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Ambassador of Ireland’s Christmas Message................................30 Around The Irish Scene.........................82 Australian Irish Heritage Assoc..........34 Australian Irish Dancing Association WA......................................84 Bill Daly - Brannon’s Great Adventure.....................................60 Book Reviews...........................................74 Claddagh Report....................................64 Fifty Years a-Growing............................90 From Home to Home: Oral Histories of Irish Seniors in Western Australia..............................68 GAAWA................................................... 92 GAA Junior Academy............................95 G’day From Gary Gray...........................28 G’day From Melbourne.......................... 52 Geraldton & Midwest Irish Club Presidents Report...................................58 Honorary Consulate of Ireland WA.....46 Irish Choir................................................ 70 Irish Race Day......................................... 26 Irish Theatre Players...............................81 Joint Junior Academy/Minor Board/ WAIFC Golf Fundraiser.........................86 Kalgoorlie: Worth More Than its Weight in Gold.....................................3 Matters of Public Interest..................... 52 One Irishman, Two Great Escapes and a Bit of Craic....................................36 Paula From Tasmania..............................72 Shamrock Rovers...................................88 Ulster Rambles.......................................40
Kalgoorlie: Worth more than its weight in Gold BY LLOYD GORMAN
SOMEWHERE IN THE REGION OF 38,000 PEOPLE CALL KALGOORLIE HOME, MAKING IT THE BIGGEST OUTBACK CITY IN AUSTRALIA. WITHOUT EXCEPTION, EVERY KALGOORLIEAN WE MET WAS WARM, FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL. 4 | THE IRISH SCENE
The Irish are renowned for our ‘cead mile failte’ (hundred thousand welcomes) but it has to be said that these folk know how to make you feel welcome and that you are amongst friends. Conversations with complete strangers start as easily as a bushfire might in the arid landscape. There are a few people in the local Irish community I want to meet during my brief stint in the frontier town, including one Ashok Parekh. At first sight the name might not suggest he is Irish, but Ashok has a very similar story to former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) and serving Tánaiste (Deputy PM) Leo Vadakar, something that is not lost on him. Indeed Ashok was born and lived in Dublin until he turned 19 when he spread his wings and went on adventures further afield. I seem to recall that he tells me he has made ‘Kal’ his home since the mid 1980’s. Certainly he is a well known and high profile member of the community through his various businesses, interests and activities. It just so happens the day I meet him there is a double page spread with the headline ‘Without doubt he is the King of Kalgoorlie’ in that day’s West Australian and the ‘local’ paper, the Kalgoorlie Miner, as part of the ‘Steve Butler’s Bush Legends’ series. The sub heading in the feature in the West reads; “Philosophies of an Irish kid who struck it rich in the Goldfields”. Butler writes that Parekh has had a remarkable life journey from being a broke teenager “in his Irish homeland with few definite prospects” to prospering in “WA’s home of prospecting”. “Mr Parekh was born and raised in Dublin by his Indian father, a medical doctor, and Irish mother Sheila,” Butler wrote. “But it was when she died suddenly in East Africa when he was just four, that his life took a dramatic twist. Family issues over his parents’ interracial marriage saw him sent to
KALGOORLIE: WORTH MORE THAN ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD
Left: Well known Kalgoorlie local, Irishman Ashok Parekh. Above: Mr Parekh was featured in the West Australian newspaper on October 15, 2021
Dublin’s strict Mount Sackville school while his father stayed working in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam. “The first year was terrible, the worst year of my life,” he recalled. “We were five years old and the nuns were beating us up. You were just s… scared”.” Following that ordeal, Ashok went to Willow Park Junior School, Williamstown, Blackrock, Co. Dublin and then Blackrock College. Bob Geldof, who turned 70 very recently, also attended both schools. Ashok formed many friendships with his school mates, relationships which are continued and cherished to this day. His father returned to Dublin in 1973 with more bad news, the family were broke. “He said (to me), You’ve got nowhere to live, you’ve got no money and you’ve got no job, but you’ve got a good personality so you’ll do well, and when you do well, never forget where you came from.” He would come to Australia in 1975 and follow on to Kalgoorlie where his father was now based. Armed with nothing more than his natural ability, entrepreneurial spirit, gumption and willingness
to work harder and smarter, Ashok became a very successful accountant and then business figure in his own right. Amongst his various interests, Ashok is a substantial property owner in the town. The Exchange Hotel used to be his and in that time he opened Paddy’s Ale House inside it. He sold that off in 2008 and today The Exchange is owned by Lawson Douglas and Dave Allan, two school mates*. Ashok tips his hat to the duo and acknowledges they are “good operators”. *Mssrs Douglas and Allan acquired the Subiaco Hotel almost exactly three years ago from the previous and original owners – including the family of Irish descent, the first time it had changed hands since it was built in 1897. Paddy’s Ale House is gone but has at least been replaced by another venue that pays tribute to the Irish founder of the town. Its logo is a capital P in the background and a prospectors pick axe in front of it. ‘Paddys’ is a nicely decorated and comfortable locale with good food. Not so much an Irish pub, but certainly one named and themed after one of the most famous Irish men in Australian lore. THE IRISH SCENE | 5
KALGOORLIE: WORTH MORE THAN ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD
Left: Ashok showing off some of his sporting records, memorabilia and collectables that will be on display in his new pub. Right: Hotel Manager Liz Sheehan at the newly renovated Palace Hotel in Southern Cross
amount of pork sausages and other meats from McLoughlin’s Butchers in Malaga, owned and operated of course by another proud Dub, Paul McLoughlin.
SOUTHERN COMFORTS
If an ‘Irish pub’ is all that is missing from the dozens of choices of watering holes spread around Kalgoorlie and Boulder, then Ashok has an another ace up his sleeve. He plans to open ‘The Irish Pub Kalgoorlie’ in early 2022. “I always wanted to do another Irish pub,” he admits. Indeed, it is a card he has probably been wanting to play for some time now. Always thinking at least two steps ahead he shrewdly bought up the contents and decorative material of the former Rosie O’Grady’s in Fremantle when it closed several years ago. You can expect some of that paraphernalia to go into the new venue, but there will be other interesting items. Ashok shows me around the offices of his accountancy practice across the road from The Palace. As a first time visitor it is hard not to feel a bit like Aladdin walking into the cave of treasures. Every where you look there are artefacts, signs and goodies of all sorts. Too much to take in all at once. Like a private art dealer, he has also amassed a large collection of framed pieces which he takes great pride in. They are largely sporting records, memorabilia and collectables. Many are the signed jerseys of various Irish national teams across different sports. His latest acquisition is a beautifully framed Conor McGregor tribute, which he picked up from West Coast Eagles captain Luke Shuey who was in Kalgoorlie recently. Ashok has the vision and venue for the new pub but there is one key ingredient he has yet to add to the mix. He is on the lookout for Irish people to manage and crew it. “If there are any Irish out there who want to come and work here tell them to give us a call,” he told Irish Scene. Apparently there are about 3,000 jobs going begging in Kalgoorlie and not enough local workers to fill them. As he shows me around the Palace, Ashok introduces me to his head chef, Kevin, another Dubliner, who has worked for him for the last 20 years. Kevin is a True Blue Dub who enjoys a laugh and banter, it is nice to hear a pure Dublin accent and the banter. Amongst the many dishes Kevin’s kitchen produces every day, the Palace gets through a serious 6 | THE IRISH SCENE
If Ashok is the King of Kalgoorlie, then another Dublin native could comfortably wear the title of Queen of Southern Cross. Just over two hours drive outside Kalgoorlie, another Palace Hotel is the domain of the unstoppable Liz Sheehan. She has spent the last three years diligently upgrading, maintaining and even expanding the 1911 built property while all the time keeping the doors open – even through COVID – to customers and the community. “It was not a pretty sight,” Liz says about The Palace when she took over as manager. “The place had a massive structural renovation back in 1992 but the aesthetics of that time meant every was dark green and very mustardy, yellow and very sombre. Everything was closed in and heavy, with curtains. So we lightened and brightened it up, its such a gorgeous building you really want to show it off you know.” As well as giving the place a complete makeover there was other essential work that needed to be done. “We had to replace practically everything, redo the electrics, fire alarms, the kitchen and cooler rooms. I’ve managed hotels now for 25 or 30 years and I’ve done a lot
of hotel renovations in Europe, but this is my first one in Australia. We’re about three quarters of the way there, its a work in progress.” She has adapted the hotel to meet the demands being placed on it in today’s environment. In addition to installing a new commercial grade kitchen, Liz has also put in a ‘mess’ for the dozens of workers and crews staying at the hotel. They are able to get an early morning (5am) breakfast and packed lunch and a full meal when they return
from a hot and heavy day day at their various worksites. The bar offers another chance for grafters to get together and share a drink and chat. But with such early starts they are usually tucked up in bed by about 8pm. In its long history The Palace has never had more paying and staying guests than it has under Liz’s watch. A small two bed house beside the hotel was removed to make room for accommodation for another 36 people with a further 24 to go in as well. With no more land left to occupy or use that will
THE IRISH SCENE | 7
KALGOORLIE: WORTH MORE THAN ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD
Left: The stunning leadlight work at the Palace Hotel in Southern Cross (above)
be it, but many more workers and visitors can now find shelter, a bed and some of the comforts of home there. Demand is strong and the hotel is packed to the rafters. “There’s a lot going on in the region,” explains Liz. “We’ve got the facilities, a kitchen that is pretty much state of the art and a scale of operations that so many places here don’t, a bar and we can put it all together. We can feed 60 to 80 people a day in the workers camp and it will soon be a 100 a day.” For the last few months quite a few of those hungry – and thirsty – mouths being put up at The Palace speak with an Irish accent. “We have multiple contracts going on, including one for a company doing a big project in the area,” she explained. “Ninety-five per cent of their crew staying here happen to be Irish. Its quite funny because I wasn’t expecting that. I got a phone call one day asking if we had rooms and bit by bit the company started sending their guys down with names that other people couldn’t pronounce, and every one of them were Irish.” The rebirth of The Palace has been good for the hotel and building itself but there have been other benefits. Without giving anything away, Liz said the money that has been put into the restoration and revamp has been ‘phenomenal’. “The owners are very, very generous,” she said. “They have never taken a cent out of it in the last three years and instead say to reinvest it back into the hotel. So a 100% of what we make here goes back into the hotel. The town (Southern Cross) will gain greatly from this project. What we are doing here now will benefit the town for another two decades, whoever owns the Palace in the future.” Indeed during the height of pandemic restrictions last year The Palace proved its value. “During 8 | THE IRISH SCENE
COVID we were the only place within a 100km that remained open and we were heaving. The bar was closed but the rest of the hotel was choc-a-bloc. There were no rooms left and we were feeding everyone but they would have to take their meals back to their rooms. It was a big operation and the town were happy to have somebody doing food as well because they were all sick of cooking,” she laughed. “So we did all these family meal deals to keep them going. We were very busy. It was good. We lost revenue from the bar but we did a lot of take-away. We adapted. We survived.” Liz has also been a keen supporter of a very worthy cause, the local Parnana Pikurtu Wildlife Sanctuary. In September last year she organised and staged a fund raiser night in the Palace. It was a roaring success. “We raised 10,000 dollars on the night, which was just incredible for a small town. I thought we might make $5,000 which would have been great, but it just kept going up and up and I had to check the numbers four or five times before I announced the amount because I didn’t think it was possible, that it must have been a mistake.” There was live music and her brother-in-law who is an auctioneer by trade ran an auction while her two sisters from Perth came up and helped out with the bar and food and selling tickets. “It was all hands on deck and the town were amazingly generous. It was a great night.” While Irish Scene was there, Liz mustered up the support of many of the Irish boys staying at the hotel to help the sanctuary to get some badly needed building and repair works done. Skilled manpower might be at a premium now across WA but the Irish contingent of hard working tradies and contractors didn’t flinch at the idea of turning
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KALGOORLIE: WORTH MORE THAN ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD
their time and talents to helping the charity in their own time. The owners of the Palace asked Liz to run the place for them just over three years ago and as she has said earlier in this piece, it is her first hotel in Australia, but not in her career. Before she came here she spent the previous 25 years living and working in France. She went there a short time after her Leaving Cert with the intention of staying for six months to a year to improve her French and stayed much longer and of course became a fluent speaker.
THE PUB WITH NO BEER HAS PLENTY OF IRISH CIDER You could argue that the Palace Hotel in Southern Cross is one of Australia’s most famous watering holes. Of the countless choice of bars to pick from the Palace is the setting for Slim Dusty’s Aussie folk classic ‘The pub with no beer’, a favoured tune held in the same kind of affectionate regard as Waltzing Matilda for many Australians. I am keen to raise this iconic connection with Liz who is fully aware – and proud – of it. “Yeah, this is the Pub with No Beer, except we have beer,” she laughed. “There is another place in WA that claims its them, its not, its us.” There is a fantastic photograph that proves the link, it was taken in 1972 by photographer Bruce Howard for the book ‘Australian Pubs’ - the end result of a 25,000-mile pub crawl by the author (John Larkins) and Mr Howard. It clearly shows a much younger Slim Dusty straddling his hard guitar case outside the Palace Corner as it was called at the time. Irish Scene tried to 10 | THE IRISH SCENE
Top and left: County Westmeath expats Riahanna Allen and her partner Bernard live and work in Kalgoorlie. Above: We also met with Dublin man and Kalgoorlie Golf Course greenskeeper Niall Rogan at the Kalgoorlie Races.
get copyright permission to include the iconic image as part of this feature, but unfortunately was unable to do so in time. It is quite easy to find on the online archive website Trove if you type in his name along with other key words such as Southern Cross/Palace. Alternatively it’s call number on the online archive is PIC P805/455 LOC Q117. In any case, the Pub with no Beer (if we can still call it that now) has a distinctively Irish twist. Because so many of her long stay patrons have a hankering for the taste of home and asked her nicely The Palace now stocks long neck bottles (stubbies) of the Irish brewed cider Magners (which is marketed as Bulmers back in Ireland). Some nights there it is the biggest seller. There was also a whisper that the libation was the perfect tipple for those who watched the All Ireland Finals in the hotel, a very special occasion indeed. Maybe there’s another legendary song in there somewhere. On my brief but brilliant visit to the Palace I met guests David, Brian and Marcus and Julian (head chef), Anders and Fitzie (bar) and her husband and enjoyed their company. Everybody we met in Kalgoorlie was friendly, easy to talk to and had a yarn or two to share. Of course Irish Scene sought out as many Irish people as possible. When Fred Rea heard I was going to Kal he suggested I should catch up with Claire Weir. We met briefly at the Kalgoorlie Hotel for a drink and
WALSHE CLANCY O’NEILL chat about an hour before I was due to jump on the train to get to Southern Cross. She is perhaps one of the most Australian and simultaneously most Irish person I have ever met. She is a natural product of her Irish heritage and Goldfields environment, full of knowledge about local place names and areas(and often their Irish connections) and likely to jump in the UTE with a swag and take off and camp in the outback. A photographer and writer able to capture the beauty and stories around her. If at some point she can find time in her busy schedule to create something for Irish Scene we would love to have it. On the Sunday we were in Kalgoorlie there was a horse racing meet. The heritage tram – very similar to the one operating in Subiaco – that takes visitors around Kalgoorlie and Boulder is pulled up outside the tourist office as I start to make my way there. I jump on board and ask the driver if the racetrack is on his route. Its not and I go to get off but he tells me to sit down. A few minutes later I am dropped off at an unscheduled stop, right outside the ticket office for the course (I scored a second lift back to the track that day thanks again to Maria from the Palace Hotel). I ask the lady behind the desk for a ticket. A voice with a soft brogue came from the back or side of the office asks: “Is that a Dublin accent?”. The question comes from Riahanna Allen, a native of Castlepollard, County Westmeath. Riahanna first came out to Kalgoorlie about 2011 when she said there was loads of Irish around. Apparently there are not as many these days and it was nearly the case that those numbers could have been depleted by another two. Both Riahanna and her partner Bernard Callaghan, from Coolnagun, Lismacaffrey, Co. Westmeath, who works in the gold mines, were
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KALGOORLIE: WORTH MORE THAN ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD
lucky to get back when they did from a return trip to Ireland, just before COVID hit and the borders closed. Inside the track as I’m milling about with Ashok – who happened to be the first person I met when I came in – my Irish Scene shirt catches the attention of a young man enjoying the races with friends. Niall Rogan is from Swords, 10km north of Dublin’s city centre. He is approaching five years in Australia and has carved out a place for himself in the locality as 2IC greenskeeper for the Kalgoorlie Golf Course, a job he is proud of. The course is one
of the most remarkable of its kind in the world. It is an oasis of vivid green and beautifully manicured fairways and greens in an otherwise dusty and harsh landscape. It hosts the Western Australian PGA and several open tournaments a year as well as a large number of events throughout the year. Kalgoorlie is also part of the world’s largest golf course. It has two of the 18 holes in the 1,365km long Nullarbor Golf Links and together with Norseman and Ceduna represents the start/finish of the long links, depending on which way you are travelling.
ALAN FELT THE LURE OF GOLD! When Alan Ryan first came to Western Australia thirty two years ago, he arrived with a broken heart and having failed English in his Leaving Cert exams. Now in 2021, the older and more experienced Skerries man –inspired by that time in his life – has published his debut novel, a book he calls a love letter to WA. Certainly “Magpie: A tender journey into the heart of Australia” is a beautifully written and told story. “I never considered myself a writer or even capable of writing a book, but then I got injured and I couldn’t train [for Iorn Man challenges] and that freed up a bit of time, so I wrote about my experiences going mining and travelling through Western Australia and the characters you meet out there,” said Alan. “It’s a love letter effectively to Western Australia. It’s sort of a crime book, like a crime novel and like a romance novel. It’s about a young lad, a heartbroken young lad who finds himself in Western Australia. He’s living in a tree house. He’s been working on a sheep 12 | THE IRISH SCENE
Above: Alan Ryan working on the land in Western Australia. Right: One of his art pieces
station and his bosses let him go off looking for gold and do a bit of sketching. And he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets into a spot of bother, but he travels deeper into the interior of the continent with some girl he’s picked up along the way and it’s about avoiding being captured but finding themselves at the same time. He was a bit of a drifter, a bit of a waster but living in the bush has opened his mind and new experiences. It’s his transformation. The ‘Magpie’ is the Australian magpie, which is a different one to the European one. The European magpie is a relative of the crow but the Australian one is a song bird and features in all of the Aboriginal stories, a flavour of that comes into the book.”
