON PAGE 60
THE IRISH SCENE | 59
ULSTER RAMBLES
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 59
SONGS I WROTE OVER THE YEARS ABOUT ST PATRICK (IN THE EARLY DAYS I FOUND SO FEW SONGS ABOUT THE EVENT). THE TWO BELOW WERE CO-WRITTEN WITH I. LILLY. Sometimes I get thirsty, my mouth dry as chips Such torment must be put to rest In search of a liquid to moisten one’s lips Several options are coldly assessed There’s Cab-Sav and Claret and Sauvignon blanc But they simple do not pass the test Some may be happy with any such plonk But Guinness is what I like best Diddle e I diddle e I Diddle e I day Lift up your glass and sing Have a sup and then a draft then drink it all the way Guinness is the real drinking thing... When I was young at heart I had to have me pint The choice was not so good in times gone by The wine was too expensive and was not really liked There were very few drinks that we could try Maybe Harp lager or Smithwicks or even Murphy’s stout But they simple didn’t pass the test We all went to pubs were Guinness was about You see Guinness was what we liked best Oh Yeah Yes Guinness is what we like best In pubs or at parties or when one is host Or weddings where brides must be kissed When called to make merry or proffer up a toast On one thing I always insist My glass needs no champagne or scotch long or short The contents you may well have guessed... Such costly concoctions to me are worth nought For weddings or funerals or speeches or sport Cos Guinness is what I like best oh Yeah Then Guinness is what I like best!
Well here we are then We’ve left our homeland We’re celebrating One of the best days
We’re in Australia But we’re happy here Good olde St. Patricks day In all of the year
I’m going to tell to you All about Patrick Who tended lambs & sheep And lived all by himself
A simple story A saxon slave On the Antrim hill side In a lonely cave
CHORUS We’re going to sing songs and raise the rafters We’re going to drink some good old Guinness stout We’re going to eat stew with lots of potatoes We’re going to dance away till we are thrown out Pat made his escape then To spread the gospel If he’d had transport Cos he would have had all
but returned to Ireland far and wide He would have gone to Australia the Irish on his side
Now good St Patrick. That Trinity story How he converted the Kings To Christianity
He liked his shamrock We were told And all of the people And saved their souls.
I sound rather Irish, I do not deny But now I’m a digger; true-blue, dinky-di I love my new land but I can’t tell a lie There’s one little matter that I must qualify … I’m paddy the Aussie from the County Galway I’m not one to whinge but allow me to say The beaches are great and the beer is okay But I must have me Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day So show me the way, just show me the way I must have me Guinness on St Patrick’s Day So show me the way, just show me the way I must have me Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day This country is full of the friendliest folk I’m proud to be branded just one of the Aussie blokes I eat vegemite and I don’t even choke When I have to laugh at some poor bad Irish joke I’m paddy the Aussie from the County Galway I fear that my accent is fading away My ‘top of the morning!’ is now just ‘g’day’ But I must have me Guinness on St Patricks Day I’ve learnt that religious beliefs count for nought Except with the sacred exceptions of sport Whatever the game, when the battle is fought The gold and the green always have my support I’m Paddy the Aussie from the County Galway I’ll even watch cricketers day after day But I know there is one custom I cannot betray I must have me Guinness on St Patrick’s Day! So show me the way
60 | THE IRISH SCENE
ST PATRICK'S 2021
PERTH CORPORATE LUNCH FRIDAY 12 MARCH | 12PM - 5PM | CROWN BALLROOM
Presented in association with
BOOK NOW! Back for our third edition, this is the must-attend event for Irish Australian business people, those who do business with them, and those who have an affinity to Ireland Expect top-class entertainment, specially commissioned for the event, interesting speakers and a lively, professional atmosphere, conducive to celebrating recent successes, and unlocking new possibilities. Gold Member Table (11) - $3000 +GST Member Table (10) - $2200 +GST Guest Table (10) - $ 2500 +GST With outstanding networking opportunities and exceptional hospitality, including a three course lunch with drinks at Perth's premium location, you can be assured that you and your guests will enjoy a day to remember. For all booking enquiries contact Catherine Grogan at membership@irishchamber.com.au or phone directly on 0479 106 276 *NB: This event will take place under the prevailing COVID-safe protocols. If the State Government's approval for the event to take place is withdrawn on public health advice, and it cannot be rescheduled, all bookings will be refunded.
THE IRISH SCENE | 61
A minute WITH SYNNOTT A SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH KAREN DICK WHO GOT CORONAVIRUS WHILE IN LOCKDOWN IN A PERTH HOTEL AFTER A MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE. WAS IT A SHOCK, AFTER YOUR BOAT TRIP AROUND EUROPE, TO GO INTO LOCKDOWN IN A PERTH HOTEL AND GET COVID-19?
I’m not entirely sure where I got COVID-19 Tony, whether on the ship, plane or hotel. There were 300+ people on the flight back from two different ships. A lady we had close contact with on the ship tested positive the day after we arrived back to Perth, so that’s why we asked to be tested. She, unfortunately died from COVID-19. I tested positive after having spent five days at the hotel and Kevin’s results weren’t clear, so he was moved out of my room and re-tested the next day, which came back negative. That’s probably the worst part of it all, being isolated on your own. YOU WERE WITH YOUR PARTNER KEVIN, YOU GOT COVID, AND YOU SHARED THE ROOM WITH KEVIN, HE WAS CLEAR AND FREE. WHY, IN YOUR MIND?
We were locked down on the ship for five days, then flight home and five days in the same hotel room so I have no idea how Kevin didn’t contract it from me. It seems impossible, unless I was a false positive. WHAT WAS THE MAIN SYMPTOMS YOU FOUND OF THE CORONAVIRUS?
The main symptoms I had were a bad cough and sore head, but I put the sore head down due to a lack of fresh air in the hotel. There were a lot of people on the ship with a cough. YOU SOON GOT OVER THIS, AND WAS SENT HOME, WERE YOU ABLE TO WORK FROM HOME?
I got out the day before Kevin. I was cleared to go and fit for work. My office were all working from home at that point so I was able to work from home the following week.
HOW DID YOU MANAGE FOODWISE, WITH KEVIN ALSO IN LOCKDOWN, AFTER HE RETURNED HOME?
Kevin came home the day after me and we had been well looked after by our family and friends who had left essentials at our house – great friends we have! WHAT A RELIEF TO BE ABLE TO GET OUT AND ABOUT AFTER YOUR LOCKDOWN. CAFÉ, HOTEL OR MEET FRIENDS? WHICH ONE FIRST?
We were actually lucky with the lockdown as we really only had 1–2 weeks at home and were able to get out and about soon after. David and Gabby visited us (social distancing of course) but when everything opened with 10 odd people we went to a restaurant and bar… had to be smart and work out what time people went out since only 20 people per place! HAS YOUR LIFE CHANGED IN ANYWAY OR DID YOU FIND OUT HOW VULNERABLE WE HUMANS ARE TO PANDEMICS?
My life hasn’t changed in any way whatsoever. We have been fantastic here in WA, the rest of the world has been absolutely horrendous, but probably due to the eejits running their countries – didn’t lockdown quick enough or at all in the beginning.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR HOME LOCKDOWN, AS A LEGAL SECRETARY AND HOW MANY HOURS A DAY SPENT WORKING?
DO YOU THINK WE AS A PEOPLE WILL EVER GET BACK TO LIFE, AS WE WERE, OR WILL WE BE MORE CAUTIOUS?
I loved working from home once I got used to it, working 7.5 hours as if I was in the office. I still work from home on Mondays and the rest of the week in the office. It’s great!
I think we will get back to a ‘Normal life’, we just about have it in WA now except for travelling.
62 | THE IRISH SCENE
A MINUTE WITH SYNNOTT
I can’t wait to be able to go overseas again.
HOTELS, SOCIAL DISTANCING AND MASKS WOULD YOU VOTE HIM IN NEXT TIME? YOUR THOUGHTS?
GETTING BACK TO YOU, HAVE YOU ANY FEARS OF CRUISING OR A SECOND PANDEMIC OR ANYTHING WORSE?
I think that our Premier has been the absolute best during the pandemic and that’s why we are living a very normal life in WA. He stuck to his way of handling it and didn’t allow himself to be influenced/ bullied by others. If I’m honest, I don’t think we even need an election… Mark McGowan will win it hands down. That’s my opinion though, but I’m about 99.9% sure he will win.
That was my first cruise and had it gone according to plan, it would have been fantastic. It was still lovely even though we couldn’t get off anywhere due to COVID. It was still good fun until the lockdown which was five days before we were due to get off anyway. A lady had been taken off at Crete and we had found out the next day she was positive for COVID-19. The five day lockdown wasn’t too bad as we had a balcony cabin so we were able to get fresh air. We also spent St Patrick’s Say cruising the Suez canal, which was pretty special. HOW DO YOU THINK OUR PRIME MINISTER HAS DONE, LOCKING THE BORDERS, BUSES, TRAINS, CAFES,
WHAT ADVICE HAVE YOU GOT FOR THE AGED PEOPLE, WHO ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE?
To the aged people, stay safe and most importantly, follow instructions.
TONY SYNNOTT
THE IRISH RACE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 56
centuries of colonisation we had become an agricultural market garden to feed Britain and its Colonies. The Industrial Revolution was never allowed to reach us and apart from some areas in the Northern part of the Country there was no industrial base in the South of the Country at this time. However, with a strong innovative spirit that launched and developed projects like Ardnacrusha, Shannon Airport, Bord na Mona and the attraction of a Multinational Industrial base we have achieved a great deal in the past 80 years, and we should be very proud of this. Yes, we were certainly restrained during the colonial period but if we journey upstream a bit in time we will find an Irish people with a great economic and cultural tradition that has helped the advance of civilisation in a global context. In the Monastic period we travelled extensively throughout Europe, providing the people in these areas with learning and religion. Newgrange was constructed over 5000 years ago, at the same time as the Egyptian pyramids, by an Irish race that had a knowledge of trigonometry. We also produced intricate and priceless works such as the Book of Kells, the Ardagh Chalice and knowledge
of navigation may have seen St. Brendan reach Newfoundland as early as the 6th century. We have also produced literary giants such as Swift, Yeats, Shaw, Wilde, Joyce and Heaney that are now globally respected. Not bad for a small island country at the edge of Europe. There will be little downsides from time to time, but if we formulate an economic policy that develops value add and innovation over volume manufacturing and that also embraces the agricultural, fishing and leisure industry, our future is guaranteed to be very bright and long lasting. As a nation of less than 5 million people we have hosted the European Presidency representing a landmass of over 450 million people. This should not surprise us, we will never be a huge player but we can certainly be a very effective smaller one.
‘THE POSSIBILITY OF THE FUTURE FAR EXCEEDS THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE PAST’ - THOREAU THE IRISH SCENE | 63
Claddagh Report CLADDAGH SENIORS The Claddagh Seniors group started the New Year with a lovely film in January. They watched ‘Summerland’ in the comfort of their own dedicated cinema at Innaloo and found it joyous and uplifting. Their February event, lunch and bingo at the Greenwood Tavern, was very popular. All tickets sold almost as soon as the bookings opened and the Seniors Subcommittee organised a second lunch date the following week for those who had missed out. The Seniors group welcomed local politician Jessica Stojkovski to their first lunch in February. Patricia Bratton presented Jessica with a copy of the publication from the Claddagh Oral History Project, From Home to Home: Oral Histories of Irish Seniors in Western Australia. Jessica was delighted and is looking forward to reading these important stories from the Irish Community.
Clockwise from top: Claddagh seniors at the cinema. Claddagh Seniors enjoying lunch at the Greenwood Hotel. Joe Carroll singing for the Claddagh seniors at the Greenwood Tavern. Jess Stojkovski and Patricia Bratton.
If you would like to join the Claddagh Seniors in celebrating St Patrick’s Day or know a senior from the Irish community who would like to attend the group’s events you can register by calling Patricia Bratton of the Seniors Subcommittee on 0417 099 801 / 08 9345 3530 or by contacting Claddagh Coordinator Anne Wayne on admin@claddagh.org.au / 08 9249 9213.
CLADDAGH APPLYING TO EXPAND ORAL HISTORY PROJECT Claddagh’s oral history project in 2020 gave a unique insight into the wide variety of migration journeys undertaken by a group of eleven Seniors from the Irish community in WA. The interviews we gathered highlighted the reasons emigrants left Ireland, the close bonds they still have with Ireland and Irish culture, the contributions Irish migrants 64 | THE IRISH SCENE
make to Australia and the complex identity of Irish Australians. The oral history project was also a wonderful way to build connections and community. The Seniors generously welcomed the Claddagh volunteer interviewers into their homes and opened the story of their lives to them. The Seniors interview recordings and the interview excerpts we published in our oral history book, From Home to Home: Oral Histories of Irish Seniors in Western Australia mean that these Seniors stories are also available to the entire Irish community wherever they are in the world. If you’d like to read them the book is available free of charge via Claddagh’s website at: claddagh.org.au/claddagh-oral-history-project/ We’ve had great feedback about the oral history project and book. So many people have enjoyed reading the stories. Readers often commented that their own migration experiences were similar regardless of whether they came to Australia in the
www.claddagh.org.au
Crisis Support: 0403 972 265
13/15 Bonner Drive Malaga 6090. Enquiries: 08 9249 9213
1950s, the 1980’s or the early 2000’s. It can be so heartening to know that others share your experiences. And there has been a great sense that the Claddagh oral history project was an invaluable addition to the history of the Irish community in Australia. We are delighted that Irish community organisations in WA and over East are interested in developing their own oral history projects. We look forward to sharing our experience with them and collaborating on future oral history projects. Claddagh are currently applying for funding to extend our oral history project in 2021-2022. We’d like to interview a wider group of people to explore the diversity of migration experiences in the Irish community here. As well as interviewing more Seniors we’re also interested in the migration stories of people who arrived after 2008, the journeys of young people who migrated – perhaps as children in a family group, and the migration experiences of people with mixed ancestry, people from the LGBTQI community, and people from the Traveller community. Once we find out if we’ve been successful in our funding application we’ll invite expressions of interest from anyone in the Irish community who would like to share their story or train to be a volunteer interviewer with Claddagh. In the meantime we continue to share highlights from the Claddagh Oral History Project 2020 in the Irish Scene. In this issue you can read the story of Denis Bratton of Co Armagh, page 66. He was interviewed by Claddagh volunteer Kieran Aherne from Limerick City.
THANK YOU The Claddagh committee are very appreciative of the generous support we received from the
Irish community over Christmas and the New Year. The Claddagh’s office and staffing costs are majority funded by the Government of Ireland’s Emigrant Support Programme. Our support work with people from the Irish community in difficult circumstances is covered by our fundraising and your kind donations. We continue to be very busy supporting those in difficult circumstances. We rarely share much detail about the work we do in order to maintain confidentiality for those with whom Claddagh work. However, Barry Sheridan has given us permission to share a little of his family’s story so you can understand the importance of the financial support you give Claddagh. “In 2019 when my son was three weeks old, he went into hospital for a minor operation which had a lot of complications. Eoin and Tom from Claddagh came down to the hospital and sat with us for two hours, talking about what they could do to help us. They didn’t know us from Adam. We just made a phone call and two of them turned up - real genuine people. We ended up staying nine weeks at the hospital in total. Claddagh looked after rent, bills. They made life so much easier. Because of our communications with Claddagh, when my mum had Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer here, we gave them a ring. They helped out with my mum as well, with the rent and getting food vouchers. They were so supportive and so good to mum and dad.” If you or someone you know needs assistance you can contact Claddagh on our crisis line: 0403 972 265. If you are in a position to be able to contribute financially this would be gratefully received for Claddagh’s support work through the year. Tax deductible donations can be made at our GiveNow page: www.givenow.com.au/ thecladdaghassociation or via bank transfer to Claddagh’s account. The details are: Bank: Commonwealth Bank Account name: The Claddagh Association BSB: 066153 • Account no: 10771928 Ref: Your initial & surname +DON THE IRISH SCENE | 65
Denis Bratton Denis Bratton was born in 1936. He is from Armagh City.
Well, I was born in Northern Ireland [in] 1936. I lived there up until I was 17 years of age. I lived a normal life in Northern Ireland. We were a big family, four boys and a girl. And my father was in the British Army in the First World War and the Second World War, and then my mother was in Cumann Na mBann too, at the same time as him. I went to a Christian Brothers school, and got that Northern Ireland Senior Leaving Certificate. When I left grammar school, the only tertiary education you could get into was, say, teaching. And there was a Catholic teaching college, Trench House in Belfast, and the Protestant one, a state one. And you need to be a Rhodes Scholar to get into those. I don’t know, if I’d stayed in Ireland, I don’t know what I would have done. Couldn’t get much of a job in Northern Ireland. I applied for jobs when I left school, no good. What, 27%, 28% unemployment, you know. And that was only the Catholics, couldn’t think of any Protestants unemployed. My two brothers went into the British Army. And my sister, she actually went to Belfast to work in the civil service. She was lucky. But you saw your friends and neighbours, and their sons and daughters going to England for work. I fancied being an architect, because I was good at art and drawing maps and that sort of thing. But couldn’t get a job because even then, you heard about the old tale of, ‘No cats, no dogs, no Irish need apply’. Well, in the Belfast papers some of the adverts for jobs were, ‘No Irish need apply’. And the problem was that if you went for a job, in a small city like Armagh, everybody knew who you were anyway. And then in Belfast, if you went for a job in Belfast, my name was Bratton. And that’s a Protestant name, because my father was a Presbyterian. He changed his religion to marry my mother. My father was a Plantation person, my mother wasn’t. [Her name was] Tomney. So anyway, when I went for jobs in Belfast, got interviews for architect’s office and showed them my drawings and artwork, and they loved that. They thought I was a Protestant. So, my name being Bratton, I got past the first five or six interviews okay. 66 | THE IRISH SCENE
And of course, the crunch came, when they turn around and say, ‘What school did you go to?’ I went to a Christian Brothers school. So I just left. I had an uncle, my father’s brother. He was a master mariner and I hadn’t seen him very much because he lived in India. He came over on holiday one time and said, ‘Why don’t you join the Merchant Navy? You’re a bit old for a cadet, and too well educated, I can get you in as a cadet.’ So I went into the Merchant Navy as a cadet. Stuck it out for about two years. They offered to let me sit early for my second officer’s ticket, which they don’t normally do. But I said no, I just wanted to leave. So they let me go. When I left sea, I went back to Ireland and I was on the dole for about six weeks. You went down to the dole and they would offer you a job, what, in a mushroom planting factory in Birmingham. I was fed up with it so I applied for the Ordnance Survey in England. I had to go over there for the interview. They paid my fare. They were just about to do a whole, complete re-survey and they were wanting people. When I was fed up with moving around in the field, I left the Ordnance Survey in England and joined [a survey company] in Coleraine, where you do survey work, and mapping. You couldn’t call it a factory, but it was a factory, churning out maps. The thing was when we were living in Coleraine, we couldn’t afford
FROM HOME TO HOME: ORAL HISTORIES OF IRISH SENIORS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
a car. We put all our money into building a bungalow. We hadn’t much money, we had a £1200 deposit on the house, you see. And we hadn’t the money to buy a car. And we were stuck up in Port Stewart, 60 miles from Armagh, but it took us seven or eight hours to get there from Belfast, we hadn’t a car. [I had a friend, Mike] who came to Australia, and I kept correspondence with him. Then Mike went into the Lands Department [in Perth]. ‘Won’t you come out here?’ he says, ‘I can get
“
in 1967. The temperature was 105. We said, ‘Christ, for what have we come here?’ The water looked like glass coming down the channel. So, we were coming down and she [Patricia] came up and looked at me, looking over the port side of the ship, towards the sea. And she sees Rottnest Island. She says, ‘Oh, Jesus, Australia’s very small’. I said, ‘Look over there. 20 miles, that direction’. And Mike and his wife were waiting for us with their two kids, because we were going to stay with them. Luckily, he was one of the first cars in WA with air
I think if we’d been able to afford to buy a car, we wouldn’t have maybe come out to Australia’
you a job out here’. So anyway, we decided. I think if we’d been able to afford to buy a car, we wouldn’t have maybe come out to Australia. Because I was enjoying my Gaelic football, and everything. The bloke from the Australian Immigration Department flew over from London to Belfast, and then came through interviewing people. We were interviewed in Limavady, and I hadn’t a car to get from, Coleraine to Limavady is about 12, 13 mile so I got one of the young lads from the office to drive. Before we went in, Patricia said to the kids, ‘You behave yourselves in here, or they won’t take us to Australia’. We were £10 Poms. It didn’t cost us the money. I think it was paid for by the government in Northern Ireland, because there were so many unemployed. It was a beautiful day, when we get into Fremantle. First of January,