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Right: Alan in his former Ironman days. Below: Alan’s art has been an inspiration for his first novel
‘Magpie’ is set in 1990. Alan came to WA and Kalgoorlie in 1989. Actually, it was at that time another Alan – Alan Bond – is said to have been flying over Kalgoorlie in that year and looked down and saw dozens if not hundreds of small claims – each with their own head frames over deep shafts* – dotted around the ‘Golden Mile’ and had the idea of consolidating them all into one large claim.*It is said that there are so many underground tunnels and shafts in this area alone that if they were put end to end they would be able to reach Sydney. “My first experience of Kalgoorlie was in 1989, before the Super Pit. I worked as a jackaroo out on Credo Station – which is now a museum I believe,” he said [Credo is a former pastoral lease of some 212,000 hectares about 70km north of Coolgradie. The homestead was acquired by the Department of the Environment and Conservation in 2007]. “It was during my time working on Credo that I got interested in geology and finding my fortune,” he added. “The area was littered with evidence of historical and modern gold mining. And what young lad is not fascinated by stories of giant nuggets! After finishing at Credo, at the age of 21, I set up my camp/treehouse similar to the character of Jim (Macken) in Magpie. I prospected with a metal detector but didn’t find a thing and that’s what inspired me to go back and study as a mature student. When the working holiday visa expired, I returned to Ireland and studied geology at Trinity College Dublin. The college lecturers were more concerned that I got the science right and overlooked my spelling and grammatical shortcomings.” At the age of 29, Alan graduated and returned to WA for a fresh attempt at unearthing the riches of the outback. He even found gold, but couldn’t keep it as he was working for someone else. “I returned to the area in 1996 as a geologist and worked for a number of different mining companies in Kalgoorlie, Southern Cross and Cue,” Alan explained. In the relatively short gap between his visits, Alan was struck by how prospecting had changed from the traditional methods to an industrial scale. It is remarkable to see 14 | THE IRISH SCENE
how quickly massive machines and explosives have totally replaced manpower, wheel barrows and pick axes. “It was in the 2000’s when I worked for Andrew Forrest and his newly formed iron ore company, FMG. As an exploration geologist we’d be going out alone, camping rough and sleeping under the stars and you’d meet all sorts of creatures out there. The first time I went out I found a nugget but I had to hand it over because I was working for someone and it wasn’t mine. I did not share his vision and returned to Ireland.” He now calls Wexford home where he lives with his wife and two children. With his first novel Alan skilfully unpacks memories and details of the place and its inhabitants. He draws on personal experience and many of the real life stories he encountered or found in the dry landscape. There is, for example, a very sad scene when the main protagonist Jim discovers an early and abandoned cemetery, including the graves of several children. The tragic story of how two young brothers died down a
KALGOORLIE: WORTH MORE THAN ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD
mineshaft is sadly true. Indeed, much of what he writes and describes rings true, written from the perspective of someone – who is unmistakably Irish – who has lived, endured and enjoyed the same experiences. Alan freely admits that as a child he preferred watching TV (Starsky and Hutch or the Six Million Dollar Man were favourites) or “running around feral outside” to reading books – in a house that was full of books. He also believes that he had wrestled with “a bit of dyslexia” and found the prospect of written assignments for college daunting. “An inability to learn to spell and my dodgy grammar followed me into adulthood,” he joked. But even as his confidence grew as he passed exams writing remained a chore. But on the other side of the equation, he possesses the right qualities, abilities and determination necessary to write a book, and overcome obstacles in life. “When people talk about their love for words, that’s not me,” he said. “I love pictures, I paint and it was the images about the place that struck me and my own experiences. ‘Magpie’ came to me in pictures. I suspect I write more with the eye of an artist as opposed to being a writer. Discovering writing has been the most liberating and challenging experience. For four years, every available minute was spent plotting, writing, and editing my story. I would find myself typing furiously outside my daughter’s ballet class, or outside the swimming pool during my kids’ lessons. Coffee shops and trains were amongst my preferred writing spaces. Long meditative swims were, I found, the best way to tease out problems with the plot. It has taken many years of full days and countless rewrites to get my novel to a place where I am happy to publish it. It has been a most wonderful and exciting journey. I am proud of what I have produced and hope that anyone who takes the time to read ‘Magpie’ will enjoy it too.” ‘Magpie: A tender journey into the heart of Australia’ is well worth a look, particularly if you are Irish and have had any level of contact with this amazing red and brown place we now call home. The first chapter can be downloaded for free from Amazon.com.au while the full novel itself is also available on Irish website Buy the Book. It also deserves a place on the shelves of book stores and homes here in Perth, the Goldfields and further afield in Australia.
A FAMOUS PATCH OF DIRT For many years now I laboured under the impression that the exact spot where Hannan found gold must have been swallowed up by the insatiable and all consuming void of the awesome Super-pit, the second biggest man made hole in the world (Which, by the way, is worth taking a tour of if you get the chance). But it was only while I was in Kal itself I heard a whisper that the exact piece of ground where it all started actually still existed. Some locals seemed to have never have heard about it but others were better informed. I was told to look for “Paddy Hannan’s Tree”, but even its location was shrouded in some confusion and uncertainty. My best nudge in the right direction came from the lovely Marie in the Palace
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THE IRISH SCENE | 15
Right: Kalgoorlie’s Super-pit minesite. Inset: The original spot where Paddy Hannan found gold
Hotel. She told me to go back out onto Hannan Street and walk towards the end of town (in the direction of the Museum) and find the world’s tallest bin, turn right and keep going and it would be a short distance up form there. I found myself at the rear of the museum and saw a road sign for Paddy Hannan’s Tree. There wasn’t much around. But just up behind an old limestone block hotel with evidence of renovation and construction work taking place a black fence poked out into view. Closer up it looked like a tiny graveyard with a small cluster of headstones. Plaques attached to each of the stones reveal the story of the spot. One, dedicated for the Centenary of Western Australia in 1929, states it was: “erected by the Citizens of Kalgoorlie in honour of the late Patrick Hannan, discoverer of Kalgoorlie, who found gold on this spot 15th June 1893.” Another inscription on a larger monument – erected by the Eastern Goldfields Historical Society and City of Kalgoorlie Boulder – reads: “In this vicinity Patrick Hannan, Thomas Flannagan and Daniel Shea first found “colours of gold” on 10th June, 1893. A reward claim was applied for by Hannan & Flannagan at Coolgardie on 17th June, 1893. “The first tree to mark this spot was planted on 3rd August, 1897 by Miss Florence Snell, stepdaughter of Mayor H.G. Parsons. “This plaque was placed on the occasion of the planting 16 | THE IRISH SCENE
of a new tree on 13th June 1993 by Miss Natasha Yuryevich, daughter of Mayor R.S. Yuryevich to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the find.” A third stone “tablet” marked the 50th anniversary of the discovery of Gold on June 15th 1943. It was also erected to record 50 years of progress in the mining industry on the East Coolgardie Goldfield. The amount of gold won from 15-6-1893 to 15-6- 1943 totalled 20,172,505 fine Ozs valued at $150,000. Population 25,000.”
COLOURS OF GOLD Thanks to another prominent Irish born West Australian we have a detailed account of Hannan’s find, in his own words. Born in Liverpool to Irish parents, Sir John Kirwan would, amongst other things, be elected to Federal Parliament for Kalgoorlie in the first national parliament of Australia (Federation) and would go on to become the president of the Legislative Council of the Western Australia Parliament. Kirwan knew Hannan personally, enough to give this full and frank description of him in his autobiography. “Hannan was well known to Above: John Kirwan me. He was under rather than over the average height, of medium build, with bright, beady eyes, a long beard and a ruddy complexion that betokened a healthy and vigorous outdoor life. Like many of the prospectors who opened up the goldfields, he was an Irishman; he was born in the parish
KALGOORLIE: WORTH MORE THAN ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD
of Quin, County Clare, about 1842, and came to Australia when he was twenty-one years of age. In disposition he was quite unlike the jovial, riotous type fairly common in mining communities. Though not a total abstainer, yet he was remarkably temperate. Nothing could induce him to go beyond the limits of what temperance prescribes. On that point he was adamant. It did not contribute to his popularity amongst the gay reckless spirits of the early goldfields days, but he did not mind. He was not garrulous or a good conversationalist, though in some respects pleasant and genial. He was kindly, quiet and reserved. His education was that of the ordinary Irish peasant boy educated under the national school system, but his handwriting was excellent, and his letters are singular for their clearness of diction. Despite Hannan’s nationality, he was without imagination or sense of humour. All that happened to him he thought was commonplace and prosaic. The romantic side of gold-seeking, the wandering open-air life he led, did not appeal to him as to others.” At some point Kirwan must have sat Hannan down and written down Hannan’s story about the find, as follows. We also know from his book that a few years after Hannan made his big find that Kirwan was one of a group of people who financed him to go prospecting again, in the hope he might repeat his success and make another big claim, with all parties to share in the windfall. “We heard of his prospecting in the Menzies country,” wrote Kirwan. “It was rumoured that he had made another valuable find. No news reached us from him, but the rumour was circulated by men who had come from the locality where he was working. Late one night Hannan came to my office, travel-stained and looking mysterious. I was alone. He shut both doors and asked in a whisper if anyone could hear us. I assured him that we could not be heard. He again looked all round to make certain that we were alone. I was on the tip-toe of expectation. I felt convinced that he was going to startle me by announcing some wonderful find he had made. “What have you found?” I inquired eagerly in a whisper. He crept close to me, and in a scarcely audible voice solemnly said, “I’ve got nothing at all, at all.”
PADDY HANNAN’S FIRST HAND ACCOUNT OF HIS DISCOVERY, AS RELAYED AND DOCUMENTED BY KIRWAN IN HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY – ‘MY LIFE’S ADVENTURES’. “I arrived in the colony in March, 1889, and was at Parkers Range about forty miles from Southern Cross, when Bayley reported the discovery of a rich reef at Coolgardie. I joined in the rush. “Early in June, 1893, news arrived at Coolgardie of a good discovery at a place called Mount Yuille, somewhere to the east or north-east. Parties left Coolgardie in search of the find. A few days after the report had been received, my mate, Thomas Flanagan, and I left Coolgardie. We left on June 7. We would have left earlier with the others, but we could not obtain horses, and so were delayed two or three days. We were lucky enough to pick up some animals in the bush ten or twelve miles from Coolgardie. The other parties going to Mount Yuille were mostly travelling with teams. Only one or two of the prospecting groups had horses of their own. We were a separate party, as we wished to be free to travel when we liked. We could also by this arrangement if we chose prospect any country during the journey. “A very large number was in the main party going to Mount Yuille. Only Bayley's claim was working at Coolgardie, and the alluvial had become exhausted just about the time we left, hence the strong desire amongst the men to reach the new find. “On June 10, three days after leaving Coolgardie, we reached what is now Kalgoorlie. The other parties had gone on in the direction of the reported discovery, but it was only to find later that the report had been false. “Well, as I have said, when we came on June 10 to Mount Charlotte, my mate and I decided to stop and prospect the country round about. To us it looked country where there might be alluvial. We found colours of gold and then got good gold at the north end of Mount Charlotte to down south of Maritana Hill. “There was another man by the way, Dan Shea was his name, to whom we gave an equal share in our venture. “We soon realised that we were located on a valuable field. Alluvial gold was in abundance. We got scores of ounces. It was agreed that I should go to Coolgardie and apply for a reward claim. I left Flanagan and Shea to watch our interests, and on June 17 started for Coolgardie. I got there on a Saturday night. The news of our find soon got abroad. There was a good deal of excitement. Hundreds of men set out for the scene. The flats and gullies all about our reward claim became alive with diggers dryblowing and finding gold.” THE IRISH SCENE | 17
PIPELINE BACK UNDER IRISH INFLUENCE The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme (GWSS) is owned, operated and maintained by the Water Corporation. As it happens, the head honcho for the state run utility and pipeline provider is a former Bord Gáis engineer who was deeply impressed by what he discovered in Western Australia. Irish Scene introduced readers to Pat Donovan back in March 2020. Pat – originally from Co. Offaly – and his now wife Mary came to Australia in 2001 on a one year working holiday visa, with the possibility of a move Down Under sitting at the back of their minds.
PIPE DREAMS It was out of this moment in time that Kalgoorlie was born by serendipity. But it might well have died a death in the parched landscape like many other boom towns had it not been for the engineering genius of Charles Yelverton O’Connor, born in Gravelmount House in Co. Meath in 1843. Hannan’s achievements were nothing short of remarkable. Under his watch the rail network went from being on the verge of collapse to large scale expansion, helping to bring people to the Goldfields. But of course it was the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme (GWSS) that would ultimately help establish and sustain Kalgoorlie as Australia’s biggest outback city. CY O’Connor’s story is well known and frequently told as it should be. It is worth remembering that within ten years of Paddy Hannan’s find, O’Connor – from the grave – had managed to bring badly needed fresh water to the Kalgoorlie. Incredibly too, apart from the 566km of the GWSS itself, there are thousands of kilometres of other pipelines branching off from the main pipeline itself. Today more than 100,000 people still depend on it for their water needs, as do about six million sheep! Interestingly, the job of carrying on O’Connor’s legacy is upheld today by another Irish engineer. 18 | THE IRISH SCENE
“After several months of travel around Australia, starting in Darwin and coming down the east coast, we undertook a road trip to rival no other across the Nullabor and arrived in Perth on Christmas Eve 2001 after a stopover in Kalgoorlie,” Pat told Irish Scene. “I remember then being both curious and impressed by the significant contribution of Irishmen to the gold rush, including Paddy Hannan, and of course the engineering achievements of CY O’Connor.” The couple continued on their Down Under adventure and when they returned to Ireland they put the wheels in motion to return on a more permanent basis. They arrived back to Perth in 2003 on the same day as the Melbourne Cup. The next day, Pat started work with gas company Alinta and would go on to head up ATCO Gas Australia. He joined Water Corp in May 2018 as General Manager Operations, a role that put him in charge of the Pat Donovan & Sue Murphy utility’s activities across more than 2.6 million square kilometres of Western Australia. He obviously made a good impression because before the year was out he was announced at the replacement for CEO Sue Murphy who had held the job for the previous decade, starting from January 2019 on a contract due to expire in December 2023.
KALGOORLIE: WORTH MORE THAN ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD
Left: The Kalgoorlie Pipeline today. Right: During its construction
Pat had just turned 17 when he started engineering studies at Trinity College Dublin and he graduated in 1991 with a degree in mechanical engineering. When he graduated in the early 1990’s many of his counterparts were forced to leave Ireland to find employment opportunities but he was lucky enough to be accepted as a graduate engineer with Bord Gais, where he remained until he made the move to Perth in 2003. “At the time I was Maintenance Manager for the greater Dublin area and east coast of Ireland,” he added. “However, earlier in my time there I was a pipeline engineer and the very first “big” pipeline I managed was the construction of a 15km pipeline to Leixlip to supply gas to the newly constructed Intel factory. Not on the same scale as the Goldfields Pipeline I grant you, but it had its challenges nonetheless traversing urban, farmland, golf courses, crossed the River Liffey twice and the main Dublin - Galway rail line before arriving at Intel. Quite the adventure for a 23 year old engineer!”. He is also passionate and proud of the pipeline, its heritage and feels a special connection to it.
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“The Goldfields Pipeline holds a special place in the hearts of most Western Australians, as it certainly does with the employees of the Water Corporation,” he said. “It is an iconic, heritage listed and still fully functioning engineering marvel that opened up the Goldfields at the turn of the last century and continues to support the economic and social development of the region to this day. “The fact that it was the vision and determination of an Irish engineer CY O’Connor, who ultimately gave his life to turning the pipe dream into a
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reality, is not lost on me, another Irish engineer, who, working alongside the incredibly talented people at Water Corporation remain committed to ensuring the pipeline will continue to be here for generations to come. It is such an important part of WA’s history and like so many other significant engineering and infrastructure projects that opened up new frontiers the world over, the Irish were found to be at the forefront of building those projects and putting down their roots in their newfound homeland. The Goldfields Pipeline remains to this day our largest single asset and is a critical asset supplying over 100,000 people in the Goldfields and surrounding agricultural farmlands areas. It gets a lot of attention at Water Corporation - from the Boardroom all the way to our pipeline operators who ensure it delivers safe reliable water to our customers 24/7.
project and complicated question but at face value it seems a shame to hide this incredible lifeline and link to the past.
HOW THE GOLDFIELDS ALMOST BROKE FREE FROM AUSTRALIA
As a passenger on the Prospector to Kalgoorlie it is next or near impossible not to spend long bouts of time gazing out the window looking at the changing landscape. A regular sight too along much of the route is the GWSS pipeline running through the countryside. There is plenty of time on the seven hour train trip to think about O’Connor and the many men and hardships that must have gone into making the pipeline a possibility.
Kirwan had a huge impact on Australian politics, public affairs and journalism. As editor of the Kalgoorlie Miner the Irishman informed “Goldfielders of their political, social and legal rights,” wrote Jan Mayman* in a profile of him, published on the Australian Media Hall of Fame site. As well as coming from around the world, a large number of the prospectors in WA’s Goldfields originated from the eastern states. They felt disgruntled at their lack of rights and facilities in the Goldfields and that the concern’s of the government of Premier John Forrest were with the population of Perth. There was another reason to dislike his administration explains Mayman. “Hostility to Premier John Forrest’s conservative rule ran deep on the Goldfields. The notorious “ten-foot’ law banning alluvial miners from digging deeper than ten feet was a gift to big gold mining companies, sparking widespread unrest among miners in the late 1890s. For the miners, Federation represented fairer political representation in Western Australia, affirming their links with friends and family in the eastern colonies. By 1899, opposition to the Forrest Government inspired moves for separation of the Eastern Goldfields from the rest of Australia, to create a new state in the desert called “Auralia”. Kirwan’s fiery writing led to a petition to Queen Victoria to separate the Eastern Goldfields from Western Australia, if WA did not join the new national Federation. The miners sent their appeal to the Queen in a gold-mounted casket. Under pressure from London, Forrest finally agreed to a referendum, and more than half the Yes vote came from the Goldfields. Kirwan campaigned passionately and successfully for many other progressive causes, including a trans-Australian railway.”
There is something else to think about it in the West Australian that day (October 16). At the back of the newspaper there is a Water Corp notice asking for public comment about its proposal to bury – for a variety of reasons – much of the pipeline over the next fifty years. It is a complex
*Janice Mayman was a highly respected journalist who worked as a freelancer for The Sunday Times, The Age, The Canberra Times, The Guardian and The Independent, amongst other mast-heads, writing hard hitting stories about indigenous affairs. She won a Gold Walkley in 1984 for exposing the
“I have spent time with our maintenance crews as they performed repairs to the pipeline, and visited a workshop we still have in Northam with a team dedicated to fabricating repair fittings unique to the pipeline, which our welders install on the pipeline to take care of leaks when they occur. However, the most poignant moment for me was when I visited Mt Charlotte Reservoir in Kalgoorlie, the end of the Goldfields Pipeline, and read the historical information that is on display at the lookout, including photos of the official opening of the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme on 23 January 1903 by then Premier Sir John Forrest. It really hit me that CY O’Connor never got to see the completion of his beloved pipeline, and also little did he know that some 120 years later it would still be supplying water to Kalgoorlie and beyond.”