conditioning. The place looked different. The houses, all the verandas and that sort of thing. And even going into town, the fact that all the shops had awnings, and all that sort of thing. And I said, ‘Well, what they all they have awnings for?’ He says, ‘If you come in here in the rainy weather, you would know’. We settled in pretty well. And we went to Mass there [at St Lawrence’s], and we met people. Scots people and Irish people. That was a big thing, a comfort. There weren’t any hard times. No, never had any hard times, because we were bringing up the kids here. We were involved with them and their education. And the kids played a lot of sport. Our two daughters, our little daughters, they were very good swimmers. They swam for the state. Brought us three medals, too. I never felt unwelcome. We were caught up
with the church, and the Catholic schools. We knew all the nuns and the priests and all that sort of thing. And then there was the GAA. So I went back full time to Claremont Teachers college when I was about 36. I was doing mapping as well, at the same time, and got a three-year Diploma of Teaching degree. With both of us working, we were doing quite well, because we could afford to go home nearly every two years. Although, you go back and you find your family’s different. My sister, she was injured in a bomb blast in Bloody Friday in Belfast. She drove down to the local shops, the kids wanted lollies or something. Suddenly, the shop that she’d been at, the bloody car just blew up. And she had part of her hand blown off, and her face, and the kids had shrapnel damage. She said, ‘We used to sit in at night and when there was nothing on the television, you could watch the explosions going off in Belfast, and the helicopters’. So, [she] told Noel [her husband], ‘I want to get out of Northern Ireland’. Our first two kids are still sort of Irish. Both of them went back there. The only hard part was my mother and father died when I was out here. I couldn’t go to their funerals, at the time. Patricia’s the same. Patricia, she said to me, ‘What would you do if I died?’ I said, ‘I’d sell this place up, and I’d go back to Ireland’. That’s just the way I felt. Denis was interviewed by Claddagh volunteer, Kieran Aherne. Kieran is from Limerick City and migrated to Australia in 1971. THE IRISH SCENE | 67
Ticket to Australia Were you born in Ireland? Do you remember how you felt the day you first held that ticket to Australia in your hand? Excited? Elated? Nervous? Did you understand deep inside that you had now truly committed to a major transition in your life? In 1861 Johanna (Judy) Dwyer of Donaskeagh, Co Tipperary, found herself at that point of transition, too. In this month’s story, Judy’s Australian great-great-great-granddaughter Christine Timoney, committee member of the Irish Special Interest Group at Family History WA, peels away 160 years to put herself inside the head of her ancestor contemplating the journey ahead and reflecting on the events that led to this moment in time. All the people and their life events mentioned in this story are real, pieced together from documents discovered through the kinds of research that members of Family History WA routinely undertake both online and in FHWA’s library and research centre in Bayswater. Only the words that attempt to capture Judy Dwyer’s thoughts are invented. My name is on the ticket, or so they say. Six of us, in fact, and all our names on the ticket. But I ask you, how can I ever leave? Two weeks from now, I must carry my last half-burnt sod of turf next door to John Halloran’s hearth and set it down in his fire. Until one of us returns to reclaim it, the custom goes, but I doubt you’ll see wisps of smoke rising from my chimney ever again. I hear Australia is far away, and to tell you the truth I cannot believe I’m going there, ticket or no ticket. Sure, it’s so far away that I receive only two letters a year from my Mary or her brothers, and a steamship carrying hundreds of passengers takes nearly four months to reach there, if it arrives at all. Oh, I’ve heard the stories. Almost every night I see in my dreams those four hundred souls crying out for mercy as the Austria burnt in mid-ocean not long ago. Wasn’t it a miracle that my three 68 | THE IRISH SCENE
ever made it safely to Australia? As for me, my name may be on the ticket, but try as I might I cannot picture myself on that boat. Surely I’m to be buried in Donaskeagh graveyard, beneath the jagged stone that marks where my people lie - not in a distant land, or worse, at sea! How did it come to this? ‘Tis well I remember when these stone walls echoed with chatter and singing as we gathered around the fire of a winter’s evening. In the daytime, himself, God rest his soul, all hunched up there in the corner, measuring and bending the wood to build buckets, barrels and butter churns by the dozen. John and Patrick were only boys, Patrick always watching his father, asking questions, wanting to help. Now he has his own coopering shop in Queensland, in a town called Ipswich, and I dare to hope my boy’s doing well for himself there, staying off the drink and
out of fights. How we wished he’d been here to fill the orders that kept coming in long after his father was too weak to rise from his bed. And John, such a tall lad, apprentice to that stonemason and already producing handsome crosses for such as can afford them. But John was already in prison when we buried Winny on Christmas Eve, and there was no fine headstone for his little sister. I blame the Peelers* that my boys were torn from me, banished for ever to Australia. How did we survive, our hearts broken, no money coming in from their work and their father in jail for a whole year, too? He was only protecting his sons, and they fighting for a shred of fairness, the right of every Irishman to hold onto enough of his meagre wages to feed his family and pay those crushing rents. Little Ellen and I toiled in the outside patch until our backs ached, just to grow enough food for ourselves and baby Mary. By the grace of God, Ellen and Mary survived and now have families of their own. I knew trouble would come of Mary’s infatuation with that Peeler constable – a Dalton from Wicklow, so he was – but their Patrick was a dear little baby. It wasn’t the child’s fault his father was fond of the drink. Did the man really think he could keep his marriage a secret from the sergeant while he lived as a single man at the barracks and stole nights with Mary and the baby four doors away at our house?
FAMILY HISTORY WA
Mary soon found herself widowed and penniless, but with help from her brothers in Queensland she sailed away four years ago, leaving her boy Patrick with me. Now he’s seven, and his eyes light up like stars at the prospect of our own ocean adventure. Just imagine it - we’re off to meet his step-father and Australian sister and brother for the first time! ‘Tis a blessing Ellen and Thomas and their two girls will be on the ship to help me care for him and, by the mercy of God, deliver him safely to his mother. As I rest here with his hand in mine, I feel his grip tighten and I see tears begin to spill down his cheeks. My eyes close and I want to sleep, but I must stay alert – there is much to do to prepare for the voyage. My arms - why do they feel like they’re pinned to the bed? I try to stand but my legs feel like two logs. Now the room is turning whiter than the brightest summer day I ever saw in Donaskeagh and I’m gliding, though my limbs do not move. I know I buried my man long ago but surely that’s himself ahead, reaching out to me, smiling as he did at the church on our wedding day. I glance around, torn between my longing for his embrace and my promise to deliver Mary’s boy to her in Australia. My name is still
on that ticket. A hand touches my arm and I feel a calm stillness creep over me. Turning to face the light I hear a familiar voice whisper, “He’ll be grand with Ellen. She’ll take him to Mary. Your work here is done.” *‘Peeler’: a derogatory term for the constabulary, named after Home Secretary, later Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel.
THE IRISH SIG IN 2021 In 2021 the Irish Special Interest Group continues to meet online via Google Meet until the Covid-19 restrictions permit more people in our meeting room (the limit is currently just 12). Meeting dates are: 18 April, 18 July and 17 October. In our January meeting we focused on how to navigate your way around Griffith’s Valuation (1847-64) and the earlier Tithes Applotment survey (1823-37), both significant substitutes for nineteenth century censuses. In future meetings we will continue to demonstrate other useful sites for finding your ancestors, including aids for finding placenames. New members and visitors are always welcome to our meetings - simply book your place using the online booking site TryBooking, details below. At this stage you can book for only the April meeting. Immediately after each quarterly meeting, bookings for the next meeting will open. Those who have booked will be sent a link to the Google Meet shortly before the 2pm meeting. FamilyHistoryWA also hosts lots of other exciting online events - some for beginners, and others for experienced researchers, so check out the full suite of presentations, workshops and meetings. Non-members and new members are welcome to join in from home. See the links below. A small payment may be required for some events. Visiting the FamilyHistoryWA’s extensive library and resource centre at 6/48 May Street Bayswater is by appointment only, to ensure we meet the building’s capacity restrictions which may vary with the ebb and flow of the pandemic. Opening hours are given on the FamilyHistoryWA homepage. Happy and successful researching!
CHRISTINE TIMONEY
On behalf of the Irish Special Interest Group
MORE INFO ROBYN O’BRIEN, Convenor Irish Special Interest Group E irish.sig@fhwa.org.au Book a place at the next IRISH GROUP MEETING at TryBooking: .trybooking.com/BLPZM Book for FUTURE FHWA EVENTS at trybooking.com/eventlist/genealogy?embed=1 View online FHWA EVENTS THIS WEEK: membership.wags.org.au/news/1153-online-this-week Go digging for resources at FamilyHistoryWA’s IRISH SIG WEBPAGE Join FAMILYHISTORYWA FACEBOOK GROUP – researching family worldwide, open to all Join in the chat or ask a question at the FAMILYHISTORYWA DISCUSSION FACEBOOK GROUP FamilyHistoryWA (FHWA) membership.wags.org.au T 9271 4311
THE IRISH SCENE | 69
WE ASKED MUIRIS Ó LAOIRE IF IRISH COULD SURVIVE WITHOUT THE GAELTACHT. Ní mhairfidh. Á, ní móide go mairfidh pobal teanga ar bith gan, abair, an teanga dúchais a bheith ansan á labhairt in áit, abair, lárnach, mar athá fé lathair sna Gaeltachtaí, nó i gcuid des na Gaeltachtaí. Níl mé ag rá ansan go bhfuil an Ghaelainn chomh, chomh láidir agus chomh maith, chomh forleathan agus a d’fhéadfadh sí a bheith sna Gaeltachtaí. Ach, ar a laghad, tá an Ghaeltacht ann, agus tá sí so-aitheanta mar áit. Agus tugann sé sin cineál misneach don phobal teanga lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht. Anois tá na pobail teanga so lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht chomh maith agus tá ana-thábhacht ag baint leo siúd. Á, ach bíonn siad, go pointe áirithe, go dtí seo pé scéal é, tá siad ag brath, go stairiúil, ar an nGaeltacht. Agus tá sé sin suimiúil. Agus tá na pobail chomh maith lasmuigh den tír so, agus déanaimid dearúd go minic orthu siúd, an pobal abair i Meiriceá, i gCeanada (san Astráil*). Táid ann, táid ana-bheag, ana-scáinte, anascaipthe mar a déarfá ach táid ann agus bíonn siad siúd ag brath ar an nGaeltacht. Agus fiú, is múinteoir Gaelainn’ mise agus bím i gcónai ag rá, ag iarraidh, abair, foghlaimeoirí a ullmhú do pháirt a ghlacadh, á, i saol na Gaelainne. Luann tú an Ghaeltacht, an pobal Gaelainne, nuair atá an teanga feiceálach, mar a déarfá, nuair a fhéadfá do ghnó a dhéanamh, á, go hinchreidte, mar a déarfá, trí mheán na Gaelainn’. (*My editing.)
SEANFHOCAL Aoife NÍ Chonchúir explains why she encourages learners of Irish to visit the Gaeltacht.
Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam.