20 | THE IRISH SCENE
KALGOORLIE: WORTH MORE THAN ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD
AUSTRALIA’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL POLITICIAN WAS AN OFFALY MAN It is 120 years now since the former British colonies came together to create the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, the birth of modern day Australia. That ambitious political project may have floundered without the inclusion of the then Swan colony, but for the yes vote of the Goldfields prospectors. Since then there have been hundreds of people elected to the national parliament and countless scandals and crises, but in all that time there has only ever been one elected member of parliament who has been actually expelled by a vote of the house!
Mahon moved west to the Swan Colony in 1895 to join a colleague working on newspapers in the Goldfields. Indeed the men set up the Menzies Miner in what was then a boom town, two days out of Kalgoorlie. A few years later Mahon became editor of the Kalgoorlie Sun. The paper – a Sunday title – was produced with high quality written pieces to be read out loud to inform large groups of people and to be expose social abuses. The Kalgoorlie Sun was frequently critical of the Forrest government and helped to reveal government corruption. One person who knew him well said: “Mahon could put more venom into a stick of type than any man I ever knew. Mahon’s headlines were masterpieces of alliteration and venom”. A typical example of such a headline – on a story that was highly critical of the premier – read: “In the Clutches of Corruption/Land of Forrests, Fakes and Frauds/Some Instances of Robbery and Jobbery”. Despite carving out a reputation amongst readers and rivals for being an outspoken commentator Mahon traded journalism for politics. Like Kirwan, he was elected to the newly established federal parliament in 1901, as a Labor member fo Coolgardie and for Kalgoorlie in 1913 and within a year he was appointed as minister for external affairs and came close to Christmas ry
m fro
That unique honour is held by one Hugh Mahon (left), who was the member for Kalgoorlie at the time. Born at Killurin, near Tullamore, Co. Offaly (then known as King’s County) Mahon was a journalist, printer and editor who had an interesting life before he made an impression on Australian politics. During the 1880’s he was the editor of the New Ross Standard and was also active and influential in the Irish National Land League, which wanted to help poor farmers and tenants own their own land and farms and abolish landlordism. For his efforts he was arrested and detained alongside other Land League activists and leaders – including
Charles Stewart Parnell – in Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin. But in 1882 because of ill health Mahon was released from prison and moved to Australia, where he was employed within the Land League movement here. When John and William Redmond visited Australia a year later to raise funds for the newly formed Irish National League, Mahon organised their tour of the continent.
Me r
death in custody of a teenage Aboriginal boy called John Pat in Roebourne, Western Australia. In the last couple of years Jan contacted me by phone at the POST Newspaper on a number of occasions, supportive of my reporting about the way the $65m Forrest Hall development at UWA was ushered through the planning process and against the objections of many in the local and even UWA communities. Jan had strong Irish roots and some great stories about her ancestors, tales I was encouraging her to write and share with Irish Scene readers. Sadly that will never happen. She died on August 5, aged 80. Vale Jan Mayman!
THE IRISH SCENE | 21
KALGOORLIE: WORTH MORE THAN ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD
securing the powerful role of treasurer in the government of the day. In 1920 Mahon’s fiercely nationalistic views about Ireland’s fight for independence collided with his high profile position as a public servant of the Commonwealth of Australia, and the Crown. The clash was triggered by the death in a London prison of the hunger striking Sinn Fein Lord Mayor of Cork Terence McSwiney on October 25, 1920. As the President of the Irish Ireland League, Mahon organised and led a public meeting in Melbourne to discuss the crisis, at which he gave a fiery and emotive speech. “Alderman McSwiney’s… poor widow sobbed over his coffin,” Mahon is reported to have said. “If there was a just God in heaven that sob would reach around the world, and one day would shake the foundations of this bloody and accursed Empire.” The tone and language of Mahon’s speech proved to be too much for the British born Australian Prime Minister of the day, Billy Hughes and many others who likened it to treason. Australia’s sacrifices and loss of a generation of young men in World War I The PM personally led the charge against Mahon. “I move – that, in the opinion of this House, the honourable member for Kalgoorlie, the Hon. Hugh Mahon, having, by seditious and disloyal utterances at a public meeting on Sunday last, been guilty of conduct unfitting him to remain a member of this House, and inconsistent with the oath of allegiance which he has taken as a member of this House, be expelled this House.” The issue dominated the national parliament over the course of two days (November 11/12 1920). The House declared Mahon’s seat (Kalgoorlie) to be vacant and he was expelled from the House. A by-election was held on December 18 to fill the seat and Mahon contested it for the Labor Party, but failed to get elected. Feelings ran so deep about the issue that when Mahon died 22 | THE IRISH SCENE
eleven years later and a motion of condolence was raised at parliament – a courtesy extended to all former parliamentarians – some members objected to the suggestion he should be recognised by the parliament. “Mahon’s expulsion is the only occasion on which either House of the Commonwealth Parliament has expelled one of its members,” an article on the Parliament of Australia website for the 100th anniversary of the affair in November 2020 said. For the next seventy years, both the House and Senate wielded the authority to expel parliamentarians but never took that step again. The Parliamentary Privileges Act of 1987 removed that power. It stated: “A House does not have the power to expel a member from membership of the House.” The fundamental change to the rule book was proposed in 1984 in the final report of the Joint Select Committee on Parliamentary Privileges. “The Committee considered that the Mahon expulsion was a case of the power to expel being ‘demonstrably misused’, and that it also revealed the unavoidable danger of that power being abused for partisan purposes,” the article stated. At least one modern day MP is determined to ensure the lesson of what happened to Mahon is not forgotten. Josh Wilson, the Labor member for Fremantle in the House of Reps, has spoken about its significance in parliament on several occasions. On the 100th anniversary of his expulsion last year, Wilson described it as a serious injustice and a dangerous misstep in the early life of the parliament. “Essentially Hugh Mahon was expelled for daring to criticise the British Empire and its conduct in Ireland. It was a time when the issue carried a feverish charge and there was in Australia a transplanted sectarian divide between different parts of the Christian faith. Now that prejudice has significantly abated, but there will always be new forms of misunderstanding and prejudice.”
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24 | THE IRISH SCENE
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Irish Race 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:
@ausembire
Australian Embassy, Ireland
@AusEmbIre
Nollaig Shona Duit! 2021 HAS BEEN WONDERFUL AND BUSY - WE TRAVELLED TO ALL CORNERS OF IRELAND. Museums, historical sites, farms, forests, pubs, distilleries. Wild coastlines were highlights, as were visits to border counties where we educated ourselves in local politics, history and astronomy. Together we've had wonderful times walking around our Dublin suburbs of Killiney, Dalkey and Bray Head. Glendalough in Co. Wicklow is also one of our favourite walks. Our dog Ted loves exploring the countryside and enjoys coming home in his comfortable backpack. We have entertained many people at the beautiful historic residence, Abbey Lea, and look forward to entertaining hundreds more in future. We have enjoyed pints of Guinness and Irish cooking. Gary even caught a trout while fly fishing. Pippa has new interests in gardening and local history. This year we are vaccinated, safe, happy and healthy - we wish this for you too. May you and your family have a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!
Irish Australia Assoc summer bbQ at Abbey Lea
GARY GRAY, PIPPA AND TED THE DOG
Gary having a Guinness AFLW garden party at Abbey Lea 28 | THE IRISH SCENE
Gary visiting Waterford Crystal
AUSTRALIA'S AMBASSADOR TO IRELAND
Gary, PipPa And ted the dog at Christmas
ted the dog in his ba home along KilLinckeypack walking beach
G’DAY FROM GARY GRAY
Gary and PipPa with Wabauterblefors d Crystal Christmas
Gary with embassy stafF before his weekly Aussie rock mus ic radio show
Gary in Cork visIting Aussie-Irish cofFee roasters badger & Dodo
Gary with twilight Paymen visIt to Joseph o’brien’s tCar202riga0 melbourne Cup winner nog racing facility
Gary outside the swagman pub in sligo with ted
Gary and PipPa with Christmas face masks
Gary’s visIt to Lam there are wildbawyalIsland where Labies
Abbey Lea At Christmas time
Christmas decorations at Abbey Lea
Gary at Jameson’s distilLery
AnZAC Day commemorations with the nZ Ambassador to Ireland s Gary with Kylie magnereraratymagner’ Farm in tipP
raisIng the AborigInal flag at the Australian embassy on st stephens Green
Gary with Ireland’s Ambassador to Australia At Abbey Lea
Gary fishing on blackwater river
embassy dog ted meets n the matildas played Ireland atsamtalLKerraghtwhestad ium
Gary enjoying a pint of Guinness
lian Gary speaking at the Irish Austra Abbey Lea Chamber of Commerce event at
AFLW garden party at Abbey Lea
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Ambassador of Ireland’s
Christmas message A CHAIRDE GAEL SAN IARTHAR, I am very pleased to have this opportunity to send Christmas and New Year greetings to all the readers and supporters of the Irish Scene. I am not long in Australia, having arrived in mid-September. But even the full width of Australia between Canberra and WA cannot suppress the sense of energy and initiative bubbling out of the Irish community in WA. I come to Australia from Dublin, where I was a Director in the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Asia Pacific Unit for the past 4 years. I am accompanied in Canberra by my wife Patricia McCarthy. Unlike on previous postings to New York, Riga and Tokyo, our two children remain at home on this occasion. Before I travelled to Canberra, I was delighted to have the advice and support of the Australian ambassador to Ireland, H.E. Gary Gray, who not only provided great insights about Australia, but also as a former federal parliament representative for Brand, has a particular affinity with WA. It is clear that the last 18 months or so have been particularly tough for many in the Irish community in WA. As we head into a second COVID Christmas, it is clear that restrictions in travel and everyday life are having a strong impact. However, the response from the community and from the many voluntary organisations has been exemplary and the best form of solidarity. The first event I joined on arrival was an on-line event that brought together several organisations from across Australia, including the Claddagh Association. That evening, it was really encouraging to hear of the innovative approaches being taken by Irish groups in responding to the COVID situation. It was also encouraging to learn that many of the organisations were receiving new and younger members as people were reminded of the value that such groups offer us 30 | THE IRISH SCENE
when we might feel further from home than preCOVID. Nevertheless, I hope that the distribution of vaccines and the updated approach from government will enable us to begin to leave COVID behind us and to return to something like normal. Challenges will remain of course, both in terms of public health, the economy and connectivity. However I am confident that both Australia and Ireland have the resources to make a full recovery and in some cases to improve on the pre-COVID situation. For my part, I am happy to do whatever I can to strengthen the connections between Ireland and Australia and with the Irish community in Western Australia. Beyond COVID, this is a very interesting time to be in Australia and I look forward to working with all my colleagues at the embassy and in Sydney, with our Honorary Consul, Marty Kavanagh and the staff of the Honorary Consulate in Perth, with Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Bord Bia in seeking to maximise the impact of Ireland here. I am also looking forward to working with the many voluntary groups all across Australia who are working to support their communities and to promote Ireland’s agenda here. I hope I can count on your cooperation as we all face the challenges ahead of us and seek out the opportunities that undoubtedly exist. As we move through the next phases of COVID and its aftermath, I hope that you find a good way to celebrate the festive season and that, above all, you stay safe and healthy. And let’s get ready for a rip-roaringly optimistic 2022.
☘
TIM MAWE
AMBASSADOR OF IRELAND
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THE FOURTH TUESDAY BOOK CLUB MEETS FOURTH TUESDAY OF THE MONTH, WITH EXCEPTION OF DECEMBER, 7.30PM November 23 ‘The Beekeeper of Aleppo’ by Christy Lefteri. Presented by Mary Purcell December Open Christmas gathering over refreshments, Secret Santa and quizzes. Date to be confirmed VENUE:
Irish Club Committee Room, 61 Townshend Road Subiaco COST: Free entry. All welcome. Light refreshments provided. Tea and coffee from the Bar $2 CONTACT: Convener Mary Purcell m.purcell@telstra.com
Australian-Irish Heritage Association Be proud of your Irish heritage ANNUAL BRENDAN AWARD
2021 RECIPIENT SEAN O’CASEY
It was a full house in the Irish Club on Sunday evening 26 September for the 50th anniversary of the Gaelic Athletic Association of WA. Following presentation of life memberships by GAA President John Whelehan the Brendan Award was introduced by AIHA registrar Denis Bratton who announced the winner Sean O’Casey. AIHA chairperson Heather Deighan read the citation and award criteria. Sean was born in Dungannon, County Tyrone and has dedicated 50 years to the development and promotion of Gaelic Games at club, state and national level as player, referee and administrator. Many of the previous recipients of the Brendan Award were in attendance. A full report and photos will feature in the December AIHA quarterly Journal. All recipients are acknowledged on an Honour Board on display in the upstairs bar of the Irish Club. AIHA thank GAA secretary Tom Murphy for facilitating this presentation. BRENDAN AWARD DEADLINE FOR 2022 IS 31 DECEMBER 2021.
THE JOURNAL Members of AIHA
receive a free quarterly book bound publication. For sale to non-members at $10. Current edition features a new cover with articles on the Irish language, a short story in both English and Irish, an account of a Perth family’s County Down heritage, an interview with Sydney-born Dr Caroline de Costa who studied medicine in Ireland, a military story from the Crimea linking Ireland and WA, featured Irish poets, an essay on alcohol’s influence on Irish writers, and reviews of publications of special interest.
ANNUAL WRITERS COMPETITIONS have
been deferred pending a full review of the concept with some changes to prizes, rules and deadline and a focus on emerging writers and poets. AIHA committee meet to plan and review this and all activities on Sunday 14 November.
Nominate someone who has made an outstanding contribution to Australia’s Irish Heritage. It may be someone in your community whose service reflects favourably on Ireland and the Irish. Nomination forms are available from AIHA website or by contact details at foot of this page.
WELSH AFTERNOON SUNDAY 28 NOVEMBER, 3PM Ireland and Wales are close neighbours sharing living Celtic languages. Ireland’s patron Saint Patrick is believed to have come from Wales. There are strong commercial and cultural connections between the countries. This special afternoon will feature Welsh members of The Perth Male Choir singing popular Welsh Songs. The full choir perform annual sellout concerts at the Irish Club. In between we will be entertained with some interesting aspects of Welsh language and culture. Then over a generous afternoon tea we will screen a Welsh musical comedy movie ‘Very Annie Mary’ featuring Rachel Griffiths, Jonathan Pryce, Ioan Gruffudd, Matthew Rhys and Kenneth Griffith. This is a charming story with a wonderful climax. VENUE: COST: EXPECT:
Irish Club Theatre, Townshend Road Subiaco $15. members, $20 non-members. www.trybooking.com/BUVUG ($0.50 booking fee applies) or pay at the door. Children free! Cabaret seating, Irish afternoon tea. Bar facilities.
Non Political - Non Sectarian Emphatically Australian PO Box 1583, Subiaco 6904 Tel: 08 9345 3530 Secretary: 08 9367 6026 Email: secretary@irishheritage.com.au or admin@irishheritage.com.au
MEMBERSHIP DUE 1st JANUARY – Membership fee includes tax deductible donation of $20
Look us up on Facebook @australianirishheritage or check out website irishheritage.com.au | THE 34 our IRISH SCENE
Members enjoy discounted rates to dinners and functions, exclusive events, quarterly Journal, voting rights, and opportunities to participate in activities which promote an awareness of Australia’s Irish Heritage
Family $65 • Concession $55 • Distant (200kms from Perth) $45
2021 AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL TOUR MARGARET RIVER I HEART I SAT NOV 20 PERTH I REGAL THEATRE I SUN NOV 21 ALBANY I ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE I TUES NOV 23 MANDURAH I PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE I WED NOV 24 THE IRISH SCENE | 35 BOOK NOW: www.atasteofirelandshow.com
One Irishman, two Great Escapes and a bit of Craic BY SHARON BARBA
WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S CONNECTION TO THE IRISH FENIAN STORY WAS THE FOCUS OF THE JOHN BOYLE O’REILLY WEEKEND COORDINATED BY THE FENIANS, FREMANTLE AND FREEDOM! (FFF) GROUP. Sixty-two Fenians were transported to Western Australian on board the Hougoumont in 1867, including John Boyle O’Reilly. O’Reilly was a talented poet, journalist, and editor and a widely respected advocate for many humanitarian causes. 36 | THE IRISH SCENE
The weekend tour traced John Boyle O’Reilly’s involvement in two dramatic escapes: his own bid for freedom in March 1869, and the rescue of six Fenians in 1876 on board the Catalpa, which O’Reilly was instrumental in facilitating. Margo O’Byrne, FFF Chairperson, was our expert guide throughout this fascinating journey through time and space. We were especially privileged to enjoy the company of two people with a direct connection to those heady days: Nicole Anderton, a descendant of William Anderton, a convict who arrived on the Hougoumont, and Anne Golden, who spoke to us about her ancestor, John Golden, a hero of the Kerry uprising. The tour kicked off from the Shipwrecks Museum in Cliff Street, the former Commissariat where O’Reilly and his fellow Fenians were processed upon arrival in Western Australia. Our coachload of Fenian enthusiasts drove past Fremantle Prison, the clink of iron chains ringing in our ears as we imagined the Fenians doing the “convict shuffle” from the harbour to the Establishment that dominated the port. From the prison, we shifted gear to 1876, following the six military Fenians sprung from their “tomb” by an elaborate sting spearheaded by Fenian escapemaster, John Breslin, following consultation with O’Reilly. Driving down Rockingham Road, it wasn’t difficult to imagine the pounding of horses’ hooves on the dusty road, the newly liberated Fenians huddled in the carriages as they hurtled towards their rendezvous with New
ONE IRISHMAN, TWO GREAT ESCAPES AND A BIT OF CRAIC
“If you fire on this ship, you fire on the American flag!” The bluff worked, and the Fenians sailed away to freedom in the United States, where they received a rapturous welcome. Bedford Captain George Anthony on the sands of Rockingham beach. The Catalpa rescue is rightly celebrated as a major coup for the Fenians. Following an appeal from James Wilson, one of those still immured in Fremantle Prison, the Fenian leader, James Devoy, had sought out John Boyle O’Reilly in his new home of Boston for advice as to how a rescue might be accomplished. Having escaped in a whaling ship himself, O’Reilly recommended that a whaling ship be purchased and sent on a purportedly genuine voyage to Western Australia, where the rescue would be attempted. At the Catalpa Memorial on Rockingham Beach, FFF members staged a re-enactment of the tense scene that preceded the Catalpa Six’s escape. The memorial is beautifully crafted, well-documented and definitely merits a visit. The Fenians’ escape didn’t go undetected. The alarm was given. Pursuit was rapid, and intense! In a now legendary naval encounter, Captain Anthony stared down a challenge from the steamer, Georgette, by raising the Stars and Stripes on board the Catalpa.