Molaim do dhaoine dul go dtí an Ghaeltacht, cé go bhfuil an Ghaelainn ana-bheo anso sa chathair, agus deir daoine go bhfuil níos mó cainteoirí Gaelainne anois sa chathair ná mar atá sna Gaeltachtaí. Níl a fhios agam an bhfuil sé sin fíor nó ná fuil, ach is dóigh liom gur maith an rud é dul go dtí an Ghaeltacht chomh maith, mar feiceann an foghlaimeoir ansan, hmm, daoine ag labhairt na teanga gan a bheith, saghas, ag smaoineamh air, nó gan a bheith ag cuimhneamh, ó, you know, ‘Thá mé a dhéanamh so ar mhaithe le cultúr nó ar mhaithe leis an dtír nó ar mhaithe le haon rud eile.’ Thá siad díreach, hmm, ag dul go dtí an siopa nó thá siad, hmm, ag cur na leanaí ar scoil nó ag déanamh gnáthrudaí laethúla mar sin, agus is trí mheán na Gaeilge athá siad á dhéanamh. Agus tá sé go maith na rudaí sin a thuiscint. Agus an dtugann sé uchtach d’fhoghlaimeoirí nuair a théann siad chun na Gaeltachta agus nuair a fheiceann siad gur teanga bheo atá inti? Gan dabht, tugann. Gan dabht, agus chíonn siad gur teanga í agus, ag deireadh an lae, cé go bhfuil an Ghaeilge anathábhachtach ar fad, agus gur cuid dár gcultúr í, níl, níl inti ach teanga ag deireadh an lae agus tá sé ana-thabhachtach é sin a thuiscint – go bhfuil daoine sna Gaeltachtaí, b’fhéidir, nach bhfuil suim acu, hmm, sna rudaí sin ar fad gur cheart go mbeadh suim, go gceapann daoine eile gur cheart go mbeadh suim acu iontu, ar nós polaitíocht’ ar leith, nó cultúr ar leith nó ceol ar leith. Ach go bhfuil daoine ansan ag maireachtaint i saol trí mheán na Gaelainne gan smaoineamh air, agus gur rud ananádúrtha é dóibh. So, tá sé sin tábhachtach. (An Ghaeilge Bheo, Siuán Ní Mhaonaigh/Antain Mac Lochlainn, McGraw-Hill, 2008)
Ná déan dearmad ar Sheachtain na Gaeilge, 1-17 Márta 2021.
Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh go léir. BRÍD 70 | THE IRISH SCENE
Image: Getty
An Ghaeltacht
Irish Mams NOR Playgroups
Monday, Wednesday & Fridays
EIMEAR BEATTIE
IRISH FAMILIES IN PERTH IS A VOLUNTARY NON PROFIT ORGANISATION WITH OVER 16,000 MEMBERS ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA GROUP. We provide Irish emigrants with advice on how to best assimilate into the Western Australian culture and lifestyle. We communicate with our subscribers through social media where topics such as long lost relatives, housing, jobs and social events are covered. It is a vibrant active forum that provides a wealth of knowledge to young families and singles emigrating to Western Australia. IFIP contributes to a cohesive Irish Community by working together with many of the wonderful groups in Perth that support Irish culture and heritage.
IFIP AIMS TO: • Coordinate Irish family events including twice weekly playgroup.
NOW THAT COVID 19 RESTRICTIONS HAVE BEEN LIFTED, OUR PLAYGROUPS ARE BACK WITH A BANG! Our playgroup meetup is a purpose-built playgroup centre which has undergone recent refurbishment. It has a bright indoor area and a small kitchen complete with small fridge, microwave, tea and coffee making facilities. Outdoors, there is a covered playground attaching to the building and the outdoor area is fenced with a locked gate ensuring the safety of our little ones. It also has a large selection of indoor and outdoor toys ensuring that all parents and kids receive a warm reception. We have a number of vacancies for our Wednesday meetups 9-11am and a few on Monday Playgroups for any families interested in joining. We offer 2 free trials for you and your little ones to come and play prior to joining. We cater for children from 6 weeks old to 5 years. Please contact Sorcha McAndrew for Wednesday group queries and Lynsey Staunton for Mondays. Based at Padbury Playgroup on Caley Road. New members are always welcome.
• Develop Irish Culture & heritage. • Help Irish people with any problems that might arise and provide a link to Australian and Irish support services.
www.irishfamiliesinperth.com facebook.com/groups/irishfamiliesinperth THE IRISH SCENE | 71
Lán an bhéil de mhaitheas
A MOUTHFUL OF GOODNESS
Ar dtús níor glacadh aon rud Gur tógadh lán an bhéil de mhaitheas Gur phúsc sé trí na piocháin Ag múnlú doimhneacht croí Gur tháinig míchompord ar an urchóid Is nar aithin sé a bhaile ionat.
At first, nothing was accepted Until a mouthful of goodness was taken And it oozed through the pores Moulding the depths of the heart Until it’s harm became uncomfortable And didn’t recognise its home within
Is sa lár níor scíth aon rud Cé gur déanadh ullmhú ar an ngreamú Gur tógadh lán an bhéil de mhaitheas Is thosaigh clampar beag sa gcroí istigh Ag baint cruthanna as d’anam Gur ghéill tú i do phian-sa Is tháinig ceistiú ar thairbhe do chrá
And in the middle nothing rested Yet prepared it for the sticking And a mouthful of goodness was taken And the heart began to quarrel Creating shapes of the soul Until you yielded in your pain And questioned the worth Of your suffering
Is ar deireadh, níor fhan aon rud Ach lán an bhéil de mhaitheas Ag siúl le gach aon taobh leat Ag baint cuaifeach as do choisméig Gur leag tú síos na clocha A chaith tú leis na comharsan Is gur shín tú chuig do dhaoine Lán a mbéal de mhaitheas.
In the end, nothing stayed But a mouthful of goodness Walking by each side of you Creating whirlwinds in each step Until you put down all those rocks That you threw at all your neighbours And you handed towards your people A mouthful of goodness
© JULIE BREATHNACH-BANWAIT 2020
top quality farm reared meats and SPECIALTY irish items Shop 14, Woodvale Boulevard Shopping Centre 931 Whitfords Avenue, Woodvale WA 6026 P: (08) 9309 9992 E: meatconnoisseur@bigpond.com facebook.com/MeatConnoisseur 72 | THE IRISH SCENE
St Patrick’s Day Supporting: The Claddagh Association and the Charlotte Foundation
Wednesday 17 March 2021
NO BYO OL OH A LC
s Prize
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Galo
Irish Club Golf Society Bank account details: BSB 306044 Acc: 0518027
Bookings, Contact: Peter McKenna 0447258000. Jack Ebbs 0450675167. Tom Quinn 0412236498.
Format: TWO BALL AMBROSE. $75.00 per person - Two tee start from 7.30am includes a BBQ lunch after the game. Carts available at individual’s own cost. Booking for carts 93703211. HOLE SPONSOR: $500.00 (includes two teams of two players, banners displayed on the day. Raffle on the day, plus lots of novelties.
La Bo un ok ch
Maylands Golf Course Swan Bank Road Maylands. Registration from 7.00 am
As part of his trilogy on Fenianism in Australia, West Australian author Peter Murphy has completed his second novel Fenian 63, which will be launched St Patrick’s week at Fremantle. The 600 page novel follows the trials and tribulations of Irishman, James Doyle, a soldier in the British Army caught up in the Irish Uprising of 1865 - 1867. Set against the backdrop of mid-nineteenth century Ireland, England and Australia, while interweaving historical and fictional characters, Fenian 63 takes the reader on an exhilarating journey into the shadowy world of Fenianism, convict transportation, colonialism, aboriginal culture, and savagery of men. “Murphy paints this extraordinary part of Australian colonial history in vivid colours, convict transportation, aboriginal culture, landscape, and survival.” – Joanna Robertson, Kidogo Arthouse, Fremantle.
Peter’s novel will be launched during the ‘Hand in Hand’ (Irish Aboriginal Festival) at Kidogo Arthouse, Fremantle on Sunday March 14th at 1pm www.kidogo.com.au
Copies of Fenian 63 will be on sale (and signed) at the festival, while also available at the Fremantle Prison Souvenir Shop, or by emailing: kiahcreek@bigpond.com
THE IRISH SCENE | 73
Paula from Tasmania
BY PAULA XIBERRAS
ADDRESSING AGEISM AND THE WISDOM OF OWLS
holiday. Before its cancellation this year, Joanna told me that her husband, a sailor was going to sail in the Sydney to Hobart race.
Joanna Nell once again writes a refreshing and positive take on living later life.
Joanna is also a doctor, interested in exploring ageism and how people in residential care are out of sight and out of mind, primarily because of our reluctance to talk about ageing. The novel uses humour to address issues relating to aged care, the good and those that need to be improved.
In her book ‘The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home’ her protagonist Harriet Bloom, who as her name suggests is still ‘blooming’ at close to ninety years old, is still enthused by her career as a nature journalist. In fact it is by pursuing a story that leads to a fall and subsequent deployment to residential aged care. Falls are the factor that separate a person from a formerly independent existence and residential care. The sudden end of her independence sees Harriet yearning for escape. While she is in the home she meets fellow resident Walter Clements also seeking an escape and a return to home once he masters his mobility scooter and achieves his licence. Harriet and Walter are introduced to ‘The Night Owls’ club a nocturnal event run by nurse Bronwyn for those who do not wish to retire to bed too early. The night owls are a successful until the unconventional nurse is dismissed from the home. It is up to the residents to get the progressive nurse re-instated. When I spoke to Joanna she told me of her association with Tasmania, a book conference she attended a couple of years ago as well as enjoying a family 74 | THE IRISH SCENE
For instance it’s often said that a nursing home is the best place to fall down and this becomes common in a very understaffed industry. On a lighter note there is the complaint that the coffee in nursing homes is always cold! For the most part, residential care is not tailored to the individual and ideally it should seek to maintain as much independence as possible, something that is very important for the dignity of the human person. Some improvements that could be made are the option of providing doctors in residential care, so residents do not have to visit acute care in hospitals. ‘THE GREAT ESCAPE FROM WOODLANDS NURSING HOME’ BY JOHANNA NELL IS OUT NOW. PUBLISHED BY HACHETTE.
ANOTHER WINNER ALBUM FROM DANIEL It’s the evening after the running of the first COVID effected Melbourne Cup in Australia so it’s an appropriate day to talk to another winning formula that is Daniel O’Donnell. Having a chat with Daniel is like having a conversation with family or friends, such is the welcome he gives to all those he meets and remembers. He tells me he saw my name on the interview schedule and was looking forward to our chat.
PAULA FROM TASMANIA
although he doesn’t follow horse racing he knows the trainers well. That is Daniel for you, a ‘winner’ in so many respects but especially in his attitude to people and generosity with his time. THE SELF-TITLED ALBUM, ‘DANIEL’ IS OUT NOW AND WE CAN EXPECT DANIEL TO VISIT OUT SHORES AGAIN IN 2022.