Back to 1869, and the sand dunes of Australind… John Boyle O’Reilly spent most of his sentence in a bush camp outside Bunbury. Thanks to the good graces of the local Catholic priest, Father Patrick McCabe, and local Irish farmers including James Maguire of Dardanup, O’Reilly escaped the camp and took refuge in the mosquito-infested bushland of Buffalo Beach (Belvedere). The mosquitoes were certainly prolific as we met up with the Friends of John Boyle O’Reilly Association leaders, Peter Murphy, and Lachlan Kelly, who fleshed out O’Reilly’s fraught escape for us. O’Reilly’s first attempt to rendezvous with a whaling ship, the Vigilant, was foiled when the captain became skittish of the authorities and failed to meet up with O’Reilly at sea, as planned. We marvelled at O’Reilly’s resilience as he waited, alone and starving in the oppressive March heat, for McCabe and Maguire to arrange him passage on another ship, while grieving the local lass he was leaving behind—his warder’s daughter, Jessie Woodman. Eventually, O’Reilly found refuge on the Gazelle, with Captain David Gifford and second mate, Henry Hathaway, who became a lifelong mate of O’Reilly’s, helping to arrange the purchase of the Catalpa and locate the right man to captain that daring mission. THE IRISH SCENE | 37
ONE IRISHMAN, TWO GREAT ESCAPES AND A BIT OF CRAIC
And so, on to Dardanup. Thanks to Danny Harris of the Dardanup Heritage Collective, we were able to visit the Dardanup Pioneer Cemetery, where we paid homage to James Maguire and other early settlers. Later, the group enjoyed dinner at the Dardy Tavern before attending a concert in the historic Thomas Little Hall by the Celtic Balladeers: John Wilson, Alan Ferguson, and Fred Rea. The Balladeers regaled us with a vibrant selection of Fenian-inspired songs (including the ‘Catalpa’ song, still illegal in WA). A cracking night! In Bunbury the next day, led by the dynamic O’Reilly afficionados, Peter Murphy and Lachlan Kelly, we visited the John Boyle O’Reilly Reserve which the late Liam Barry had been instrumental in establishing. Here we heard about the legend of “O’Reilly’s tree” — a magnificent giant eucalypt flagged for destruction as part of the bush detail O’Reilly was working on. With a poet’s love of beauty, O’Reilly lobbied the district commander to save the tree. Following a visit by his wife to the site, the commander diverted the road around the tree. And so, it stood, until felled in 1953. Who knew? John Boyle O’Reilly: possibly WA’s first ‘treehugger’! Then it was off to the old Post Office, where we were joined by local researcher, Barbara Kelly. Together, we reimagined the barrage of telegrams fired between Captain Anthony and Breslin in the tense runup the Catalpa rescue. Barbara used the view from the Marlston Hill scenic lookout to highlight how Maguire, Milligan and others had kept watch on the harbour from Australind to time O’Reilly’s escape. After a
welcome stop at the Wellington Hotel – the former Spencer’s Hotel—and lunch at the Natural Temptation Café, we attended a public talk at the Bunbury Museum by Lachlan, Barbara, and Peter. Lachlan shared his research on the Georgette that pursued the Catalpa and Barbara Kelly spoke about her involvement in researching Peter FitzSimons runaway bestseller, The Catalpa Rescue. Peter Murphy concluded with another inspirational speech about John Boyle O’Reilly, and the mysterious role that the number “406” played in his dramatic life. With regret, but much gratitude, we farewelled our Bunbury friends and returned to Perth, singing along to Irish music, including Declan O’Rourke’s haunting ‘Convict Ways’. What a cracking weekend, rich in heritage, music, and good company, superbly organised by the Fenians, Fremantle and Freedom committee. A great way to mix a mini break with Irish heritage!
☘
38 | THE IRISH SCENE
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Ulster Rambles BY DAVID MACCONNELL
AS FAR AS I KNOW, IN ALL THE YEARS I HAVE BEEN WRITING FOR THIS GREAT LITTLE MAG, I HAVE AVOIDED THE WORD ‘TROUBLES’. IT SEEMS TO FIT WITH MOST PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS OR SO IN THE PROVINCE BUT NOT FOR ME. Recently, I looked up the word in my thesaurus and found the following. 1. Dilemmas (n) Dilemmas, Plights, Predicaments, Difficulties, Quandaries, Scrapes. Not really, I thought to myself. 2. Worries (n) Worries, Distresses, Anxieties, Cares, Misfortunes, Sufferings, Woes, Concerns A little better here but still not right! 3. Problems (n) Problems, Difficulties, Dilemmas, Messes, Nuisances, Snags, Dangers, Hitches, Faults, Hassles, Breakdowns, Trials, Tribulations Maybe! 4. Unrests (n) Unrests, Disorders, Disturbances, Conflicts Ah yes: getting closer. 5. Efforts (n) Not worth commenting here; and lastly 6. Complaints (n) I will let you decide if the word covers some of the Trials, Tribulations and yes Troubles. In the early days, I often thought I had a semblance of a solution by integrating the schools. I certainly was not brave enough to voice such an opinion in public. 40 | THE IRISH SCENE
Recently, I believe it has started to happen. I was looking up my old school and it seems that nowadays it is quite mixed as far as religion goes. This fact has been confirmed by a few of my colleagues who still reside thereabouts! I was going to write about the school I attended but have since decided that not everyone wants to read that kind of article at Christmas time or probably any other time for that matter. Instead, I am going to tell a story of what it was like to live there in the seventies (nineteen seventy-four that is). I had been living in Spain for three years at that point and was more than naïve about how to conduct myself in the Province. To prove this, I have taken an extract from a novel I was writing some years ago. Like many aspiring authors before me, I never finished it. It had all started eight months earlier when I had returned from the U.S. after a two year relationship with an American girl; a much longer story which I might well write about in the future. That is enough of that. Just before Christmas, I found myself back in Belfast where I had qualified a few years earlier with a B.Sc. I had little money so I took a teaching job in an area of Belfast where I had never been before. The reason that I had never been before was that it was one of the main sectarian parts of the city. One simply did not go there especially if one did not have to. I had missed a lot of the action in the Province as I had been living in Spain so I took little notice of any advice that was given and unasked for. Needless to say I made a few mistakes.
ULSTER RAMBLES Left, and image on page over: Photographs of the area I rarely visited in the seventies. I certainly would not have stopped to take any photographs. Bombs went off quite regularly but were usually cleaned up with great speed. Well, they had plenty of practice!
‘I hope you are not taking the same route to work every day,’ Jane once scolded me. ‘Of course not,’ I replied. Actually I did, but I did not want to seem stupid in front of her and her friends. I never dreamed of going to work in a different way. What would that achieve? ‘Good,’ she replied. ‘You never know who might be watching you as a target.’ I did not continue with the conversation as I was speechless. Things had certainly warmed up here since the time I left a few years earlier. Not long after that conversation, I had to pay a visit to a bank. It was Friday and I needed some cash for the weekend. Normally, I wrote a cheque (remember those?) that my local pub would cash for me but that weekend, I was invited to a Christmas function in an hotel further afield and so needed the readies. All the banks closed very promptly at 3:30pm in those days. The school where I was a teacher finished at 3:20pm, so it was completely impossible to drive to my normal bank near the University. Fortunately, I had observed a bank on the road where I worked; yeah, the one in this sectarian area. I had never been in it before and in my right mind, I would never have dared enter it, for at least some of the tea in China but... I was desperate. The last class was all lined up and ready to go shortly before the last bell went. This was the one thing that all the students were good at. You could depend on them to vacate the classroom within thirty seconds. In this instance (lined up and ready) they managed it in eighteen seconds. What a good group of students I had! Or as we might say nowadays: not!
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I rushed to the car, had a quick peek at my watch which showed 3:27pm, which was still all right as I always kept it five minutes more than the correct time, but it was still going to be tight if I could not find a parking spot. Luck was with me. There was a space outside the bank where my old banger might just fit in if I chose the correct angle. I chose the correct angle but had trouble getting out of the car. I managed to squeeze out of the passenger door but did not bother to lock it. I ran to the door of the bank only to find a doorman who informed me that I was too late. ‘But it is not 3:30 yet,’ I protested. ‘Near enough,’ he replied. ‘Look, I am just withdrawing some cash,’ I pleaded. ‘It will take no time at all.’
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THE IRISH SCENE | 41
ULSTER RAMBLES
He looked me up and down suspiciously as if I had come from another world, but in the end yielded. There was only one customer in the building that I could see and he was leaving, so it took less than five minutes for me to procure sufficient funds to last the weekend if I was frugal. I took a breath and slowly made my way out of the building to the sound of the door being slammed behind me. There was a bit of commotion ahead. Some idiot had parked very badly and his car was surrounded by a vigilante group of young men... well my age, more or less. I looked around for my banger and only then did I realise that it was my car they had surrounded. As all the other cars had apparently disappeared, it seemed as if I had a purpose in mind for leaving it in such a peculiar position. Those were the days of car bombs in this city and people rightly were very uneasy with numberplates they had never seen before. I gingerly walked towards it with a great deal of trepidation. What could I do? Leave it there and walk the five miles home? Maybe. ‘Is this your heap of s**t?’ one of the vigilantes asked me in a tone which I would have definitely described as unfriendly. ‘Yes,’ was my laconic reply. Well, I was standing next to it with a key in my hand. ‘Not the best place to park it, was it son?’ he asked. ‘Sorry,’ I mumbled. ‘I was in a kinda rush to get to the bank on time.’ ‘Is that so,’ he said with that County Antrim sort of accent. I wondered if it was a question but he continued. ‘I don’t suppose you have a driving licence on you by chance with parking like that.’ Now here he was giving me some choices. I could come up with a rude answer; unwise. I could try and explain about the cars that were parked there as I drove up; I doubt if he would have been interested in that, so I went for the third option and produced my licence. I thought this was prudent. It had a very Protestant name on it and this was a very Protestant area. He looked at it as his cohorts were becoming restless. I decided I might feel safer if I got into the car which I did. Would my luck hold out here? It did. An older man arrived on the scene and I explained briefly the situation to him. He looked at the licence and told James (apparently that was his name) to return the licence. I took it and started up the engine and drove very gently out of there. I could hear the leader telling them all to let me go without a fuss although I could also hear that a few did not completely agree with him. After thirty seconds, I took my first breath since starting the car. 42 | THE IRISH SCENE
Could have turned out a little different, I thought to myself. It reminded me of leaving a girl home a few weeks earlier. Yes Eileen had gone out with one of my friends some years earlier when we were all at Uni. She was studying English and Psychology but I don’t remember which one she was majoring in. We had met in the University bar. This was a bar supposedly for the post graduates and professors and I suppose the academic staff. You needed a key to enter but this was Belfast! We all soon found other ways. I was just leaving to look for greener pastures when I saw her give me a smile. I did not recognise her at first but by the time I approached her a name had come to mind. ‘Eileen, isn’t it?’ I asked hopefully. ‘Yes,’ she answered quickly. ‘Good memory.’ ‘You too,’ I replied. ‘You are looking great.’ It’s always good to get in a compliment first. ‘Thanks,’ she stuttered. ‘Were you just leaving?’ ‘No,’ I lied. ‘Bathroom duties.’ So for ten or fifteen minutes we caught up on old times as we called it, before she became more serious and asked me if I could give her a lift home. ‘So sorry,’ she said, ‘I actually thought you were leaving or I would not have asked.’ She must have been quite desperate because I am sure I told her I was not leaving. She chatted away in the car and explained that she had promised to babysit for the next door neighbours and had left it a bit late to get a taxi. I thought she was very brave because only certain taxis (we called them black taxis) went to her neighbourhood and I for one would never have had the courage to take one. In fact I never did. ‘If any one stops us,’ she informed me graciously, ‘I will call you LIAM. A good Catholic name but try not to show your drivers licence.’ Now in those days I did not scare easily, but let’s just say I was very happy when we were not stopped. In Belfast at that time you often found huge speed bumps on the road, especially where they passed police stations. Eileen yelled at me just in time to slow down as I was a newcomer to this road and didn’t realise the huge object ahead. These huge bumps on the road did more to your car than slow you down if you hit them at any great speed. ‘Thanks,’ I mumbled. I meant it. ‘You must come in for a coffee,’ she replied, ignoring my gratefulness. Normally I would have jumped at the chance and agreed without thinking but then I remembered she was going babysitting. Maybe she would invite me to go with her. She didn’t.
Time to get ready for Christmas! SHARON NOLAN BROWS & BEAUTY ‘Come and meet me Mam and Da,’ she commanded. ‘Ma, could you make this nice boy (uugh cringe) something to eat please? You know I have to go next door. I should be home around twelve,’ she told them and rushed out the door. Well I had a look around while her Mum was cooking up something. Various crosses and images of someone who I presumed was the pope (sorry it is probably a capital P here). Well her Mum was certainly trying to make a good impression. She whistled up a good Ulster fry with all the trimmings. When you don’t eat properly for a long time, or rather a good pint of Guinness is more important, you appreciate a good meal now and again. Needless to say, I did not hang around for a long time afterwards. I thanked her parents profusely and made my exit as soon as was politely possible. ‘Drop in any time,’ they suggested. ‘Thanks, (not likely),’ I replied; the former in as strong a voice as I could muster; the latter in barely a whisper. I was not looking forward to the drive away from her street. Again my plates were unknown in this district but I presumed they would think that I was OK by visiting one of their own, whoever ‘they’ were. It was this type of event (they were not uncommon,) that led me to believe that there were other parts of the world (like Lebanon or Iraq) where I might feel safer or at least happier in. Of course I was to learn later that this was a complete fallacy. Apparently, Brian Keenan tried Lebanon in the eighties and found it to be less to his liking than he had hoped for. Now which version of the meaning of the word ‘troubles’ could I use here with this story? I am sure you would agree with quite a few. Next time I might recount how I managed to rescue my car from being blown up. If I had the option again, I would make a different decision: the wisdom of becoming older!
I WISH ‘YOUSE’ ALL A MARRY, MARRY CHRISTMAS AND ALL THE BEST FOR THE NEW YEAR AND AS ALWAYS, MAY YOUR GOD GO WITH YOU.
☘
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THE IRISH SCENE | 43
G’Day
from Melbourne ANOTHER YEAR HAS COME AND ALMOST GONE. I HOPE WE’LL NEVER HAVE TO GO THROUGH ANOTHER TWO YEARS LIKE 2020/2021 AGAIN IN OUR LIFETIME. IT’S A COUPLE OF YEARS THAT WILL REMAIN ETCHED IN OUR MEMORIES FOR A VERY LONG TIME FOR TOO MANY SAD REASONS. FOR THOSE OF US WHO SURVIVED THIS NIGHTMARE PERIOD, IT’S TIME FOR US TO LOOK TO THE FUTURE WITH A NEW FOCUS. DWELLING ON THE PAST WILL ONLY HINDER OUR WAY FORWARD. THE WORLD HAS CHANGED FOREVER AND WE HAVE TO ADAPT TO THE NEW ONE. Shopping for presents this year will be so much different than before because of social distancing, but that won’t stop the usual last minute panic buyers. The cash registers all round the world are being prepared and will be ringing bells of joy for the retailers. People are looking into their wardrobes and hiding places to see where they hid that wad of money that they saved during the lockdowns just for this occasion. The credit cards (one of the major causes of trouble in today’s society) are at the ready and waiting to be used on everything and anything that looks like a bargain. The clock is ticking and the fat man with the red suit is doing his last bit of preparations for his annual jaunt around the world. Santa has had his double Covid-19 jabs and is traveling with a full box of face masks. He usually gives me a call around December 1 to let me know that everything is all set to go. He knows I 44 | THE IRISH SCENE
BY MIKE BOWEN
have many contacts here and all around the world and he likes to know what I know about who’s been good and who been up to no good. He likes to pick my brain and take my advice – as he says himself, people don’t always tell him the truth. I tell him in confidence things I hear in the grapevine and some of the gossip you send me and then I leave it to him, whether he thinks you should or should not get any pressies for Christmas. He told me he’s been on a diet and he now plans to eat and drink his way through every home he visits to make up for his time on the diet, that has to be a joke, isn’t it? Could anyone imaging a slimmed down Santa, I don’t think so. His first stop on his travels around the world dropping off surprise presents for all those who are good, is Fiji. Australia will be his last call before he heads back home up to the North Pole. Don’t worry children, just because Australia is last on his list, he told me that he has all your letters and presents! In case you are not aware of his usual route, let me enlighten you. He usually starts at Fiji, as he likes to have a few fresh coconuts with a little pick me up inside them (you know what I mean), then he has a splash in the hot water of the tropics to wash off the cold chill of the Northern winter. He is not a pretty sight in bathing togs so he tends to favour the full body suit and that pleases the Fijians to no end, however it does concern the migrating whales as they seem to take umbrage to him taking up so much of their space in the sea. Meanwhile Rudolf and the other reindeers party in a paddock with the locals on a diet of carrots and turnips (yuk). After frolicking around with the natives and having his fill of the local brew, cava, Santa does
G’DAY FROM MELBOURNE
a quick whip around dropping off the toys to the local children. Then there’s a short stopover in New Zealand, where he has a network of hobbits working there on his behalf and they do the donkeywork for him. It is much easier for the hobbits to slip down the chimneys than it is for Santa. Only a few years ago didn’t the poor bugger get stuck in one of the chimneys and had awful trouble trying to get the scorch burns to heal on his you know what, so you can well believe why he now uses hobbits. He usually doesn’t have a drop of the local brew because they are not rated in the top hundreds of world class beers, and anyway he likes to hold back until he hits the shores of Ireland. He said it takes him forever to drop off the presents in the USA and he could do with some major help there. After that, he only has one thought and that is ‘how soon can I get to Ireland and get my hands on a pint of Guinness and stick my butt up against a roaring fireplace to warm up’. Just going on his experiences at my place, I wouldn’t let him near an open flame within miles. If he gets up to his old tricks this year and makes his usual amount of calls to licensed premises pretending to be dropping off toys, it will be another miracle if he makes it to your shores. To help him with this problem I have pleaded with him to put a lid on his intake when he reaches Ireland. I have also asked the Irish Vintners’ Associations to put up a no entry sign for Santa. I strangely recommend that only Barry’s tea and biscuits be put on the table for when he calls there. Before he leaves Ireland, he takes a little extra time to pick up a few bottles of Guinness as he finds it difficult to purchase any at the North Pole because the Guinness delivery service doesn’t deliver there, and if he bought some online he said the consignment wouldn’t fit into his letter box anyway. Now you can understand why Santa could forgets to call to some places before he reaches your shores. No it’s not that
he’s losing his mind, it’s just because he gets a little confused after all the drops he has had here and there, on his very long journey. When he arrives in Australia, it’s time for the reindeers to kick up their heels or hoofs for a change and party with the locals. Santa likes to change over to using nine white kangaroos. The kangaroos are really with it when it comes to knowing the local territory. Santa on the other hand is usually a little incoherent after reacquainting himself with the local beers and wines, as they all rate in the top five in the world and Santa likes to confirm that for himself every year. Having kangaroos on the ground with local knowledge makes getting around a breeze for him, as he doesn’t need any road maps. However, he does like to nudge the bottle on his sky rounds and then let the kangaroos worry about the air traffic and sometimes that doesn’t always work in their favour. As you all know, there is a kangaroo on the back of every Qantas plane and that’s Santa’s fault, I’m not saying any more on the subject but I’m sure you can put two and two together. Australians are a forgiving lot and the word on the streets is, for the children’s sake say nothing. Before he leaves our shores he usually drops in to my place for a rest and to assure me he has delivered every present. After cleaning out the contents of my fridge and wine cellar and feeling no pain at all, he heads quickly over to Asia and the Eastern Block, most of whom are not interested in Christmas anyway. That suits him fine to head back home all worn out and needing a long rest until he has to do it all again next year. I wish you all a Safe and Happy Christmas and please, please leave your credit card at home and you won’t have a financial hangover next year.
UNTIL I TALK TO YOU AGAIN IN THE NEW YEAR, BE GOOD TO THOSE WHO LOVE YOU AND SLÁINTE FROM MELBOURNE.
☘
CÉILÍ AND SET DANCING IN PERTH! 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 facebook.com/TorcCeiliClub torcceiliclub@gmail.com
THE IRISH SCENE | 45
MARTIN KAVANAGH
HON CONSUL OF IRELAND
Richard and I wish one and all a happy and relaxing Christmas.
CHRISTMAS
PASSPORTS
Christmas holds a special place in many Irish hearts. It’s a time for family and catching up. All the previous ideas we had a about distance and WA not being a problem have been overturned by Covid-19. Many of us talked about social media, cheap overseas telephone calls and relatively low airfares. Who could have imagined where Western Australia was locked down and international travel was effectively closed off? This new world means contact with family even more important. I hope that international travel opens soon and we can enjoy that special place that is Ireland.
As our thoughts and hopes turn to international travel again, please bear the following in mind.
POST
VOLUNTEERS
The Ambassador, our Department of Foreign Affairs and the Honorary Consulate are acutely aware of the concerns of the community re postal issues in and out of Ireland. Strenuous efforts are being made to resolve the problems and I hope that by the time this message is published that significant progress will be made.
• ALL Irish passport applications are now online. This includes first time applications and new baby applications. • Some applications, particularly new baby applications require original documents to be sent to Ireland. • Given the uncertainty around Covid-19 it is a good idea to have 12 months validity on your passport, as who knows what delays could be caused by Covid-19? • The Passport Office is working very hard to meet demand at the moment, so please keep your passport up to date and apply as early as possible before travelling. • In genuine emergency the Honorary Consulate WA may be authorised to issue an Emergency Travel Document which allows travel to Ireland.
Throughout these challenging times the Irish community has ben very well served by the many volunteers and community groups who give of their time and commitment unselfishly and quietly. Whether it’s the stellar work of the Claddagh, the practical assistance of the Irish in Perth, the wonderful cultural initiatives of the AIHA and the Irish Theatre Players or our many sporting organisations, particularly the GAA we are well served by those who help us to remember our sense of place. On behalf of the Irish community in Perth may I thank one and all for their selfless efforts.
165/580 Hay Street, East Perth WA 6004 By appointment only CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
Tel: (08) 6557 5802 Fax: (08) 9218 8433 Email: info@consulateofirelandwa.com.au Website: www.consulateofirelandwa.com.au Office Hours: Mon-Fri 10.30 - 2.00pm 46 | THE IRISH SCENE
HONORARY CONSULATE OF IRELAND WESTERN AUSTRALIA
AMBASSADOR MAWE
CANBERRA EMBASSY
It is a great pleasure to welcome Ambassador Tim Mawe and Ms Patricia McCarthy to Australia. Tim accompanied President Higgins on his recent tour of Australia. Tim has had a very distinguished career at senior levels in the Department of foreign Affairs including previous ambassadorial roles and responsibility for the Asia Pacific region. We look forward to seeing Patricia and Tim in WA as soon as possible.
A big thank you to Liz Coyle and all the team at our Canberra embassy for their infinite patience, wisdom and assistance.
I am also delighted to welcome our new Consul-General to NSW, Ms Rosie Keane to Australia and I look forward to working together.
Merry Christ
mas!
FRANK MURPHY AND GERRY GROGAN A big thank you to Frank and Gerry for their wonderful contribution to the community through their radio show Celtic Rambles and many other cultural pursuits. Cork and Clare have a long history of cultural excellence.
NOLLAIG SHONA A big thank you to Lynda and Yvonne at the Honorary Consulate WA.
☘
We get what matters to you. Same Sex Family Law Adoption Property Settlements Surrogacy Family Violence Orders De Facto Relationships Contact/Custody Enduring Power of Attorney Enduring Power Guardianship Binding Financial Agreements
Family Friendly, Family Lawyers 165/580 Hay Street Perth WA 6000 T: (08) 6557 5888 E: reception@kavlaw.com.au kavanaghfamilylawyersperth.com.au THE IRISH SCENE | 47
McLoughlin McLoughlin Butchers Butchers Turkey - Free Range
McLoughlin Free Range Hams
All turkey products will be frozen please allow enough time to defrost.
ALL OUR HAMS ARE PRODUCED ON SITE AND ARE GLUTEN FREE
3244
Turkey 4 -10kg
$ 11.99/kg
3223
Turkey Breast Roll - Small
$19.99/kg
3227
Turkey Breast - Large
$19.99/kg
3217
Turkey Breast Roll - Sage And Onion Small
$19.99/kg
3228
Turkey Breast Roll - Sage And Onion Large
$19.99/kg
3234
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$19.99/kg
3147
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$19.99/kg
3226
Turkey Crown 3-8 kg
$ 12.99/kg
3238
Turkey Ballantine (± 5kg) (Boneless whole turkey stuffed with duck breast and chickenbreast)
$ 21.99/kg
Cooked Turkey Breast Roll
3237
Leg Ham Full 7 – 9kg
$12.99/kg
6235
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$13.99/kg
2031
Leg Ham Half 5kg plus
$11.99/kg
2480
Champagne Ham 5kg plus
$16.99/kg
7234
Split Champagne Ham 2.5 – 3kg
$17.99/kg
McLoughlin Traditional Leg Hams 4241
Leg Ham 9.1kg – 10kg
$10.99/kg
5356
Smoked Leg Ham 10kg plus
$8.99/kg
604
Double Smoked Maple Ham Boneless
$16.95/kg
Extra Large Champagne Hams
$12.99/kg
5695
Leg Ham Half – 5kg plus
$10.99/kg
5632
York Ham Champagne Style Semi Boneless
$7.99/kg
A Taste of Ireland
Just heat and serve.
3247
4235
Turkey Roll with Sage and Onion Stuffing
$ 25.99/kg
Turkey Breast Roll (unseasoned)
$25.99/kg
Homemade Stuffing 7391
Sage and Onion Suffing
5431
Crandberry and Pine Nut Stuffing $15.99/kg
$13.99/kg
3384
Apple and Rosemary Stuffing
$15.99/kg
A traditional taste of Ireland.
5262
Raw Gammon Loins 1 – 3kg Raw
$17.99/kg
0605
Gammon Leg 2 – 8kg - Boneless
$18.99/kg
0753
Spiced Beef
$17.95/kg
2096
Gammon Leg Boneless - Slow Cooked
$20.99/kg
A Taste of South Africa 7021
Gammon Leg 9kg
$13.99/kg
2421
Gammon Leg Halves - Cold Smoked - Bone In
$14.99/kg
www.mcloughlinbutchers.com.au www.mcloughlinbutchers.com.au sales@mcloughlinbutchers.com.au sales@mcloughlinbutchers.com.au 58 58Westchester WestchesterRoad RoadMalaga Malaga6090 6090 48 | THE IRISH SCENE
Christmas Menu 202 Christmas 11 Christmas ChristmasMenu Menu Menu202 2020 2020 Order OrderInformation Information
Linley Linley Valley Valley Pork Pork Western Australian PorkPork Western Australian
1673 1673LegLeg Roast Roast HalfHalf 3 –34kg – 4kg
$11.99/kg $11.99/kg
1687 1687LegLeg Roast Roast 6 –69kg – 9kg
$10.99/kg $10.99/kg
1578 1578Pork Pork Scotch Scotch & Crackle & Crackle Roast Roast
$16.99/kg $16.99/kg
1595 1595Pork Pork LoinLoin - Boned - Boned andand Rolled Rolled
$16.99/kg $16.99/kg
0100 0100Pork Pork LoinLoin Boned Boned andand Rolled Rolled - Apple Apple andand Rosemary Rosemary Stuffing Stuffing
$16.99/kg $16.99/kg
McLoughlin McLoughlin Weber Weber Meats Meats 3830 3830Rolled Rolled Blade Blade Roast Roast - ±-4.5kg ± 4.5kg
$17.99/kg $17.99/kg
7042 7042Rolled Rolled Blade Blade Roast Roast Pieces Pieces
$18.99/kg $18.99/kg
3143 3143Chicken Chicken RollRoll with with Cranberry Cranberry andand Pinenut Pinenut Stuffing Stuffing
$14.99 $14.99 ea ea
31413141 Chicken Chicken RollRoll with with Sage Sage andand Onion Onion Stuffing Stuffing
$14.99 $14.99 ea ea
• You • You willwill be be required required to pay to pay a deposit a deposit of $50.00. of $50.00. Orders Orders willwill only only be be processed processed when when deposit deposit is paid. is paid. • If you • If you areare ordering ordering by phone by phone or email or email please please ensure ensure credit credit card card details details areare ready ready – we – we willwill require require thethe credit credit card card number, number, date date of expiry of expiry and. and. thethe three three digit digit CCV CCV number number at the at the back back of the of the card. card. • Your • Your email email address address willwill be be required required for for us to ussend to send a a copy copy of your of your order order andand thethe deposit deposit we we process. process. Please Please keep keep thisthis copy copy in ainsafe a safe place place as we as we willwill need need youyou to bring to bring thisthis in with in with youyou when when youyou come come to collect to collect your your order. order.
Order OrderTerms Terms& &Conditions Conditions
Dry Dry Aged Aged Beef Beef - 28 - 28 Days Days 5603 5603Sirloin Sirloin Roast Roast 2-2.5kg 2-2.5kg
HOW HOW TO TO PLACE PLACE YOUR YOUR CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS ORDERS ORDERS BY PHONE BY PHONE OR OR EMAIL: EMAIL: • Call • Call ourour store store 9249 9249 8039 8039 or email: or email: sales@mcloughlinbutchers.com.au. sales@mcloughlinbutchers.com.au. Staff Staff willwill be be happy happy to assist to assist in making in making thethe right right choice choice for for your your festive festive meal. meal.
$38.00/kg $38.00/kg
Standing RibRib Roast Roast - Minimum - Minimum $48.99/kg $48.99/kg 0418 0418Standing 2.5 2.5 Piece Piece Please Please note note orders orders willwill notnot be taken be taken for for thethe following following as we as we willwill have have ourour counters counters stocked stocked with with these these smaller smaller food food items: items: • Irish • Irish Pork Pork Sausages Sausages & Irish & Irish Pork Pork Sausage Sausage Meat Meat • Bacon • Bacon - Short - Short CutCut andand Streaky Streaky • Pudding • Pudding Black Black andand White White • Steaks • Steaks andand Some Some Roasts Roasts
Confectionary Confectionary willwill be available be available butbut duedue to Covid to Covid some some lines lines willwill be in beshort in short supply. supply. Unfortunately Unfortunately
no no orders orders cancan be taken be taken for for confectionary. confectionary.
• $50.00 • $50.00 deposit deposit required required for for all orders. all orders. Your Your order order willwill only only be be processed processed when when deposit deposit is paid. is paid. • Last • Last dayday for for orders orders to be to placed be placed is Thursday is Thursday 16th 16th December December 2021. 2021. Christmas Christmas meats meats andand all other all other products products willwill be available be available on on ourour counters counters with with stocks stocks replenished replenished daily. daily. • All• orders All orders must must be collected be collected by 23rd by 23rd December December - no no refunds refunds willwill be given be given for for orders orders notnot collected. collected. • Please • Please bring bring your your receipt, receipt, order order number number andand name name thethe order order waswas placed placed under under on on thethe dayday of pick of pick up.up. •If you •If you wish wish to change to change your your pick pick up up date date or order or order quantities, quantities, please please contact contact us us on on 9249 9249 8039 8039 andand have have your your order order number number ready. ready.
Call Call 9249 8039 and place your Call Call9249 9249 92498039 8039 8039and and andplace place placeyour your your Christmas Christmas order today! Christmas Christmasorder order ordertoday! today! today! THE IRISH SCENE | 49
Mac na Baintrí SEANFHOCAL Bhí baintreach mhná ina cónaí san áit seo fadó ó shin agus ní raibh de theaghlach aici ach aon mhac amháin. Diarmaid ab ainm dó. As siocar nach raibh ann ach é níor cuireadh srian ar bith air ina óige, agus bhí a shliocht air: nuair a tháinig sé i méadaíocht bhí sé ina sheádai dhéanta. Ba mhinic a dúirt a mháthair leis go gcuirfeadh a shrón féin comhairle go fóill air. Ach ní raibh gar a bheith ag caint leis: níor léir dó a locht. Oíche Shamhna amháin bhí sé amuigh go mall. Bhí oíche smúidghealaí ann agus í chomh ciúin is nach mbogfadh ríbe ar do cheann. Chuala sé gleo ag tarraingt air. D’éist sé agus níorbh fhada go bhfaca sé an slua sí ag nochtadh chuige. Bhí ceathrar ar a dtús agus toirt cosúil le cónair ar a nguaillí leo. Nuair a tháinig siad a fhad le Diarmaid d’fhág siad síos an chónair, agus ach oiread is dá slogadh an talamh iad, ní raibh an dara amharc le feiceáil aige orthu. Bhí Diarmaid móruchtúil riamh. Níor tháinig cearthaí ná driopás ar bith air. Chuaigh sé go dtí an chónair agus d’amharc sé isteach inti. Bhí cailín óg dóighiúil ina luí sa chónair. Leag sé a lámh ar a héadan agus d’aithin sé nach raibh sí marbh ach gur ina codladh a bhí sí. Smaoinigh sé go ndeachaigh an slua sí a bhobaireacht air, agus dar leis go mbuailfeadh seisean bob orthu. Thóg sé an cailín idir a dhá láimh agus chaith ar a ghualainn í. Thug sé leis chun an bhaile chuig a mháthair í. Bhí sí ansin gan chaint, gan choisíocht, gan och, gan mhairg ar feadh bliana. I rith an ama sin, thug an bhaintreach modh agus urraim di, ach mar sin féin ní raibh sult ná sásamh aici bheith ina cuideachta nuair a bhí sí balbh. Bhí go maith agus ní raibh go holc gur tháinig oíche Shamhna arís. Le clapsholas d’imigh Diarmaid agus níor stad go raibh sé ar Chnoc an Dúin Bháin, áit a raibh bruíon sióg. Bhí doras na bruíne oscailte agus an áit folamh. Chuaigh Diarmaid isteach agus d’fholaigh é féin i gcúl na comhla, agus níorbh fhada gur tháinig an slua sí isteach agus shuigh siad thart ag comhrá. ‘Bliain is an oíche anocht a ghoid Diarmaid an cailín
50 | THE IRISH SCENE
Is olc an ghaoth nach séideann do dhuine éigin.
uainn’, arsa bean de na mná. ‘Is beag a bhí ar a shon sin aige’, arsa an dara bean. ‘Ar ndóigh, tá sí bodhar, balbh, gan lúth gan láthair, ón lá sin go dtí an lá inniu’. ‘Cha bheadh sí mar sin dá dtarraingeodh sé an biorán suain atá sáite ina gruaig ar chúl a cinn agus a chaitheamh sa tine’, arsa an triú bean.
Níor éist Diarmaid leis an dara focal. Bhí léim an dorais aige agus an slua sí sa tóir air. Nuair a tháinig sé go dtí an abhainn in íochtar an ghleanna léim sé amach san uisce agus shiúil sé trasna. Bhí sé de gheasa ar an tslua sí nach dtiocfadh leo dul thar uisce sa tóir ar dhuine agus b’éigean dóibh pilleadh ar an bhruíon. Bhain Diarmaid an baile amach. Tharraing sé an biorán suain as gruaig an chailín agus chaith sé sa tine é. B’fhíor don bhansióg an méid a dúirt sí: d’éirigh an cailín ina seasamh chomh folláin is bhí sí riamh. Seal aimsire ina dhiaidh sin, pósadh í féin agus Diarmaid. Rinne siad bainis mhór a mhair seacht lá agus seacht n-oíche. Ní raibh duine sa phobal, idir bheag agus mhór, shean agus óg, nach bhfuair cuireadh. Fuair mé féin cuireadh mar dhuine, agus a leithéid de bhainis ní fhaca mé riamh i mo shaol. Bhí togha gach bia agus rogha gach dí ann agus mhair an ceol agus an damhsa agus an chuideachta ar feadh na seachtaine go dtí go raibh formhór na ndaoine chomh cloíte is gur thit siad thart chun suain. Nuair a fuair mise an t-áiméar, d’éirigh mé agus bhain mé an baile amach agus mé chomh tuirseach is nach ndéanaim dearmad go deo de bhainis Dhiarmaid na Baintrí. (Scéalta Johnny Shéamaisín, Eoin Ó Domhnaill, Comhaltas Uladh 2004).
☘
NOLLAIG SHONA AGUS ATHBHLIAIN FAOI SHÉAN IS FAOI MHAISE DAOIBH GO LÉIR.