Today we are talking about Daniel’s new self-titled album. He tells me there is nothing special in its naming and that the title was decided for him. In this new album in which he works with Nigel Wright, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s producer. The album takes a sophisticated turn in both songs and scenery. The cover shoot was taken, says Daniel, two miles from his house at Donegal beach and filmed in classic black and white. One of the songs on the album, recorded by Daniel and wife Majella ‘Remember Me’ which they sang on the Late Late Show, was dedicated to those who lost loved ones during the pandemic and went on to aid charity. Always on the lookout to find ways to help, especially during the pandemic, Daniel decided to perform an online concert from Derry to aid his artists and crew who were affected financially due to lack of gig and touring opportunities. Before we close our chat I ask Daniel if he might say hello to my dad and sister and he warmly agrees. My sister asks Daniel if he knew an Irish horse won the Melbourne cup this day. He confesses that
FOOLHARDY Karly Lane’s latest book ‘Fool me once’ is the story of Georgie Henderson who runs a cattle property in New South Wales. Her aim is to buy back the family farm ’Tamban’ sold by her father when he experienced hard times. While she works on her mission she takes some down time and attends the B&S Ball meeting fellow farmer Michael Delacourt who whirlwinds her from New South Wales to Hawaii. The bubble bursts when she discovers Michael’s secret and her happiness is destroyed. Karly, who often works on two books at a time, tells me that the original conception of this novel was thirteen years ago when she was newly married and not working. She and her husband moved from Cobar to Newcastle, leaving her feeling a bit like a military wife. Not knowing anyone and with little to fill in her days she read military romances. After a while she felt the books she was reading lacked the kind of romance she desired, so she
decided to try writing her own. After contacting Mills and Boon for writing guidelines she began writing. As Karly keeps everything she writes she decided for this new novel to rework one of those novels from the past discovering that re-working can be harder than starting from scratch. Karly will soon have another book out, a sequel to her novel ‘Someone Like You’. ‘FOOL ME ONCE’ BY KARLY LANE IS OUT NOW PUBLISHED BY ALLAN AND UNWIN.
MURRAY ROLLS ON Pete Murray releases his second single ‘If We Never Dance Again’ from his EP ‘The Night’ on Friday March 5. The song was co-written with producer Morgan Dorr in 2019. The writing was a day long effort which required communication between continents. The clip of ‘If we Never Dance Again’, says Pete, captures the epic romance of the song beautifully. An interesting piece of trivia is in the couple featured in the clip are a real-life couple who actually married during the clip shoot. This EP says Pete is inspired by his family and life experiences. CONTINUED ON PAGE 76
THE IRISH SCENE | 75
PAULA FROM TASMANIA
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 75
SPIRITUAL STEPS I recently spoke to John Connell about his latest release ‘The Running Book’. John is an Irish farmer that loves to run and we talked about his running a marathon through his hometown of Longford, which was the setting of his previous book, ‘The Cow Book’.
in attempting to get to the bottom of the issue her own secrets swim to the surface. Sarah grew up in Tasmania and now is offshore living on a boat! Sarah tells me the novel was in part inspired by the events surrounding Indigenous football player Adam Goode in 2015.
Running is purposeful for John, he uses his time running to reflect on his life and his writing. Running has taken him over the world as well as running closer to home through the Irish fields, each place also a walk through a place’s history. An important message that John shares is how running is an inexpensive way to fitness, physical, mental and emotional, putting you in a good mood and it can even help prevent cognitive decline. John has visited and hiked in Tasmania (he mentions ‘The Bay of Fires’) and sees it as a great place to experience a natural environment. John tells me that the present leader of the Navajo nation also loves running. In fact, running is considered sacred by the Navajo, as it provides a link, or way from earth to heaven. There is also the secular sense of running through places that link a person to their nation’s history. JOHN’S BOOK ‘THE RUNNING BOOK’ IS OUT NOW PUBLISHED BY SCRIBE BOOKS.
Also a lawyer, Sarah draws similarities between her first career and writing. Like the author, a lawyer needs imagination in how they present facts. ‘LAPSE’ BY SARAH THORNTON IS PUBLISHED BY TEXT PUBLISHING.
S ’ D N A L ON IRE RITE DAY, FAVOU RATE WITH CELEB ND’S IRELA RITE PUD. FAVOU
FEMALE FOOTY I spoke to Tasmanian author Sarah Thornton about her book ‘Lapse’ in which her protagonist Clementine Jones is submerged in coaching a regional footy team. Working in a regional area is just what Clementine wants as she attempts to forget events from her past.
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY
Her footy team the Cats are enjoying a successful year as they approach their season finals. A hiccup occurs when Clementine’s number one player, Clancy Kennedy, drops out just prior to the finals Clementine senses something is wrong and 76 | THE IRISH SCENE
Available at
European Foods
AIHA FILM CLUB SEASON CONTINUES WEDNESDAYS MARCH 3, 10 & 17
Tenth annual outdoor Irish Film Festival with a programme of rarely seen and some classic Irish cinema. Private garden cinema, ample parking available. Big fifteen-foot cinema screen.
Australian-Irish Heritage Association ST PATRICK’S DAY EVENTS WEDNESDAY MARCH 17
Mass St Mary’s Cathedral 10am, members are invited to join our committee following AIHA banner in community procession
Wed Mar 3: “32A” 88m, 2007, Coming-of-age Drama “32A is the perfectly told tale of growing up as a 13-year old girl in 1979 Ireland... the film has a refreshing lack of bells and whistles. It’s just a relatable story told with extreme expertise and incredible performances from four first-time actresses” Times Record Herald, New York.
Irish Aboriginal Festival, Kidogo Arthouse Fremantle – AIHA support the programme of events over March 12, 13, 14 and 17
Wed Mar 10: “Da” 102m, 1996 Drama A New York playwright is summoned to Ireland to bury his father (his “Da”). While at his boyhood home, he encounters his father’s spirit and relives memories both pleasant and not. Based on Dubliner Hugh Leonard’s acclaimed Broadway play.
ANZAC DAY COMMEMORATION
Wed Mar 17: “Jimmy’s Hall”, 104m, 2014 Drama (ST PATRICKS NIGHT –
SUNDAY 2 MAY, 3PM. NATIONAL TRUST HERITAGE EVENT 1918, Australian mounted troops sweep through the middle east deserts and into
During the Depression, Jimmy Gralton returns home to Ireland after ten years of exile in America. Seeing the levels of poverty and oppression, the activist in him reawakens and he looks to re-open the dance hall that led to his deportation. Based on true events.
Venue: Irish Club Theatre, 61 Townshend Road, Subiaco Tickets: At the door $12/$10, includes Irish afternoon tea. Enquiries: 9367 6026
WEAR SOMETHING GREEN, WHITE OR ORANGE. ENJOY IRISH FARE)
Plus: Each night a supporting Irish short film or documentary, together with tea/ coffee and cakes. Ice creams $2 Venue: Kensington (South Perth) Entry: Donation $10 to cover catering and costs, pay at the gate. Seating: Come early for best seats, bring deckchair if running late. Contact: Secretary Tony Bray on 9367 6026 check our website and facebook
EASTER MONDAY CATALPA COMMEMORATION EASTER MONDAY, 5 APRIL, 11AM
Annual commemoration of the escape of six Fenian convicts on 17-18 April, 1876. With oration, verse, music and song at the Catalpa Memorial. Guest speakers and dignitaries in attendance. At Catalpa Memorial, Rockingham Beach, walking distance south of Township. Free public event. 9367 6026
SUNDAY 25 APRIL
AIHA at invitation of Subiaco RSL lay wreaths for Irish ANZACS. Morning tea follows. Subject to confirmation.
THE GREAT RIDE Damascus led by the 10th light horse as the Ottoman army surrenders. A letter from trooper Ned Moriarity to his sister Alice was the inspiration for this folk musical devised and presented by singer, songwriter and musician Carmel Charlton whose husband Eric is Ned’s great grandson. Ned’s grandfather was from Brosna in Count Kerry. This illustrated stage presentation of music, song and story has toured venues in WA and Canberra. Check the reviews on the internet.
THE FOURTH TUESDAY BOOK CLUB MEETS FOURTH TUESDAY OF THE MONTH, WITH EXCEPTION OF DECEMBER
March 23: “Max” by Alex Miller, presented by Thelma Blackford. April 27: To be confirmed, presented by Julie Banwait-Walsh
Venue: Irish Club Committee Room, 61 Townshend Road, Subiaco, 7:30pm Admission: Free. All welcome. Light refreshments provided. Tea and coffee from the Bar $2 Contact: Convener Mary Purcell, m.purcell@telstra.com
Look us up on Facebook @australianirishheritage or check out our website irishheritage.com.au
Australian-Irish Heritage Association Non Political - Non Sectarian - Emphatically Australian
Be proud of your Irish heritage
PO Box 1583, Subiaco 6904. Tel: 08 9345 3530. Secretary: 08 9367 6026 Email: secretary@irishheritage.com.au or admin@irishheritage.com.au Web: www.irishheritage.com.au Find us on Facebook @australianirishheritage Membership due 1st January – Family $65, Concession $55, Distant (200kms from Perth) $45. Membership fee includes tax deductible donation of $20 THE IRISH SCENE | 77
Book Reviews
SNOW
BY JOHN BANVILLE / FABER & FABER $29.99
When Detective Inspector Strafford arrived at the scene of the crime, “He knew from the Chief’s tone that the makings of a cover-up were already being put in place”. It’s December 1957, and in the library of Ballyglass House, Wexford, home of the aristocratic Osborne family, lies the body of local Catholic priest, Father Tom Lawless. He has been brutally murdered, and castrated. Over the next few cold claustrophobic days, while Strafford patiently endeavours to track down the murderer, he has to cope with the dark undercurrents of 1950s Irish rural society while delving in to a pit of family secrets. Bluff Colonel Osborne is almost bankrupt, his young, second wife, Sylvia is skittish, mentally ill and possibly addicted to morphine, while his coquettish daughter, Lettie, and son Dominic, detest their step-mother. Adding to this mix of interesting characters are Doctor Hafner, who regularly visits Sylvia to treat her nerves, the long-serving dour housekeeper, Mrs. Duffy, and the feral stable-boy, Fonsey. The inexplicable disappearance of Strafford’s irritating Sergeant Jenkins, adds to his unease and confusion in the snow blanketed, remote, Wexford countryside. In previous novels, Banville specialized in ‘odd-duck’ characters and in Snow, Strafford is no exception. Christened by his parents ‘St John’, Strafford is an earnest, troubled, introspective, young detective who doesn’t “look much like a policeman” but who nevertheless has attained his high ranking Garda position despite being a Protestant and a non-drinker. Thanks to Banville’s rich, lush, layered prose, this is something more than a formulaic ‘who dunnit?’ With his perceptive characterizations, creation of atmosphere and sly observations, Snow is a literary gem, and I look forward to meeting Strafford again in future Banville novels. - Reviewed by John Hagan 78 | THE IRISH SCENE
OLD IRELAND IN COLOUR
BY JOHN BRESLIN & SARAH-ANNE BUCKLEY / MERRION PRESS $60.57 (FREE POSTAGE FROM THE BOOK DEPOSITORY UK)
This An Post Irish Book Award Winner had its genesis in 2019 when John Breslin developed an interest in colouring his old black and white family photographs. Soon, he widened his scope to include photographs of Galway and Connemara and then to others taken nationally during the 19th and 20th century. With the help of cutting-edge American software he was able to automatically colour black and white images in a matter of seconds. To ensure the photographs reflect the reality of the situation his colleague, Buckley, researched things like eye and hair colour and the exact hue of military uniforms. But, as Breslin admits, “These things will never be 100% correct. We are trying to get the best guess for a lot of the colours”. Diligence in this respect is best displayed in the array of portraits such as those of Tom Crean, Oscar Wilde and James Joyce. The 173 captivating photographs in this book, which span the period from just before the Great Famine (1845-52) until the outbreak of ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland, feature chapters covering the Irish Revolution, Ireland’s social and cultural history, the Irish abroad, landscapes and streetscapes. Within each theme, photos are displayed in chronological order over the 125 year period chosen. Each photograph has been meticulously researched, with NUI Galway history lecturer, Buckley, adding cogent commentary on the circumstances in which it was taken. There is certainly much to admire and learn from this book and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey back