BRÍD.
MERRY
S A M T S I R H C Christmas function menus now online Live music – Christmas and New Years Eve NEW! Take our drone tour on our website
jboreillys.com.au
99 Cambridge St, West Leederville T: (08) 9382 4555 E: oreillys@iinet.net.au
JB’s Bar & Restaurant Open Sunday to Sunday
THE IRISH SCENE | 51
Matters Of PUB-Lic Interest
BY LLOYD GORMAN
JARRAH TURNS TWO! It was an especially big night in the Jarrah Bar and Cafe on Thursday October 28. The Jarrah – home to the fantastic snug Fanny McGee’s Craic – opened two years ago. Owner Wes Darcy said they couldn’t celebrate the first anniversary last year because of the pandemic. By the looks of it he went all out to mark the occasion this time around, with free drinks and food on offer for customers as well as entertainment by the Live Jazz Trio and a Frank Sinatra tribute. It has been a busy year for Wes and his partners and crew, with the Iluka – nestled between Ocean Reef and Burns Beach – opening at the end of June. It was due to open earlier, but two objections to the application for a Tavern Restricted Licence created a delay of six weeks during which a lot more paperwork had to be done.
52 | THE IRISH SCENE
MATTERS OF PUB-LIC INTEREST
RAISING THE BAR AT DURTY’S For the first time since UWA launched its ‘Raising the Bar’ lecture some years ago, an Irish pub featured in the line up.
SESSION AT THE WOODY Thanks to Lois Crowley for sending these photos of a recent traditional music session at the Woodbridge Hotel.
On the night of October 26, the increasingly popular event this year saw eleven academics from the University of WA strut their stuff in a very different environment. Dr Campbell Thomson, Director of the Office of Research at UWA, said the free event helped make higher learning a part of popular culture. “Our researchers are swapping their lecture theatres and labs for some of Perth’s most popular bars, to help raise the bar on conversations people are having on important social and environmental issues,” Dr Thomson said. Durty Nelly’s in Shafto Lane in the Perth CBD was one of the five city centre locations where two university boffins gave lectures. Dr Elise Bant, Professor of Private Law and Commercial Regulation at UWA’s law school addressed the issue of ‘Catching the corporate conscience’ and how a revolutionary new legal approach could close down avenues used by big businesses to avoid their responsibilities for serious wrong doing. Professor Paul Flatau from the uni’s Centre for Social Impact also spoke about ‘achieving equality’. Paul J Maginn, Associate Professor at UWA’s School of Sciences gave a talk called: “(Sub)Urban Vibrations: Sex, (P)Leisure/Pleasure and Adult Retailing” at Varsity. Paul (pictured above) is originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland where he graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Regional Analysis and Development at the University of Ulster (Coleraine) and a PG Diploma in Town and Country Planning at Queen’s University of Belfast, before spreading his wings to other parts of the world and ultimately Perth.
TUESDAYS
at the Woody
$15
$6
PIE & PINT PINTS OF FROM NIGHT GUINNESS 6PM
IRISH MUSIC
SESSION 7-11pm Woodbridge Hotel 50 EAST STREET, GUILDFORD 9377 1199
THE IRISH SCENE | 53
MATTERS OF PUB-LIC INTEREST
PUB’S PERSONALITY SHINES THROUGH JB O’Reilly’s on Cambridge Street has never been short of character, but now it has even more. Perth artist Sam Knox finished her mural on the main ‘facade’ exterior wall of the pub during October. It must be one of the most unusual, original and fun murals on any pubs in Australia, if not much further afield.
Above: The concept for JB O’Reilly’s new facepaint has become a reality
GALWAY HOOKER IN LINE FOR BRAGGING RIGHTS! The guys and gals at the Galway Hooker will find out the night of November 8 if their pub has won a gong or even more than one.
Certainly punters and passer-bys alike seem to be enjoying the artwork that plays on the identity of the fascinating Fenian figure from which the premises derives its name, as well as the playfulness of publican Paul North.
The Scarborough locale is a finalist in two categories in the 2021 Australian Hotels Association Hospitality Awards for Excellence. It is a contender to win in the ‘themed venue’ and ‘draught beer quality’ awards. ARK Group – which owns the pub as well as Durty Nelly’s in Perth as well as several other venues – is also shortlisted to become the Group Venue Operator of the year. The awards will be announced at an industry function in Crown, Perth.
6PR TOASTS 90TH BIRTHDAY IN THE NATIONAL HOTEL Thursday October 14th was an important milestone for 6PR. On that date the commercial radio station celebrated ninety years on the air, a massive achievement by any standard. While the special occasion was noted by the various presenters on the day the main task of celebrating it style went to Steve Mills on his show Millsy at Midday, with a live lunch show from the National Hotel in Fremantle where some loyal listeners got a chance to take part in the fun and action. The clock is now ticking for 6PR’s 100th anniversary! 54 | THE IRISH SCENE
Above: 6PR Radio celebrating its 90th birthday at the National Hotel
The 3rd Sunday of every month join
Sean Roche and Ivan O’Connor
bringing you the finest live Irish music from 3.30PM
PINTS OF GUINNESS $9.50 STEAK & GUINNESS PIE $16.50
98 High Street Fremantle. Tel: 9335 6688 nationalhotelfremantle.com.au THE IRISH SCENE | 55
MATTERS OF PUB-LIC INTEREST
FACELIFT FOR PADDY’S WC The ladies loo in Paddy Malone’s in Joondalup got a badly needed makeover in late October. Management said there were still a couple of finishing touches to be done at the time but that overall the new toilets were “a damn lot better!”. It was a case of ladies first with the blokes promised that it would be their turn next to get a better bog! Above: Publican Ashok Parekh with some of the paraphernalia which will be displayed in his new Irish pub in Kalgoorlie
NEW IRISH PUB IN THE PIPELINE Kalgoorlie has dozens of watering holes however there is one type of licensed premises it is lacking – an Irish pub. But that is about to change. As you might have read in the main feature, the owner of the Palace Hotel in Kalgoorlie Ashok Parekh has plans to rectify that situation with an Irish pub set to open on the ground floor of his establishment – in what was Hoovers Café – early next year. Ashok – who is from Dublin originally – bought up the contents and paraphernalia from Rosie O’Grady’s in Fremantle when that shut down several years ago. Some of that material will get a second lease of life in the new venue which will simply be called The Irish Pub.
Above: The new ladies toilets at Paddy Malones
Ashok has pretty much everything he needs for the new venue to get off the ground but he is particularly keen to hear from Irish people who would like to work there to help give it that total Irish experience. If you think this might be for you contact Marie at marie@palacehotel.com.au
☘
Tony and Veronica McKee PO Box 994 Hillarys WA 6923
Tel (08) 9401 1900 • Fax: 9401 1911 Mob: 337 785 56 | THE0413 IRISH SCENE
info@mckeefamilyfunerals.com.au www.mckeefamilyfunerals.com.au
at the Irish Club Seniors Mega Christmas Lunch with Fred Rea and Friends 3rd December Christmas Choir Concert 4th December Family Christmas Day 5th December Christmas Panto “Cinderella” 12-19th December Christmas Quiz 15th December Bring a Friend Irish Club Members Night 18th December
The Irish Club of Western Australia
“Sharing our Irish Culture through Community Connections”
61 Townshend Road Subiaco • Open Monday to Saturday Phone 9381 5213 • Email info@irishclubofwa.com.au
The Irish Club is proudly sponsored by
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THE IRISH SCENE | 57
Geraldton & Midwest Irish Club Presidents Report BY PETER VANDERPOL
IT HAS BEEN A BUSY TWO MONTHS HERE AT THE GERALDTON & MIDWEST IRISH CLUB! In September the club hosted a Mid-Year St Paddy’s Day celebration on the 18th September. Our favourite Irish band from Perth, The Broken Pokers, again travelled to Geraldton alongside Irish Dancers Torc Céilí Club and put on two great performances. The first performance kicked off in the afternoon for our older members and young families and followed by an evening session for those wanting to dance the night away. Between both performances, we had the privilege of the City of Greater Geraldton Mayor, Shane Van Styn and Father Gerard come down to the club to officially open and bless our Clubs outside garden/shelter area. This was made possible by the City donating two bus shelters to the club and our generous members giving up their time to re-condition and paint the shelters as well as lay concrete footings. The blessing by Father Gerard was entertaining and humorous, you can check the video out on our Facebook page. Sunday 26 September was the club’s Annual General Meeting with Sean Dillon stepping down as President after serving his term. There was a great turn out from members at the AGM and it was great to see so many nominations from members wishing to fulfill positions on the executive committee. The votes were counted, and the 2021/2022 Geraldton & Midwest Irish Club Executive Committee is as follows:
PRESIDENT: PETER VANDERPOL VICE PRESIDENT: LYNETTE MEEHAN MCSHANE SECRETARY: MIKE KENDRICK TREASURER: GRACE CRIDDLE COMMITTEE MEMBERS: SEAN DILLON, SIMON MILLER, ADAM WILSON, KERRY VANDERPOL & JOHN REGAN. October backed up September with another busy month with our Friday night and Sunday afternoon live music line ups, chase the ace and meat raffles continuing to pull in big crowds. Geraldton and the Midwest region is host to some great musical talent and the club loves to host and promote these artists. October saw performances from local artists James McDonald, Geoff Uddy, Zain Laudehr, Carly Markham, Davidson Brother and Solitary Sounds. We also had the privilege of hosting Mandurah based duo Leather and Lace as they were passing through town, they put on a great performance on a Sunday afternoon that had the club close to full capacity. 58 | THE IRISH SCENE
The club finished the month of October with a Halloween celebration on Sunday 31 October where the live music was cranking, Smoked American BBQ chicken was at the table and Halloween face painting was on offer to all thanks to members Big American John and Dawn Regan. Dawn was that good and convincing that most adults got in line to have their faces painted. The club was packed with new faces and kids who were taking advantage of the new kids play area which was made possible by purchasing some second hand fencing and again having our dedicated members put to work to install ready for the kids to enjoy. The club has a busy November and December ahead of us with our live music scheduled every Friday night from 7-9pm and Sunday from 3-5pm. New members are always welcome, and we encourage anyone from Perth passing through Geraldton to please call in and make yourself known. Opening Hours are Friday 5-11pm and Sunday Midday to 6pm. You can keep up to date with our events and the goings on at the Geraldton & Midwest Irish Club by following us on Facebook.
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GERALDTON & MIDWEST IRISH CLUB PRESIDENTS REPORT
GERALDTON & MIDWEST IRISH CLUB 253 Fourth Street, Geraldton Western Australia Phone: 0427 784 547
@GeroMidwestIrishClub
Open: Friday 5-11pm and Sunday 12-6pm
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Brannon’s Great Adventure BY BILL DALY Back in 2018 when I was researching an archaeological presentation on the Irish Mesolithic (8000-4000 BC), I wrote a little coming of age story for schoolchildren centring around a 12 year old boy called Brannon to emphasize the qualities of generosity, kindness, compassion and bravery. It was just after dawn during the Summer of 5,021 BC (7,000 years ago), and the warm summer sunshine was creeping into his house. Brannon woke up quickly and thought of the exciting day that was ahead of him. He loved the summertime and he loved his house. His house, where he lived with his Father, Mother and younger brother and sister was very cosy. His Father had built the house when they were younger from wooden poles. Smaller sticks called saplings were wound around the poles and then everything was covered with rushes. In the wintertime, animal skins were also used as a covering to keep in the heat. The main fire was outside the hut, but a smaller fire was also built inside the hut to keep them warm and the smoke escaped out through the top. The name ‘Brannon’ means ‘little crow’. He was now 12 years old and dark skinned. His skin soaked in the summer sunshine and it always made him look healthy and alive. Today was a very special day for Brannon. When a boy and a girl reached 12 years of age they were taken hunting and fishing with their parents to see if they could capture a wild pig and a salmon. Today was Brannon’s day to show how skillful he was, and also to prepare him for adulthood in a few years time. This was a very important ritual in the Mesolithic village of Oughterard, and he was nervous but also confident.
PART ONE: HUNTING IN THE WOODS After a quick breakfast of fruit and berries, Brannon and his Dad set off from the river to make the journey into the deep forest. They had to leave as early as possible in the morning as the wild pig is a noctural animal which hunts during the night and sleeps by day. It didn’t take long to reach the woods as there 60 | THE IRISH SCENE
were trees everywhere. They are also accompanied by Brannon’s black and white collie called Fia. Brannon loves all animals but he adores Fia and they are always together. It wasn’t long before they were in the deeper part of the woods. Brannon was armed with a bow and arrow and his Dad carried a spear and a sharp knife. Suddenly, Brannon saw a young pig in the clearing, he was all alone and eating some plants from the forest floor. Brannon paused for a few seconds, and then quietly said to his Father, ‘Dad, that little pig is young like me, and I want to give him a chance to grow up like me also. Can I do that?’, he whispers. ‘Of course you can’, said his Father. ‘We do not kill animals for pleasure, we only do it so that the family can eat.’ ‘You will make a great hunter Brannon’, his Dad said proudly, because you understand already that there is more to hunting than killing animals. We only take what we need, and all living things should get a chance to live their lives’. His Dad walked on ahead, with Brannon and Fia a little further behind. Suddenly and without warning, a large and ferocious looking wild pig darts out of the undergrowth in the forest. Instinctively, Fia rushes towards the wild pig to protect Brannon, but he is thrown into the air with the impact of the wild pig’s tusks. Brannon sees Fia lying on the ground with some blood flowing from his wound and the wild pig is standing over him. Brannon takes an arrow from his pouch, places it in the string of the bow, and with a calmness, unusual for a boy so young, fires the arrow straight and direct into the throat of the wild pig. Sweating, he hopes that his aim will be good or the wild pig is going to
BRANNON’S GREAT ADVENTURE
kill him. The ferocious looking wild animal hits the ground with a heavy thud, and there is no more movement from him. Brannon’s Dad was too far in front to do anything, but he heard all the commotion and noise, and rushed back to Brannon in a panic. He saw the enormous wild pig on the ground and the blood on the dog, who was being attended to by his son. His Father congratulates him on his bravery and for being so calm in a very dangerous situation. They attend to Fia and his wound. The brave little dog is not too badly injured and starts to walk and run again. Brannon told his Dad that everything happened very quickly, and he had to react very fast after the wild pig had injured Fia. His Father was very proud of him. ‘You are an intelligent and very brave young man. It would have been easy to kill a young pig, but what you did was very brave and courageous.’ When they got back to the village, his Father told everybody what had happened in the woods and everybody was hugging Brannon, patting him on the back and admiring the bravery of a boy so young. But the day was not over for Brannon yet. In the afternoon he would go to fish with his Mother on Lough Corrib, and hoping to get his first big salmon.
lake at a place called River Island. Lough Corrib was spectacular looking to Brannon. He had never fished there before and was really looking forward to this trip. He had fished with his harpoon in the Owenriff near The Shrubbery, and he had to be very patient standing in the middle of the cold river and waiting for the small trout and eels to come along. But today was different, he was going fishing for a big salmon, and he was bursting with excitement! Men fished and hunted and also gathered fruit and berries. The women gathered the fruit and berries too, but they also hunted and
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PART TWO: FISHING ON LOUGH CORRIB In the afternoon, which was the second part of his challenge, Brannon was going fishing with his Mum on the lake. Brannon simply loved living beside the Owenriff River and Lough Corrib. The Owenriff starts about 10 miles up in the mountain, passing through four or five lakes, charges over the waterfall near Oughterard and then enters the
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THE IRISH SCENE | 61
BRANNON’S GREAT ADVENTURE
fished. In the village of Oughterard, men and women, boys and girls, were all equal. Before they went to the lake, they took the coracle boat along the Owenriff to check the fish-traps. The fish-traps were very important to the village as many fish were caught during the night while they were sleeping. This way, they always had a plentiful supply of fish to eat. When they reached the lake they got into the log boat. This was much safer on the lake, especially if they had to go out a bit from the shore. Today they were going after a big salmon. Brannon had caught some small fish in the river, but today was the day to show what a good fisherman he was. He had dug up some nice juicy worms the night before with a sharp stick and he put them into a wooden container wrapped in some damp moss. When they set off from Baurisheen Bay, there were only a few white clouds in the sky and there was a light wind blowing. Brannon put a few of the worms on to a hook made from bone and let the line go out a bit on the water. The sun was shining, he was fishing for salmon, and he was a happy young boy. He had a younger sister, Eithne, and it would be her turn to go hunting and fishing next year. He also had a younger brother called Eshyn. The lake and the landscape looked stunning and peaceful today, and there was a great feeling of joy to be so close to nature. Brannon’s Mum was in charge of steering the boat with a timber paddle and she was doing a very good job. After about an hour or so, she said, ‘Brannon, we should take a break for a while now and have a bit of food, I’ll row over to the shore.’ ‘That’s great’, said Brannon, ‘I’m starving anyway.’ They lit a fire and wrapped the two small trout they found earlier in the fish-traps in leaves and moss, placed them on the fire, and it wasn’t long before the steam had cooked them through. They had a lovely meal, and after a short while they were on their way again rowing across the lake. All of a sudden, Brannon felt a sharp tug on the line he was holding in his hand, and it felt very strong indeed. Then about 20 metres away they saw a very big salmon leap out of the water with Brannon’s line in his mouth. ‘Well done Brannon’, said his Mum. ‘He’s a big fish, take your time, be patient and we’ll row out towards him.’ The salmon used all his strength to get away from them but Brannon played him carefully and would let him go a short distance and then pull 62 | THE IRISH SCENE
slowly on the line to get the fish towards the boat. There was a terrific contest between the big salmon and the young boy, and soon Brannon had made him very tired and brought him beside the boat. Then Brannon and his Mum put their hands around the lovely big salmon and brought him into the log boat. ‘That’s brilliant’, said his Mum, ‘a wild pig and a big salmon on the same day. Nobody is going to believe this!’ That evening there was a big celebration for Brannon in the village, and there was a beautiful smell in the air as the wild pig and salmon were being roasted on separate spits. There was a tradition in the village that the first salmon or wild pig is cooked in the presence of the person who caught it, and that person also has the first taste of the fish or meat. But, like the episode with the young pig earlier in the morning, he broke with tradition, and offered the first pieces of wild pig and salmon to his Mother, Father, Sister and Brother. He also brought some meat over to his wonderful, brave and wounded Fia. His mother wiped a tear from her eye, and said to Brannon, ‘You are going to make a great Hunter and fIsherman, and one day you will have a family of your own to pass on your wonderful skills, compassion and kindness.’ That night, after the last of the embers went out on the fire, and exhausted after his great day and big adventures, he went to his cosy bed tired but very happy. That morning he woke up as a 12 year old boy, now he was going to bed as a 12 year old hunter of wild pig and a fisher of large salmon. He slept well, and had wonderful dreams that night.