BOOK REVIEWS
in time to a bygone era, and how the addition of colour revitalises and reinvigorates the past, often illuminating aspects of the photograph which might be missed in the original black and white reproduction. Despite all its attractive qualities, I have one major criticism arising from the design process. The central binding of the book in some instances interferes with photographic display. This is especially evident in the Catalpa Six portraits where the faces of the two central escapees have been distorted by the spine binding. Surely a landscape design, with book bound on the left, would have been more appropriate for the intriguing content. - Reviewed by John Hagan
AGELESS
BY ANDREW STEELE / BLOOMSBURY $29.99
‘The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slippered pantaloon With spectacles on nose and pouch on side; His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipes And whistles in his sound.” The ageing process, so well described by Shakespeare in ‘As You Like It’, has long haunted me, especially now as I seemingly hurtle towards the ‘seventh’ and final age of man. But what if we could stop ageing? What if we could attain what Steele beguilingly terms as ‘biological immortality’? Ageless is an insight into why we age, and how we might stop it. Steele, in great detail, illustrates the biological processes of growing old, together with the avant-garde medical research that is paving the way towards transforming the ageing process, thus allowing us to live longer and healthier lives. Instead of tackling the individual symptoms of ageing (declining sight, dementia, loss of muscle tone etc) Steele posits that we move towards ‘systems medicine’ (a massive, long-term, medical and public health effort) which will, in his view, reverse degeneration. While there are many startling biological and physiological and cuttingedge research insights in this book, it is not an easy read and may prove daunting for those with a ‘nonscientific’ turn of mind. Unfortunately, all has come too late for me as I continue to drift toward ‘---second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything’. - Reviewed by John Hagan
MR CADMUS
BY PETER ACKROYD / CANONGATE $24.99
In the bucolic village of Little Camborne, nestled in rural Devon, three historic cottages stand in a row. The attractive dwellings are known as ‘The Coppice’. Fifty-five year old, Miss Maud Finch lives in #1, while her younger cousin, Miss Millicent Swallow occupies #3. Between them lives the irritating Mr Herrick (he smokes a pipe and plays his gramophone too loudly), so the cousins are not too upset when Mr Herrick suddenly dies of heart failure. But who will now occupy #2? The spinsters are agog when fifty year old, Mr Theodore Cadmus, ‘a foreigner’ with a foul mouthed parrot and a yellow car, moves in. Soon their lives, and those of the inhabitants of Little Camborne, are sucked into a vortex of deceit, disappearance, robbery, supernatural events and even murder. In a series of interesting flashbacks, we learn more about the background of the three neighbours. Perhaps Ms Finch and Ms Swallow are not as prim and straight laced as they seem, and just why has Mr Cadmus specifically bought a house in Little Camborne? There are a lot of moving parts, including an array of colourful villager characters, in this 186 page novella, but inexplicably, about half way through the book, which started so promisingly, Mr Cadmus descends into charade. It is almost like reading two entirely separate stories as Ackroyd inexplicably allows the narrative to plummet into extravagant fantasy over the final few chapters. The reader will be hard pushed to make any sense of the irrational, confusing, mirthless ending. - Reviewed by John Hagan
‘WE ARE MAYO’ There are a limited number of copies of this beautifully produced book by Mosman Park based Mayoman Dr Tom Brett still available, costing €40 or $50AU with $10 p/p. TO ORDER OR FOR MORE DETAILS CONTACT: TDBRETT@GMAIL.COM
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BOOK REVIEWS
THE PASSING OF CHARLES YELVERTON O’CONNOR BY PETER CONOLE In a recent edition of Irish Scene this writer reviewed a very fine book by Mr Peter Burke (Wettening Auralia, by Peter Burke, Aurelia Press, Nedlands, Western Australia, 2015). The book was an unusual one in some ways and reflected the results of a huge amount of research by Mr Burke. It deals in great detail with the enormous Kalgoorlie to the coast pipeline, Mr O’Connor’s role in the project and its associated controversies. The pipeline was the greatest achievement of Mr O’Connor, an outstanding WA public official and engineer and the descendant of an ancient Irish aristocratic family. His branch of that distinguished line settled in county Meath by 1715. They converted to the protestant faith (thereby securing their estates and social status) and several members, after study in Dublin city, served as clergymen in county Dublin and Meath. The first two were the reverends John O’Connor (died 1809) and George Matthew O’ Connor (1778-1842). The latter’s son, John Roderick O’Connor (1813-1863), was a landed gentleman of Meath and the owner of two estates. He was described as a “public spirited and compassionate man”. During the years of woe he played an active role in famine relief and used his wealth to provide food and shelter for his tenants and other unfortunate folk. Mr O’Connor was bankrupted by the end of 1849, lost the family holdings and ended up moving to a small house in Waterford. His famous son, Charles Yelverton O’Connor, was born at Gravelmount in Meath on January 11, 1843 and educated in Waterford city. He took an interest in engineering and 80 | THE IRISH SCENE
leaned much about that profession by working with John Chaloner Smith, resident engineer of the Waterford to Kilkenny railway. C.Y. O’Connor moved to New Zealand in 1865 and did very well in his profession, being made under-secretary of public works (1883) and then senior marine engineer (1890). He married Letitia Ness: their daughter Kathleen Laetitia O’Connor ( 1876-1968) became an artist and her work was well respected in Australia, Britain and France. O’Connor’s labours attracted the interest of John Forrest, Premier of Western Australia. He was awarded the position of Engineer-in-Chief of the colony in 1891. O’Connor demonstrated his skills in complex projects, notably the building of Fremantle harbour, which was completed in 1897. In that year he was made a Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George. In 1892 O’Connor submitted plans for the building of a pipeline from Kalgoorlie to Mundaring Weir, a work that attracted a lot of negative criticism but ended in spectacular success. Mr Forrest and his wife Lady Forrest presided over the ceremony when the tap was turned on at a grand launching of O’Connor’s project in 1903. Thanks to the careful guidance of Mr O’Connor the pipeline costs did not go over budget. On March 19, 1902 C.Y. O’Connor took his own life in Fremantle. He was depressed and in despair. He wrote early in the morning “I fear my brain is suffering and I am in great fear of what effect all this worry may have upon me. I have lost control of my thoughts”. The gentleman had been subjected to prolonged, outrageous press attacks, accusations and outright
lies which would not have been acceptable or publishable in this era. In his book Mr Burke tracked down who was responsible for the constant barrage of lies and insults directed at O’Connor. Mr Vosper, a fairly respectable former editor of the Sunday Times, had doubts about the project but launched no great attack. He died in January, 1901. His successor as editor, as Mr Burke reveals, was the culprit. He was Thomas (‘Tommy’) Walker (18581932), an Englishman who later became a member of parliament in Western Australia and eventually Attorney General of the State. Author Burke dug very deep in uncovering the gentleman’s early life and career. The details are appalling. He postured as a stalwart republican, anti-clerical and anti-establishment man of the left in both journalism (among other things) and politics. He left a trail of wreckage behind him which, in four jaw dropping and disgraceful instances, could and should have resulted in dire legal repercussions. While in the USA he engaged in some spiritualist mumbo jumbo, quite fashionable during the late Victorian Era courtesy among such luminaries as Madame Blavatsky and Aleister Crowley. One session CONTINUED ON PAGE 86
Irish Choir Perth
Times of change are a great opportunity to re-evaluate our routine and the things we take for granted. Often we are surprised by the things we can let go of, things that would have seemed immovable before now. Other times we can pass something up knowing its temporary and can look forward to the days when it returns. The cancelling of the St Patricks Festival WA for the second year falls into the latter for many here. Although the festival itself has only been running for a few years here in Perth, its format and festivity is an extension of the St Patrick’s Day celebrations we all enjoyed growing up in Ireland and around the world. So, setting aside this event for now, the Irish Choir Perth have turned our attentions to how we will celebrate the day. In the spirit of change bringing opportunity, an invitation was extended and accepted from Kidogo Arthouse in Fremantle. Kidogo Arthouse, set in a beautiful heritage building overlooking the Indian Ocean, will be familiar to many who have enjoyed their live music sets and art exhibitions. This year in March they are hosting a four day event, the Irish Aboriginal Festival, which they describe as ‘a celebration of the love stories and friendships between Irish people and Aboriginal people in Australia’. At the Irish Choir Perth we meet to share our love of Irish music. The Irish Aboriginal Festival gives us an opportunity to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in an unexpected way. We are excited to share our song and cultures.
Ours was, no doubt, a great way to learn a song. We broke into sectionals and spent 30 intensive minutes learning our groups parts for some new music. I have to admit however, that with our microphones muted, my household was treated to my solo attempt of the high notes of Enya’s Orinoco Flow, and a few eyebrows were raised. In contrast then, the next week when we met in person and attempted the same song there was no comparison. There is genuine pleasure in the collaboration we have as a group, and satisfaction in the music we produce when we sing together. This is at the heart of what makes our choir special, and what brings our members back week after week, year after year. We welcome new members all the time, and now is great time to join.
IRISH CHOIR PERTH WILL BE PERFORMING AT THE IRISH ABORIGINAL FESTIVAL ON SUNDAY 14TH MARCH. WE REHEARSE 7PM ON WEDNESDAY NIGHTS AT THE IRISH CLUB OF WA. Find us online @IrishChoirPerth
CARIS GRANT DESIGN
Beyond St Patrick’s Day, we have great plans for the year ahead. After a bumpy start to the year, with one cancelled session and another online trial, we are finally back in our home at the Irish Club of WA. The online session we held was new to most of us – the singing part at least, and we had a lot of back and forth on the best way to run the trial. Choirs around the world are meeting online, and with great success.
GRAPHIC DESIGN • BRANDING • STATIONERY • PRINT + PREPRESS
@carisgrant.design • carisgrant.design@gmail.com
THE IRISH SCENE | 81
AROUND THE IRISH SCENE
many happy returns! Below: Big Happy Birthday to Sean McDonagh who recently celebrated his 70th birthday at the Woodvale with friends. Left: Big Happy 50th to Freddy the Fox Flannery
If you would like to be featured in the next issue, please email irishsceneperth@gmail.com
CÉILÍ AND SET DANCING IN PERTH!