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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 resides in Connemara, Co. Galway since 2009.
FRANK MURPHY PRESENTS
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THE IRISH SCENE | 63
Claddagh Report
Claddagh seniors at Parkerville Tavern, where they enjoyed lunch and the resident animals (inset)
HAPPY CHRISTMAS! The Claddagh Committee and Coordinator wish all members of the Irish community in WA a very happy and safe Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Thank you for all your support of Claddagh’s work throughout 2021. We could not have achieved our aims without our principal funder, the Emigrant Support Programme of the Government of Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and without the generous donations, volunteer hours, expert advice, fundraisers and more from our supporters here in WA. We look forward to meeting up with you over the festive season and into 2022.
CLADDAGH SENIORS The Claddagh Seniors Group have been making the most of the fine weather to get out and about in WA. In September they took a trip to Parkerville, where they enjoyed the beautiful scenery, a delicious lunch at the Parkerville Tavern and the resident animals. In October the Seniors subcommittee hosted a wonderful picnic at the Wildflower Pavilion in Kings Park. The group had a great time wandering amongst the magnificent floral displays. Any seniors from the Irish community in WA are very welcome to attend the last Claddagh Seniors Group events for 2021. On Monday the 22nd November they will be taking a bus trip to Moore River and on Monday the 13th December they will celebrate Christmas with their annual lunch at the Mighty Quinn Tavern. If you, or a senior you know from the Irish community, 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. 64 | THE IRISH SCENE
CLADDAGH FUNDRAISING Claddagh are privileged to have worked with the O’Riordan family whose hearts were broken when they lost their little angel Eireann in February 2021. They have recently spoken about the family’s experience saying: On the 4th of February 2021 we lost our newborn baby girl Eireann. Life went to a standstill while we as a family tried to come to terms with what was happening and what was ahead of us. That’s where we were introduced to the Claddagh Association. They provided so much financial assistance and emotional support for our family. They assisted with everything and anything that would help lift some burden from us. They also went above and beyond to get our family over from Ireland, in the midst of the pandemic so that we could be together for 6 months. We are now in a position to try and say thank you in raising as much funds and awareness as we can, to support their wonderful association so other families like ours continue to get the same support.
CLADDAGH REMEMBRANCE SERVICE Claddagh’s annual Remembrance Service for members of the Irish community in WA will be held at St Joseph’s Church, Subiaco on Sunday the 7th November at 3pm. The Claddagh Association invite everyone from the Irish Community in WA to attend. Fr Tim Corcoran will lead the community in remembering our loved ones who have died here in Australia, in Ireland or elsewhere in the past year. Representatives from Irish community organisations will share prayers, reflections and music. All those present will be invited to record the names of their loved ones and add a lighted candle to the memory table in their honour. The Claddagh Remembrance Service gives the Irish community in WA the space and time to honour the memory of those who have died in the past year. This has always been important but is unfortunately even more significant in these COVID times when so many of us have lost loved ones and been unable to attend their funerals or grieve with our families and friends. All are welcome to attend this free, ticketed event. We ask that you please register your attendance at the following link: claddaghremembranceservice2021. eventbrite.com
In memory of Eireann, her mum, Grainne, and her dad, Darren, are organising three fundraisers for Claddagh between now and the end of the year. We are in awe of the O’Riordan’s commitment and so grateful to them for their kindness in paying it forward so that Claddagh can support other members of the Irish community in WA when they face their darkest hour. The first fundraiser is a GoFundMe appeal by Grainne’s workmate, Vivian, who will shave her head in memory of Eireann. If you’d like to make it worth Vivian’s while to go bald you can donate here: au.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-eireann On Saturday the 20th of November the O’Riordan’s will host a quiz night at the Irish Club in Subiaco. They have sourced great prizes as well as organizing a raffle. After the table quiz, special guests, The Sweet Woodbines, will play and the night promises to be great craic. You can book a table or an individual ticket for the quiz night here: inmemoryofeireann.eventbrite.com.au And lastly, on Sunday the 28th of Nov the O’Riordan’s will be hosting a Sausage Sizzle at Bunnings, Malaga in memory of Eireann. Come on over and buy a hot dog! If you’d like to help out as a volunteer on the day, get in touch with Claddagh Coordinator, Anne Wayne via admin@claddagh.org.au/08 9249 9213.
13/15 Bonner Drive Malaga Enquiries: 08 9249 9213 / admin@claddagh.org.au
Crisis Support: 0403 972 265SCENE | 65 THE IRISH
CLADDAGH AGM AND CASEWORK By the time this magazine is published Claddagh will have hosted our AGM on Fri the 29th of October 2021. In the next issue of the Irish Scene we will share the highlights from our annual report and the results of the election for committee members. Claddagh’s 2020-2021 year was very busy with a wonderful calendar of social events for the Claddagh Seniors Group and more projects for the wider Irish community including visa clinics, digital training for seniors and the Claddagh oral history project. And, of course, we continued our support work with members of the Irish community in need. The numbers of people seeking our support each month have increased substantially in the last three years. In the 20202021 year we helped individuals and families with a wide variety of issues including bereavement, health, financial and migration issues. We anticipate that there will be heavy demand for Claddagh’s support work over the coming Christmas period. If you or someone you know needs Claddagh’s support, please contact the Claddagh Coordinator Anne Wayne via admin@claddagh.org.au/08 9249 9213. If your need is urgent call Claddagh’s crisis line on 0403 972 265. Claddagh will launch an online Christmas donation campaign in late November. If you would like to give to Claddagh over Christmas to support our work, you can make a donation at our website: claddagh. org.au/support-our-work/make-a-donation/.
CLADDAGH VISA CLINICS Our next visa clinic is scheduled for Saturday the 27th of November. This is a free clinic for members of the Irish community in WA to get advice from a registered migration agent on any issues relating to visas, citizenship or travel exemptions. Patricia Halley, registered migration agent from Visa4You, will base herself in the Claddagh office, offering 30 minute in-person or phone consultations. If you or someone you know in the Irish community in WA needs advice on visas, travel exemptions or citizenship please contact Claddagh Coordinator Anne Wayne via admin@claddagh.org.au/08 9249 9213 to book an appointment.
CLADDAGH DIGITAL TRAINING FOR SENIORS These monthly workshops have been very well attended through 2021. Participants have enjoyed the chat and morning tea as much as the learning and the Claddagh volunteer teachers have been delighted to see their progress. Claddagh’s last digital training for seniors for 2021 will be held on Saturday the 27th November at the Claddagh office. This final class will be a question-and-answer session when participants can ask any IT related question. All senior members of the Irish community in WA are invited to attend. Contact Claddagh Coordinator Anne Wayne on admin@ claddagh.org.au/08 9249 9213 for more information and to register.
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Right: Claddagh Seniors and volunteers at our Digital Training workshop
66 | THE IRISH SCENE
CLADDAGH ORAL HISTORY PROJECT Many of you will know the couple highlighted in the chapter we share from the Claddagh Oral History Project 2020, in this month’s issue of the Irish Scene. Tom and Kathleen Kearns, from Co Sligo, were interviewed by Claddagh volunteer Paul Callery, who is from Co. Dublin, and they shared the story of their journey from Sligo, via London to Perth. All the interviews from Claddagh’s Oral History Project were edited and collated as a book, From Home to Home: Oral Histories of Irish Seniors in Western Australia. The full book is available as a free digital download at the Claddagh website here: claddagh.org.au/ claddagh-oral-history-project/
www.claddagh.org.au
THE IRISH SCENE | 67
Tom & Kathleen Kearns
Tom Kearns was born in 1932. Kathleen Kearns was born in 1942. They are both from Ballymote, Co. Sligo. Tom: I was born in a townland called Carrigans outside Ballymote in Sligo. When I was about 12 years old I was sent down to an uncle in a townland called Coolskeagh. That was in the parish of Ballyrush, still in Sligo. It was a good life until I was sent down to my uncle and his wife but after that it was slavery. I spent 18 years slaving I suppose to get the farm. My mother thought I’d get the farm. She was responsible, really for sending me down there. And dad was totally against it. And, of course, I didn’t know what I was in for. When I was working with my uncle it was 13 and a half hours a day, seven days a week at no pay. I was about eight years there when a mate of mine was going to England and he begged me to go with him. But I didn’t have any money. You couldn’t go to England without a few quid. And he went off to England and I stayed with my uncle. Ah it was slavery really, but then I often think back, if I went to England that time maybe I might have fallen into bad company, become a drunkard or whatever, as happened many a young fellow. So I never regretted it and I had met Kathleen, early on. I look back at it all - I might never have met her if I went to England that time. We’ve had a great life together. Kathleen: I was born in a place called Threen, Ballymote, [a] farm in Threen. When you’re on a farm, it’s from early morning to late at night but that was normal. I was at school all the time I was in Ireland, I quite enjoyed it. For my secondary school I cycled six miles to Ballymote every day and home. That was for about three years. And then I done a year in Sligo where I used to stay in town and only come home weekends. It was 20 miles to cycle down on a Sunday and stay for the week and then cycle back on Friday and that went on for a year. Then I went to London and at 16 years it was freedom. I went to London for my brother’s wedding. It was school holidays so I got myself a job. And then nothing to do from five in the evening. And so I got myself a second job in a cinema. So I worked in an office from nine till five and in a cinema from six till about 11. And I done that for six years. There was a 68 | THE IRISH SCENE
whole gang of youngsters about 16, 17 year olds and we had a great time. It was like going out every night. When I went to England first it was just to get away from school but then when I got a couple of jobs I really enjoyed it, and you know, I fell into the life there and it was really good. T: Well, I began to sense that there was no future for me with my uncle. I did talk to him about giving me the place. He had no notion of giving me the place. His wife had the same claim on his place as he had so she was totally against me. It was a very quick decision. I made up my mind very quickly. Kathleen was home on holidays and I went back there [to England]. But we wanted to get out of the big city of London. We were continually watching television about the great life in Australia and the sunshine. A friend of ours he was home on holidays and he’d tell us all about Australia. He says, ‘You’ll get tired looking at the sun’. It was a quick decision in the finish to emigrate to Australia because we wanted to get the kids into a Catholic school. K: And in London it was practically impossible. We went to Australia House in London and there were quite rigorous questions and we had to do medicals. T: But that time they were crying out for families to Australia. We had no trouble in getting in, no problem at all. Four months, we were accepted. We could have flown out straight away and we said we’d like to go by boat. We thought it’d be a great holiday. With three little kids under four it was no holiday! My boss at work, when I told him I was going for Australia, he says ‘What part are you going?’ I says, ‘Western Australia’. ‘Oh there’s nothing in Western Australia. Go to Sydney where the work is’. So I said, ‘No, we want to go keep away from big cities’. That was it. Never changed our mind.
FROM HOME TO HOME: ORAL HISTORIES OF IRISH SENIORS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
K: [We came on] the Fairstar. £10 pound and the kids were free. Las Palmas was the first place [we stopped] and Cape Town and that was it. Just the two stops. There was plenty of activity if you could go to it. Now, we could never go together to anything but we could go separately, you see, because one of us always had to be with the children. But there was lots of things on. There was concerts, bingos and different things. T: We never found it a tough run. We never got sick. There was a virus on the boat after about two weeks. K: They closed the swimming pool. T: Yeah. That meant all the kids then were inside in a huge big room. There were 600 kids on that trip, 2000 adults and 600 kids. K: When we arrived at Fremantle we thought it was the cleanest city we had been through. Everything was spic and span. We were met by bus and taken to our accommodation. Everything was laid on for us. It was really excellent. T: It was coming up to winter in the month of May. K: Once we arrived here it rained for weeks and weeks. T: We were taken up to a... K: Hostel, Noalimba. It was only opened at the time. Everything was provided. They gave us a couple of rooms and done our meals and it was great facilities now. T: We spent two weeks there and then they offered us a house in Beaconsfield. So that was a great start for us. The great difference was after three weeks I got steady work. Now I could get steady work in London as well but in Ireland there was no work. So we were very happy, as of three weeks, the way our work life went. K: Then we had to buy a car but this man didn’t have a license. I had a license so I used to have to drop him to work every day. Get the four kids in the car and drop him to work. He always got a lift home but always had to drop him down. T: I suppose about six months in when I went to the test and failed it. I went for it again, failed again. Third time lucky. There was about four or five families in the parish... K: Irish families like us. T: They made us all welcome and there was three Irish priests there and they became our great friends and there was the priest that started the GAA. All the great friends that we met here, mostly Irish friends now but they were great to us.
K: Yeah, we used to have a lot of people visiting. It was really nice. People that had come out here years before but had never gone back. They were delighted to meet somebody who came recently. T: I worked with a lot of Italians who had come out here before and they were great to work with. They were all great workers. Poles and not much English people, quite a few Scots people, but we had no problem mixing with them. K: What we enjoyed most about them, they told you exactly what they thought. Whatever it was, straight up. T: We really loved the Aboriginal people. I have great sympathy for the way they were treated here. We still have a great time for Aboriginal people. Our neighbours here for 60 years, you could not beat them. It was a joy to live beside them. We were lucky with the neighbours we had, Aboriginal people. We really had a great time, a great start on Australia. K: Everything seemed to fall into place. T: I think the voluntary work helps a lot. We weren’t really thinking about ourselves. K: We’ve done a lot of working with St. Vincent de Paul through the church. We were doing it for, what, 35 years I think? T: We got involved in everything that was good for our life. Gaelic football. K: Every Sunday we were out at the Gaelic football. And Irish dancing. The girls done Irish dancing. We spent a lot of time outdoors, which we couldn’t have done over at home because of the weather. T: We have a Comhaltas branch here in Perth and we’re members of that for years. And I got an award called the Brendan Award for our activities. ‘Twas a great honour to get that. K: I think we’ll always feel Irish. T: But it never dawned on us to think about going back. It was, four years before we had a discussion of, ‘Is this our country?’ Of course, the obvious answer was we’re not going back, this is it. Well, I suppose people would ask us do you miss Ireland? And we say no, we have a little Ireland here of our own. And we have! All the music, the céili bands, we have it all here. We can put it on any time we like. So that stood out to us.
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Tom and Kathleen were interviewed by Claddagh volunteer, Paul Callery. Paul is from Cabinteely, Co. Dublin and migrated to Australia in 1997. THE IRISH SCENE | 69
Irish Choir Perth
@irishchoir
A Virish Christmas Concert 2021 was a year dominated by talk of Coronavirus, and while many of us now gloss over the subject from simple fatigue, the Irish Choir Perth decided to lean into the topic as the theme for our Christmas Concert! It’s an unusual choice for sure, and apart from being unable to resist the play on words with Virus and Irish, there was a thoughtful reason behind it. We wanted to choose a theme that would, in years to come, be easy to identify as our 2021 show. Good or bad, it was the year of Covid-19, vaccines, snap lockdowns and State Daddy. It was also the year where we refused to let Covid put a halt to our Choir. Choirs were classed as ‘risky’ believe it or not! We found creative ways to meet up, depending on the Covid restrictions: we measured rooms and distances between chairs, we timed sessions and moved to different spaces, we met in smaller groups, in groups with masks, we met online. And after every lockdown ended and restrictions were eased, we were thrilled to meet again and enjoy the simple pleasure of singing in person. For all the bad, something good came out of it for us, and that is worth celebrating. 70 | THE IRISH SCENE
Those attending the concert will be relieved to hear the theme won’t be applied too literally. The only nods to Covid will be the usual checking in and hand sanitising. Once inside, the concert will embrace Christmas and the audience can expect to see highlights from the new songs we have worked on throughout the year, plus of course some Christmas favourites. A one-hour matinee will be followed by a longer evening concert. Both concerts sell out, so get your tickets today at www.trybooking.com/BUNNQ
Nollaig Shoua agus Athbhliain faoi Mhaise Duit
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you.
THROUGHOUT 2021 VIBE LEGAL HAS CONTINUED TO GROW, THANKS IN NO SMALL PART TO THE CONTINUING SUPPORT OF THE IRISH COMMUNITY IN PERTH. WE WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR AND LOOK FORWARD TO ASSISTING YOU ALL IN 2022. from the team at Vibe Legal Telephone: 08 6111 4890 | Web: www.vibelegal.com.au | Email: Lawyers@vibelegal.com.au
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Paula from Tasmania
BY PAULA XIBERRAS
GREEN LOOK AT ORANGE BLOSSOMS Sophie Green’s new novel ‘Thursdays at Orange Blossom House’ is about three very different women with their own problems and difficulties who unite through a weekly yoga lesson and form friendships. Grace is in her seventies and a surviving twin. She is dealing with familial issues. Patricia is a high school teacher dreaming of travel (while a fellow teacher dreams of her!), but finding it will have to the armchair kind as she cares for her ageing parents. Dorothy is the owner of a cafe and yearning to be a mother. While all women are dealing with what life gives them, they find joy in their new found friendships. One of the traditional meanings of orange blossom is good fortune and it would seem something that readers would wish for the women of the book. Sophie likes to put different generations in her books and show that older characters should be represented. Sophie tells me her own grandmother was doing crosswords at 92. To celebrate the different generations and give nostalgia to her readers, Sophie prefaces every chapter with a list of significant events of the year and the hit songs (Sophie also writes for a country music magazine). THURSDAYS AT ORANGE BLOSSOM HOUSE IS OUT NOW, PUBLISHED BY HACHETTE.
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PEPPERTREE CROSSING TO WATTLE SEED INN Wattle Seed Inn’s protagonist Gabrielle Moreau has a challenge to make a successful business out of the old pub she has bought. But it’s not only the pub that takes interest. Resident stone mason Aiden Paech intrigues her, but as the reader learns, he has willed his heart to stone due to the loss of a woman close to him. Ilse is another inhabitant, it was her grandparents who built the pub and she wants to see someone care for it as they did. She sees Gabrielle as that person. When I speak to author Leonie Kelsall, I mention how her titles give the reader a glimpse of what the novel is exploring. In her first novel Peppertree Crossing, the characters are at a crossroads in their lives, while The Wattle Seed Inn suggests the characters wounded in the past have the opportunity to plant seeds of a new life in the future. Leonie also – whether consciously or subconsciously – makes use of juxtaposition of a scene where an old floor is being removed with Aiden’s shirt being removed to reveal his scars. Leoni welcomes her daughter’s opinion of her books and it was her daughter, who while driving around with Leoni, saw the old building that would inspire The Wattle Seed Inn. Just like the refurbishment of the old pub, the characters too have within them the seeds of renewal. THE WATTLE SEED INN IS OUT NOW, PUBLISHED BY ALLEN AND UNWIN
PAULA PAULA FROM FROM TASMANIA TASMANIA
than expected.