Congratulations! Above: David McKelvie and Ann Golden (left), who celebrated their marriage at Kidogo in Fremantle on Saturday 27th February. Ann from Kerry is a descendant of Johnny Golden, one of the Fenians who arrived in WA in 1868 on the Hougoumont. So, Fremantle was an appropriate venue for event. Right: God be with the days when kegs of Guinness were given out as prizes! Lucky winner Jimmy Flannery CONTINUED ON PAGE 84
82 | THE IRISH SCENE
TUESDAYS AT THE IRISH CLUB, SUBIACO Sean Nós - 5.30pm Set Dancing & Céilí - 6.00-7.00pm $15 pay as you go Teacher: Caroline McCarthy
www.facebook.com/TorcCeiliClub torcceiliclub@gmail.com
H a p p y St Patrick’s Day
from your WA Labor Irish-Australian team
Jessica Stojkovski
Alanna Clohesy
Alannah MacTiernan
Stephen Dawson
MEMBER FOR KINGSLEY
MEMBER FOR EAST METRO
MEMBER FOR NORTH METRO
MEMBER FOR MINING & PASTORAL
Margaret Quirk MEMBER FOR GIRRAWHEEN
David Michael MEMBER FOR BALCATTA
Delivering for WA walabor.org.au Authorised by M.Dixon, Level 1, 22 Eastbrook Terrace, East Perth
THE IRISH SCENE | 83
In Memoriam George Foolkes
George Chestnutt
George passed away peacefully on 19th January 2021, aged 74. His funeral service, livestreamed to Ireland, was at Fremantle Cemetery on Friday 19th February. Wonderful tributes and stories were shared at the service.
George was born in Coleraine, County Derry, in 1941, and he passed away peacefully on 15th February 2021. A proud Irishman and great friend to many, George was a regular at the Irish Club and Claddagh Association senior’s functions for many years. We will all miss him and that lovely smile. “Death is nothing at all, George has only slipped away to the next room. Whatever we were to each other, that, we still are”.
George came to Australia from Cork with his family in 1987. He played soccer in Cork for Casement Celtic where he gave great service not just as a player but also as a member of the committee. This is taken from a report in the Cork Echo in 1987… “Accompanying George on his journey across the world will be his wife Mary, children Peter and Yvonne. It’s a major undertaking for any individual, but if the traits of dedication, workmanship and application are needed down under then George will be a major addition to a country still growing. We wish them well on their voyage. Cork soccer says thanks”. In Perth he coached at Shamrock Rovers. To Mary, Yvonne, Peter and families our deepest condolences. “To the world you were but one, to us you were the world and a great Corkonian”. ‘Slán abhaile mo chara’
To Bernadette, children Nieamh, Colleen and Ciaran and Cliff, Steve and Allyson and grandchildren Ronan, Aisling, Caoimhe, Faith, Cillian and Ruairi our deepest condolences. May the roads rise up to meet you May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, May the rains fall soft upon your fields And until we meet again May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Frank (Frankie) Flynn It is with great sadness that heard that Frank passed away on the 17th of February 2021. Loved by his wife Sylvia, family and many, many friends. Frank was laid to rest in a private ceremony as per his wishes. Special thanks to the staff at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital for all the care they gave to Frank. Formerly of Main Street, Abbeyfeale, Limerick/Abbeyfeale, Kerry. Frankie passed away peacefully, at the age of 80, in SCG Hospital, Perth. He was the beloved husband of Sylvia, brother of Paddy (Abbeyfeale), Helen Dowey (Calgary, CA), Mary O’Brien (Duagh), Nora Clarke (New York), Larry (Killarney), Jim (New York) and Margaret Seddon (Toronto). Also, much loved godfather to Pádraig (Killarney). He will be sadly missed by his nieces, nephews, relatives and many friends. Our condolences to Sylvia and his family throughout the world. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
84 | THE IRISH SCENE
Western Australia
Organised by The Irish Community of WA working with The Archdiocese of Perth
2021
St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth Victoria Square, Perth
on St Patrick’s Day Wednesday 17th March 2021 at 10 am Principal Celebrant & Homilist:
Rev Fr Vincent Glynn
PARKING AND GETTING TO THE MASS:
There is parking for a limited number of cars at the Cathedral. Other parking is available at PCC Parking Stations in the vicinity. The “Red Cat” Free Bus Service runs past the Cathedral regularly. It stops at many convenient locations from West Perth particularly Perth Central Railway Station stopping at the door of the Cathedral Enquiries: Eimear at irishinperth@hotmail.com or Phone 0474 481 297
THE IRISH SCENE | 85
Cooking with Lee
Irish Stew
For more recipes, check out Lee on Instagram @lee.behan
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
900g boneless lamb neck, trimmed and diced
1. Place the lamb in a large, heavy-based pan and pour over the stock. Bring to the boil, then skim off any scum from the surface and stir in the barley. Reduce the heat and simmer for 50 minutes, until slightly reduced and the lamb is almost tender.
1 litre chicken stock 50g pearl barley, washed 225g potatoes, cut into chunks 225g carrots, thickly sliced 225g leeks, well-trimmed and thickly sliced 225g baby pearl onions or small shallots, peeled 2 fresh thyme sprigs Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Chopped fresh parsley, to garnish Serve with colcannon mash
LEE BEHAN
2. Add the potatoes to the lamb with the carrots, leeks, baby pearl onions and thyme and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the lamb and vegetables are completely tender but still holding their shape. Season to taste. 3. To serve, transfer the stew into a warmed casserole dish and scatter over the parsley. Have a dish of colcannon alongside and allow everyone to help themselves.
BOOK REVIEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 80
in Canada resulted in the death of a young man. Walker left for ‘down under’ and rebuilt his life in New South Wales. He even entered politics, but his hatreds could have deadly results. When intoxicated he shot and wounded a clergyman who, sadly, made the mistake of forgiving the man in court. Walker was thus spared a gaol sentence. He arrived in WA during the late 1890s and, after his destructive career in journalism, attained the 86 | THE IRISH SCENE
status of a lawyer and ‘progressive’ politician. He was famous for vindictive political rhetoric both in and outside parliament and on the bench. However, as author Peter Burke noted, when in high office himself the ‘outspoken’ Walker was “thin-skinned, litigious and abjectly hypocritical with regards to press freedom”. One might as well add that Mr Burke reveals the man was completely estranged from his family.
Walker was directly responsible for the lies and innuendos which helped to destroy O’Connor. Author Burke is both frank and fair in raising awkward issues about Mr Walker. He asks (pp301-302) some searching questions. When will writers (eg., historians) “tell us more about his ‘varied activities’ on four continents, and about the impact on so many people of his ‘dangerous gift’ for broadcasting invective at random”.
Let It Be Me BY NOEL O’NEILL I look back to the fifties in Cork when I was a lad and I recall the big wooden wireless up on the sideboard in the living room. The whole family at night would sit around and listen to the dark dramas pouring out of that wooden box and I, with my over-active imagination, frightened by the voices, would take comfort in my mother’s arms. I could understand the music coming out of the wireless but not the voices. When my mother and father were working, my sister Phyllis, my brother Donal and I would be home alone. My siblings would turn on the wireless to Radio Luxembourg, crank up the volume and we would dance around the house to Bill Haley, Elvis, Gene Vincent. The music poured out of the living room window out into the street, you could see the postman delivering letters, dancing to the beat as he slipped the letters into the letterboxes of each front door. Mothers walking with a baby pram would shake the pram to the rhythm of the rock and roll. The nuns in the convent opposite our house would be seen dancing together in the yard. I saw a milkman once drop two bottles of milk because he was jiving to our music. The neighbours never complained. Mrs Cooch next door would make an excuse to borrow some tea so she could dance around the kitchen with my sister. But in the quieter moments I would sit and listen to my sister and brother harmonize like The Everly
Musical Entertainer / Teacher
The Everly Brothers Brothers. They were no longer Phyllis and Donal, they were “Phil” and “Don” like Phil and Don Everly, and would adopt those names for the rest of their lives. At the time The Everly Brothers had a string of hits, one after the other. ‘Cathy’s Clown’, ‘When Will I Be Loved’, ‘All I Have To Do Is Dream’, ‘I Kissed You’. My brother and sister knew them all and would sing them at family gatherings and parties where they were now known as “Phil” and “Don”. Phil’s favourite was Let It Be Me, “Don’t ever leave me lonely. Tell me you love me only, now and forever, let it be me”. If they had a falling out, which brothers and sisters often do, Don would ask me to harmonize with him, but I was young and not half as good as Phil. This memory came about as I watched a documentary about The Everly Brothers the other night. The songs all came back, so did my brother and sister. They are not with me anymore but if anyone should remember them kindly and hear them singing sweetly somewhere above the clouds, let it be me.
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Australian Irish Dancing Association Inc.
AIDA WA ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE OUR FEIS DATES FOR 2021. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO RUN OUR WESTERN AUSTRALIAN STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS LAST YEAR AND ALSO OUR NOVEMBER FEIS
❇⭐🎉
We look forward to a successful year of competitions and want to send our support and prayers to all our fellow Irish Dance families near and far that are still impacted by Covid. We hope to reunite at championships very soon.
🤗
IN OTHER NEWS!!! AIDA Inc are pleased to announce that we have secured the RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, Queensland for both our Australian International Oireachtas and Our Australian Nationals Championships. See details below!!! ANNOUNCEMENT
2021 VENUES Australian International Oireachtas 9th - 11th July, 2021 Australian Irish Dancing Championships 28th September 3rd October, 2021 RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, Queensland 88 | THE IRISH SCENE
AIDA WA EXECUTIVE 2020
BACK TO CLASS As we returned for Term 1 of 2021 things were a little different!!! Our dancers, delighted to be back in the studio’s hide their smiley faces behind their masks!
President: Caroline McCarthy TCRG Vice Presidents: Melissa Kennedy TCRG and Samantha McAleer TCRG Secretary: Caitriona Slane TCRG Treasurer: Martina O’Brien TCRG Registrar: Jenny O’Hare TCRG National Delegate: Eileen Ashley
SCHOOL CONTACTS:
CELTIC ACADEMY East Victoria Park & Karragullen www.celticacademyperth.com Siobhan Collis TCRG 0403 211 941 KAVANAGH STUDIO OF IRISH DANCE Maylands www.kavanaghirishdance.com.au Teresa Fenton TCRG 0412 155 318 Deirdre McGorry TCRG Melissa Kennedy TCRG Avril Grealish TCRG THE ACADEMY MID AMERICA & WESTERN AUSTRALIA Subiaco, Wangara & Pearsall Samantha McAleer TCRG Dhana Pitman TCRG Kalamunda Lara Upton ADCRG 0409 474 557 O’BRIEN ACADEMY Joondalup www.obrienacademy.com Rose O’Brien ADCRG 0437 002 355 Martina O’Brien TCRG 0423 932 866 O’HARE SCHOOL OF IRISH DANCING Doubleview, Wembley Downs & Craigie Jenny O’Hare TCRG 0422 273 596 SCOIL RINCE NA HEIREANN Rockingham irishdance@iinet.net.au Megan Cousins TCRG 0411 452 370 SCOIL RINCE NI BHAIRD Fremantle & Lynwood Tony Ward TCRG 0427 273 596 THREE CROWNS SCHOOL OF IRISH DANCE Wangara & Padbury www.threecrownsirishdancing.com Eleanor Rooney TCRG 0449 961 669
Stephen Dawson MLC
Member for Mining and Pastoral Region Minister for Environment; Disability Services Deputy Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council PO Box 2440, SOUTH HEDLAND WA 6722 stephen.dawsonmp@mp.wa.gov.au (08) 9172 2648 • 1800 199 344 (toll free)
TRINITY STUDIO OF IRISH DANCING Morley, Midland, Bayswater & Singleton trinitystudiowa@gmail.com Eileen Ashley ADCRG 0413 511 595 Katherine Travers TCRG Nell Taylor TCRG WA ACADEMY OF IRISH DANCING Malaga Glenalee Bromilow ADCRG 0410 584 051 Sue Hayes TMRF 0412 040 719
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AFTER A SUCCESSFUL RUN WITH “A CHRISTMAS WISH” A PANTO BY NOEL O’NEILL, THE IRISH THEATRE PLAYERS RETURN IN APRIL WITH “THE TRAPPE FAMILY”, A COMEDY BY MULTI-AWARD WINNING PLAYWRIGHT SEAMUS O’ROURKE AND DIRECTED BY AWARD WINNING DIRECTOR SEAN BYRNE. The play is set in a small town in County Leitrim. The Trappe Family gather on the roof of their garage each year to commemorate and celebrate the life of ‘Daddy’ who passed away five years ago. Daddy was a larger than life character, well liked by everyone in the town, a part time garage owner and part time stand up comedian who lost touch with his family and reality many years ago. Freddie Trappe has taken over the garage, the stand up routine and Daddy’s slim grip on reality. Mammy brings the family together on the anniversary to remember, say a few prayers and tell nice stories about Daddy but there is a darker side to the family that is slowly revealed. Mammy is a cripple, so how does she get onto the roof without any help? How did Daddy actually die? Why is Joseph so bitter? Who or what is ‘The White Angel’? Patrick has always been considered “slow”, but is there something else about him, something sinister? Can Majella keep everyone from hurting each other both physically and mentally? It’s the story of a typical Irish family with all the comedy and tragedy that is such an essential part of Irish life. We all know families like this. Don’t miss this great production, running from April 8th to April 17th with a matinee on Saturday April 11th, at the Irish Club of WA, Subiaco.
Seamus O'Rourke Seamus O'Rourke is an award-winning writer, director and actor from County Leitrim. He tours Ireland regularly with his own self-penned shows. His plays include Ride On (Livin’ Dred 2011), dig, Down and The Trappe Family (The Corn Mill Theatre), The Halfway House Hotel and Stale Mate (Canal Studio-Backstage Theatre), For Club and County (Moth Productions), dig, Victor’s Dung (Big Guerilla Productions) and his four One-Man-Shows; The Sand Park, Padraig Potts’ Guide to Walking, INDIGESTION and My Aunt Bee (Big Guerilla Productions).
Tickets now on sale: www.trybooking.com/bpahz
irishtheatreplayers.com.au
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IrishTheatrePlayers
CARRAMAR
SHAMROCK ROVERS FC SPONSORED AND SUPPORTED BY INTEGRITY PROPERTY SOLUTIONS
CONTACTS: MARTY BURKE 0410 081 386 • PAUL DOYLE 0430 080 019
Premier Mark McGowan visited the Wanneroo Show to announce sports grants for various clubs in the Wanneroo Shire. We were delighted to receive a grant of $28,000 for perimeter fencing at Grandis Park along the Pinjar Road. We would like to thank Sabine Winton MLA, member for Wanneroo, for her support in this.
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And the premier took time out of his busy schedule to tie the laces for one of our juniors (above right) Our new kits have arrived, and all junior and senior teams will be playing in the famous green and white hoops from this season. The state teams have friendlies with ECU Joondalup on 13th March: under 18s at 11:00am, Reserves at 1:00pm and the first team at 3:00pm. Come along and support the Hoops. Myles is hoping to make an appearance. The night series resumed, Carramar Shamrock Rovers played Swan United to a hard fought 1-1 draw. There are places available in our under 14s junior girls’ teams, preferably girls with playing experience. We also have places available for senior ladies. See our Facebook page for more information, or contact Marty (details above).
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In other news, the club’s AGM will be held on 13th March 2021 at 9:00am at Grandis Park.
As always thank you to our major sponsors below, and also to Nicky Edwards for his continued support: PIPELINE TECHNICS MADMAN MOTORS INTEGRITY PROPERTY SOLUTIONS THE DUKE MUNTZ PARTNERS PEGASUS PLUMBING & GAS KILLARNEY AUTOS
IPS provide property maintenance services to residential and commercial properties in the Perth Metro area
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Carpentry • Electrical Work • General repairs • Landscaping • Locksmithing • Painting • Plumbing & Waterproofing • Kitchen & Bathroom Renovations • Gutters & Roof Maintenance
CALL IPS MAINTENANCE 0423 618 506 service@ipsmaintenance.com.au www.perthpropertymaintenance.net.au THEFOR IRISHSENIORS! SCENE | 91 PROUD SPONSORS OF CARRAMAR SHAMROCK ROVERS FC • SPECIAL RATES
March Report GAAWA CLUBS All of the Western Australian GAA clubs are gearing up for the 2021 season, hopefully back to a full set of fixtures after a condensed 2020 season. With hurling, camogie and football leagues due to start in May, many clubs have already got their training
underway. Our hurling and football sub-committees have worked together this year to produce a masters fixtures plan across all codes. The sub-committees are to be commended on their efforts to avoid clashing fixtures. It seems 2021 is certainly the time to take up the hurl or big ball as a dual player. The final fixtures schedule will be published shortly on our social media pages as well as in the next issue of the Irish Scene so you can line up your days out at Tom Bateman and R.A. Cooke Reserves. Almost as important as the training, clubs have kicked off their social scenes with welcome barbecues and fundraising events. Don’t forget it’s not too late to get signed up to a club. Whether you have experience or not, it’s a great way to keep fit and make friends. Check out all our clubs on their social media pages to see what they’ve got going on in preseason. GAAWA would like to extend its gratitude and appreciation to all club sponsors and contributors to the season ahead.
FRANK MURPHY PRESENTS
CELTIC RAMBLES 107.9FM RADIO FREMANTLE SATURDAY 8AM - 10AM PRODUCER: GERRY GROGAN
Music. Conversation. Special Tributes. Interviews. Celebrating the Ireland of today and past times.
RADIO
FREMANTLE 107.9fm
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GAAWA
CLUB DETAILS FOOTBALL CLUBS GREENWOOD Mens Senior Football greenwoodgfc@hotmail.com
MORLEY GAELS Mens & Ladies Senior Football morleygaelsgfc@hotmail.com
SOUTHERN DISTRICTS Mens & Ladies Senior Football southerndistrictsgaa@gmail.com
ST. FINBARR’S Mens & Ladies Senior Football
REFEREE’S COURSE Do you find yourself feeling like you could do a better job than thon’ one in the middle? Can you jog the length of the field while blowing a whistle? Do you have the legs for a pair of black shorts? Then we have just the job for you! Our games cannot go ahead without the efforts of our referees. All clubs are looking to put forward male and female referees for the 2021 season and all applicants are welcome. Simply let your club know you are interested, and they can forward your name for the refereeing course to be held on the 6th of March. Exact time and venue to be confirmed.
IRISH ABORIGINAL FESTIVAL
HURLING CLUBS ST. GABRIEL’S Mens & Ladies Senior Hurling & Camogie stgabrielsperth@gmail.com
WESTERN SWANS Mens & Ladies Senior Hurling & Camogie westernswansgaa@gmail.com
PERTH SHAMROCKS Mens Senior Hurling perthshamrocks@gmail.com
SARSFIELDS Mens Senior Hurling
sarshurlingperth@gmail.com
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GAAWA is planning to mark its semicentennial milestone in late 2021. While the exact details of the form the event will take are yet to be nailed down, it will be a celebration of all our club’s histories. If you or anyone you know has photos, match reports, programmes or any other records of GAA activity in Western Australia could you please share copies with our secretary, Tom, at secretarygaawa@hotmail.com or contact him on 0458 954 052. Please feel free to pass this call for documents along to anyone you feel may have something of value to proceedings.
westernshamrocks@hotmail.com
NIC
50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
WESTERN SHAMROCKS Mens & Ladies Senior Football
NICHOLS ON RD
The Kidogo Irish Aboriginal Festival is due to take place in Fremantle during St Patrick’s week. Given the recent disappointment of the postponed St Patrick’s day parade, this is your opportunity to mark our Patron Saint’s day while also embracing the indigenous culture of our adopted country. All things Irish and Aboriginal will be celebrated together on the 12th, 13th, 14th and 17th March. We will be contributing to the festivities with a ‘mixed rules’ AFL and Gaelic football exhibition match on the beach. Keep an eye on our facebook page and the festival website for more details: www.kidogo.com.au/events.
stfinbarrsgfc@outlook.com
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GAA GROUNDS
Tom Bateman Reserve Corner Bannister & Nicholson Rds (entrance off Wilfred Rd) Canning Vale
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A new Committee was elected for 2021. Thank you to Lois, David, Oliver, Brendan, Liz, Tony and Emmott. This year will see us working more closely with the Minor Board to support each other and develop ongoing pathways for our players. The 2021 season will begin on 29 August with a ‘Come and Try’ Day and run until the 28 November. The Jim Stynes Cup event is planned for 10 October. Sessions will be at an earlier time of 9am and conclude at 11:30am. We are exploring possible locations that may be more central for families. We are also planning some social events before the season begins - a Quiz night and Scor. Please keep in touch through Facebook and this page, we would look forward to seeing both past and new players when the season begins. On behalf of the Committee and members I would like like to extend my condolences to Debbie Cashman on the passing of her Father. Our thoughts are with Debbie, Sean, Erin, Danny and James.
GERRY CROWLEY PRESIDENT
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@GAELICGAMESJUNIORACADEMYOFWA
CONTACT CALL/TEXT: 0415 048 425 EMAIL: GGJUNIORACADEMY@GMAIL.COM WEBSITE: GGJAOFWA.TEAMAPP.COM
SPONSORED BY
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McLoughlin Butchers would like to wish all our customers, our Irish and non Irish friends, their friends and their friend's friends a very special Saint Patrick’s Day 2o21.
Visit our website
McLoughlinButchers.com.au Products available at our Malaga address and selected IGA and Coles
58 Westchester Rd, Malaga WA 6090 Phone: 08 9249 8039
Proud Supporters of the IRISH COMMUNITY of Western Australia