THE LIFE OF REILLY
THE GOOD BOOK BY BROOKS
It’s been an interesting year for Matthew Reilly. Due to COVID, he’s been able to forego his usual two year incubation period for a novel and give us the final installment in the adventures of his hero Jack West, ‘The One Impossible Labyrinth’, earlier
Karen Brooks’ new book is a good book, both in content, style and in it’s subject matter ‘The Good Wife of Bath’.
This past year has also seen him working on an original movie he has written, called ‘Interceptor’. This has been filmed during lockdown and will feature on Netflix next April. Matthew says he doesn’t think he would write the screenplay for any of his Jack West novels because they go back a long way and he would prefer to write something fresher. While ‘Interceptor’ is an original story, Matthew tells me he writes very different stories that appeal to different readers. For those who are Indiana Jones fans he recommends his Jack West series. This series is really one that hits the ground running. There is not a moment’s pause in these action packed thrillers. For readers who are Tom Clancy fans Matthew recommends ‘Ice Station’ and ‘Scarecrow’. Matthew tells me one thing about Jack West that fans have resonated with, is that although he has the power to save the world, Jack is also incredibly humble – evidenced in the appearance of him attending his daughter’s parent-teacher evenings.
It was of course Chaucer, arguably the father of English literature, who told the original story of the wife of Bath in his Canterbury Tales. Karen Brooks has written her own (mostly true) version of the story. Our heroine Eleanor Cornfield aka The Good Wife of Bath, is married at the delicate age of 12 to Fulk Bigod, a farmer of elderly years, whom she later grows to have feelings for. Five additional husbands follow, including an occasional gem but also, notably, a womaniser and one who was violent. Eleanor’s fluctuating fortunes in the fidelity stakes demand she seek answers in prayer and so she journeys on many pilgrimages, Rome, Cologne and Jerusalem among them. Through all her highs and lows, her first husband’s daughter, her stepdaughter, Alyson is there for her. Theirs is a true female friendship. Eleanor, even with the constructs of her time (which as readers we must remember, when we might shake our heads at yet another marriage, is the only avenue open to her) is ambitious and thinks ahead of those times. She wants to be in control of her own destiny and seeks education as the key. A desire and determination to learn fuels her.
Talking of schools and the scholarly, Matthew has always loved myth and often asks what if a myth has changed due to the handing down of the story. He gives myths a novel twist in his books. In this new book, look out for a re-interpreting of the myth of the Minotaur.
Karen tells me that she remembers studying Chaucer at high school. She recalls her English Lit teacher telling the bawdy tales and rolling around with laughter, which of course peaked the curiosity of a sixteen year old girl. Karen later encountered Chaucer again at university, noting that the Wife of Bath is the only female in the Canterbury Tales.
While Matthew hopes fans will love the conclusion to this final Jack West adventure, he is already talking of his next novel which will involve real people in a story of fiction.
Once again Karen Brooks delivers a most excellent piece of work with the Good Wife an equal, if not surpassing, the tradition of other strong female characters in her previous books.
THE ONE IMPOSSIBLE LABYRINTH IS OUT NOW, PUBLISHED BY PAN MACMILLAN.
THE GOOD WIFE OF BATH IS OUT NOW, PUBLISHED BY HARPER COLLINS.
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Book Reviews
I KNOW I SAW HER BY E.D. THOMPSON / HACHETTE $32.99
Alison Payne is a struggling, part-time, teacher of English who lives, with her reclusive son Joe, in a down-at-heel house situated in quiet suburban Parnell Park. Not much seemingly happens in Parnell Park, and Alison, drifts along with the floe, apart from regular visits to see her mother in a care home. She and Joe observe their neighbours with some interest, especially the new ‘power’ couple, Kevin and Kim who have moved in opposite. On a trip to visit her sister in London, Alison thinks she spots Kim on a train coming from Gatwick Airport. ‘Not possible’, says Kevin, assuring Alison that Kim is on holiday in County Galway. With little else going in her humdrum life Alison’s interest is piqued, and she decides to investigate further. She becomes even more convinced that something is radically amiss when she sees a postcard, apparently posted by Kim from Galway, but which is affixed with a British stamp. Maybe there is a simple explanation to Kim’s disappearance. Perhaps, unknown to Kevin, Kim is having an illicit affair. Possibly Alison is a conspiracy theorist seeing dangers where there are none. But as she continues her investigation and meets Kim’s brother, Callum, Alison’s concern for Kim’s life intensifies as she plunges deeper in to a situation where things are not always as they seem and where too much curiosity may become fatal. Full of deception and surprises, intricately plotted with engaging characterization, Thompson has produced an immensely entertaining 74 | THE IRISH SCENE
read. It’s great to see crime fiction play out against a Northern Ireland background. A prolific author of short stories, Thompson moves the action along with snappy, incisive, dialogue and has nailed the expressions, nuances and idioms of the local patois. Thompson’s new novel is a rousing warning about the power of our choices, and where they might ultimately lead.– Reviewed by John Hagan
SWEET JIMMY BY BRYAN BROWN / ALLEN & UNWIN $29.99
Yes. It is indeed THAT Bryan Brown, laconic larrikin and star of a host of notable Australian movies including A Town like Alice, The Thorn Birds, Sweet Country, and my favourite, Breaker Morant. This is his debut novel which contains a collection of short stories with the first, Boys will be Killers, and the last, Sweet Jimmy, both connected. Revenge and retribution drive all seven tales featuring likeable and detestable criminals, corrupt and dedicated police, deserving and innocent victims. We follow swimming coach and Bondi
BOOK REVIEWS
is consistently one of short sentences almost dot point in style – ‘Anne Tierney kept a clean house. Two bedrooms. Beds made up. One room was obviously a guest room. She had a guest all right. Murdered her.’ Don’t expect any deep physiological, analytical exploration of the Australian criminal mind, but with Brown’s knockabout vocabulary, his cryptic, staccato style and dry dialogue, the pace moves along crisply. It’s not exactly Aussie noir, but there’s plenty of knockabout lingo, acerbic humour and clever plotting to herald Brown as a talented author. – Reviewed by John Hagan
I ALONE CAN FIX IT BY CAROL LEONNIG & PHILIP RUCKER / BLOOMSBURY $29.99
Icebergs member, Frank Testy, as he doggedly tracks down the woman who set him up as a drug mule resulting in him serving time in a Hong Kong prison. In another tale, single dad and Vietnam veteran, Paul Madden, despite there being no suspicious circumstances, does not believe that his daughter Hannah killed herself. With time on his hands and an enlarged sense of suspicion, he embarks on an intensive investigation which leads him in to peril. Muslim undercover cop, Ahmed, is convicted for drug dealing, serves time, and as he tries to rehabilitate himself he meets temptation and menace along the way. And what of ‘Sweet Jimmy’ as per title? Maybe he’s not so sweet at all. Like his cousin Johnny, electrician Jimmy is led in to crime by friend and orchid grower Phil, who is eventually stitched up for a crime he didn’t commit. In the book’s concluding stanza, Jimmy, now going straight, seeks to avenge himself on a lady who, he believes, has blighted his life. But will he be allowed to? Brown’s approach to storytelling
When Donald Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United States in 2017, I was filled with enthusiasm, well mild euphoria at least. Here was someone from outside the beltway who promised to drain the Capitol Hill swamp. Besides, if he didn’t make it as a reforming president, I reckoned he could fall back on stand -up comedy. But while his term of office began with much bonhomie, the Trump presidency quickly descended into uninhibited chaos and despair. In their previous book, A Very Stable Genius, Pulitzer Prizewinning authors, Leonning and Rucker traced the first three years of the Trump presidency; their latest offering concentrates on his final, catastrophic year in office. Based on hundreds of hours of interviews with more than 140 sources, including administration officials, advisers, friends plus a two and a half meeting with Trump himself, they reveal a president who, by 2020, displayed rampant ignorance, malice, narcissism, disloyalty, deception and aggrandizement. Here was a leader who seemingly cared more about himself than the nation he presided over. This was a president who exacerbated a pandemic which claimed the lives of more than half a million Americans. Trump too oversaw an industrial recession invoking pain for low paid workers, a ‘black lives matter’ movement he wanted to crush with the military, and his claims
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of a ‘rigged election’, which saw insurgents storm the Capitol building. One of the unheralded true heroes of the Trump final year must be General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As Trump plotted a de facto coup d’état to hang on to power, Milley stood firm telling his lieutenants ‘can’t do this without the military …. We’re the guys with the guns’. Mike Pence, Trump’s long-serving loyal Vice-President, is another who is to be congratulated in opposing Trump’s power grab. Forensically researched, and amounting to over 500 illuminating, and at times punishing, pages, Leonnig and Rucker have penned an account which is essential reading for anyone interested in (American) politics, and for those concerned with the fate of democracy and how it might be undermined. – Reviewed by John Hagan
DEFECTS: LIVING WITH THE LEGACY OF THE CELTIC TIGER BY EOIN Ó BROIN / MERRION PRESS $32.79
Between 1995 and 2007 the Irish economy grew rapidly with its GDP soaring a staggering 229%. These were the boom years of the Celtic Tiger, epitomized, in part, by greedy, inept and fly-by-night developers who stoked rampant building growth, leaving many families who had bought apartments and houses, with serious fire safety and major structural defects. In this punchy investigative critique of a political system which seemingly abrogated its power to protect homeowners and tenants, Sinn Fein TD, Eoin Ó Broin, details how it all occurred. He reveals some of the human cost associated with numerous shoddy and potentially fatal developments citing examples of families and individuals ensnared in the imbroglio. We meet Fiachra Daly and family who are forced to leave their north Dublin, Priory Hall home, because of serious fire-safety defects. We follow Mark, who, in 2006, moved in to his new Belmayne apartment, just off the Dublin’s Malahide Road, only to discover serious noise transmission between 76 | THE IRISH SCENE
apartments because the timber frame system was not erected properly. Soon after, the Dublin Fire Brigade discovered that each of the units in Mark’s complex was a ‘fire risk’ and that a radical overhaul of the structure was necessary. All residents were forced to leave their homes, but still had to meet their mortgages. Retired couple, Lorraine and Gary, who purchased a unit from Paddy Burke Builders in Shannon (Co. Clare), was soon faced with a €10,000 bill to address maintenance problems due to shoddy construction. And so it goes on with Ó Broin citing many examples including from Donegal and Mayo, where homes built from mica and pyrite were literally crumbling around their owners. Tales of dodgy builders, tenant misery, homelessness, litigation and bankruptcy abound. In normal circumstances, badly made products are recalled, replaced or refunded, but this does not apply to the Irish family home, arguably the single biggest purchase in life. As construction lawyer Deirdre Ni Fhloinn remarks, “You have more rights if something goes wrong with your iPhone... than when you buy a house”. How did such a situation occur? Who is responsible? Why does it persist? Who will foot the bill for potentially fatal defects? All these questions, and more, are answered in this forceful, forensic examination of the Irish building industry and its dangers. – Reviewed by John Hagan
JELLETT, O’BRIEN, PURSER AND STOKES – SEVEN GENERATIONS, FOUR FAMILIES BY MICHAEL PURSER / PREJMER VERLAG, IRELAND (2004)
Given to me as a gift, this book sat unread on the book shelf for some years. Then the COVID lockdown over the April long weekend happened and it was time to organise and declutter the book case when several unread books were found. I didn’t finish reading the book during the lockdown. It’s just not that kind of book.
BOOK REVIEWS
The author, Michael Purser (born 1937) is founder of Baltimore Technologies which was a leading Irish internet security company prior to 2000s and was a mathematician at Trinity College, Dublin. This book is a history of his parents’ families from the 1790s to just after the second world war – although the last chapter is titled ‘1940 – 1970’. Yet he is still a young boy when the book ends. This and other inconsistencies highlight the book’s need to be edited. It varies in tone from objective reporter and story teller to conscientious commentator to the subjective. The author explains in the Acknowledgements that it was published privately. Although dry as an old stick in sections, it is interesting reading in that it places the every day lives of the families against the political, economic and social background of the times. Diaries, reminiscences and letters are the references and as such are very detailed. His ancestors’ stance on the issues of their times - Catholic Emancipation, the Act of Union, the agrarian unrest, rural poverty, the repeal of the Union, the Great War, 1916 rebellion all provide an interesting perspective that our Leaving Certificate history lessons did not provide. The author provides a potted biography of his greatgreat-grandfather, William Smith O’Brien (1803-1864) sentenced to death for treason but later commuted to exile to Tasmania, who he describes as ‘a reforming, proCatholic, aristocratic yet native Protestant’. The combined families of brewers, academics, doctors, scientists, anthropologists, musicians and artists produced suffragettes and many independent, talented women. Charlotte Grace O’Brien, an author, a political activist and a tireless advocate for the rights of emigrant women following the famine. A mention is also made of a letter she received from the Boston based Fenian, John Boyle O’Reilly giving her questionable advice regarding her endeavours to save the lives of these emigrant women. Margaret McNair Stokes (1832-1900), artist and antiquarian, had the reputation of being the most
important Irish woman antiquary of her day. A renewed interest today in 19th century Irish art, antiquarianism and the Celtic Revival period is regenerating interest in her work (Archaeology Ireland, Summer 2020). Mabel O’Brien Purser, the author’s grandmother demonstrated for the vote for women and was sent to jail in Tullamore as a suffragette. Sarah Purser (1848 – 1843), is a renowned portrait artist who has painted WB Yeats, JB Yeats, Maud Gonne, Sir and Lady Gore-Booth and Douglas Hyde. She worked in America, London and studied in Paris and was involved in the establishment of the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art. Mainie Jellett (1897–1944), the author’s aunt is recognised as one of the most important figures in Irish art history. When her work in an exhibition in 1923 was savaged in a review by Æ (‘the subhuman art of Miss Jellett’) she took advantage of the platform that Æ had given her and became ‘the Irish missionary of the modern’ and played a key role in ‘forming the artistic life of the new Ireland, the Free State which emerged from revolution and Civil War’. The early generations got quite confusing at times and although the author referred to them as G4 and G3, etc., I found it best to just enjoy the story of the person’s life and achievements without worrying about the connections. The book is an interesting read for the insight it provides of the social and political times from the perspective of one strata of Irish society. – Reviewed by Speranza
THE LIGHT OF EVENING BY EDNA O’BRIEN / WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON (2006)
Like Anne Enright’s Actress, The Light of Evening it is about a mother and daughter relationship where the daughter is a writer. There the similarity ends. Two very different relationships. Dilly, the mother, has two children. Her ‘hard-boiled son’ who seems to have little love or regard for any of the family members and throughout the book is trying to ensure his sister does not share in any inheritance. The story line is not linear and we meet Dilly as she is leaving home for the last time. She recalls many incidents in her life and reminisces about her time in Brooklyn, NY which ‘I loved and where I loved’. The description of the immigrant’s life in service (‘nothing but rules’) and the lumberjack’s grind in the early part of the 1900s is revealing and realistic. The life she has lived on a small farm is related complete THE IRISH SCENE | 77
with all the trivial goings-on and the struggle to survive that epitomised the lives of rural women. The narrative shifts between the personal, the third person, stream of consciousness, letters (between Dilly and her mother and between Dilly and her daughter) and diaries. This mother / daughter relationship is turbulent; marked by misunderstanding and misinterpretation of gifts, acts and words. Eleanora moves to England and carves out a successful career as a writer. She contended that ‘literature was either a route out of life or into life and she could never be certain which, except that she had succumbed to it’. She marries, has a family and divorces and then has a series of affairs, all of which she finds unsatisfactory once the novelty wears off. At times Dilly seems envious of this lifestyle. The mother and daughter letters contain a mix of pride, hurt and recrimination. Eleanora describes her
mother’s letters as ‘heady and headlong, forgiving and unforgiving’. Dilly saw these letters as ‘her one indulgence…asking to be heard, asking to be understood…’ Dilly is hurt by her estrangement from her daughter and never stops loving her and wanting to see her. She is bewildered by the ‘arms length’ relationship her daughter maintains with her even when Dilly visits Eleanora and her family in England. ‘It hurts the way you make yourself so aloof, always running away from us…..’ Eleanora’s last visit to Dilly is not the joyful event Dilly had dreamt of and in Eleanora’s rush to get back to her latest lover, she leaves her journal behind. The misplaced journal which is a stream of consciousness about her relationship with her mother and her resentments and hurts at some of her mother’s responses and reactions. What she will never know is if her mother read the journal but feels that she had because ‘her spirit seemed to permeate it’. Yet she can never know for sure and this not knowing tortures her. O’Brien writes beautifully and lyrically. However, the reader has to pay attention as her sentence structure is not straightforward. This is her 20th novel written when she was already in her 70s. Contrary to the marketing blurb, it does not ‘explore the complicated, incomparable bonds of mother-daughter love. I feel in the end the book left more questions than it answered about Dilly and Eleanora’s relationship. However, it is a good read. – Reviewed by Speranza
The incredible literary debut from one of Ireland’s best loved singer-songwriters THE PAWNBROKER’S REWARD BY DECLAN O’ROURKE / ISLAND OF IRELAND, €22.99
Declan O’Rourke’s award winning album, Chronicles of the Great Irish Famine, was released to critical acclaim in 2017. It illuminated the story of Pádraig and Cáit ua Buachalla. Four years on, in Declan’s meticulously researched literary debut, the story of the ua Buachalla family is woven into a powerful, multilayered work showing us the famine as it happened through the lens of a single town - Macroom, Co. Cork - and its environs. Local pawnbroker Cornelius Creed is at the juncture between the classes. Sensitive and empathetic, he is a voice on behalf of the poor, and his story is entwined with that of Pádraig ua Buachalla. Through these characters - utilising local history and documentary evidence - Declan creates a kaleidoscopic view of this defining moment in Ireland’s history.
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BOOK REVIEWS
An interview with E.D. Thompson BY JOHN HAGAN
WITH HER NEW BOOK, ‘I KNOW I SAW HER’, RECENTLY LAUNCHED IN AUSTRALIA, IRISH AUTHOR, E.D. THOMPSON TALKS TO JOHN HAGAN ABOUT HER INFLUENCES, MOTIVATIONS, THE BUSINESS OF WRITING LITERATURE AND PERSONAL ENJOYMENT. WHAT DO YOU MOST ENJOY ABOUT WRITING?
I love every aspect of the creative process, from the daydreaming stage where I am semi-idly allowing ideas to land softly, through the hunched-over-the-keyboard part where I am actually putting down one sentence after another and hopefully working a little magic as I do so, to the editing, where I return to the manuscript after a time away, and come to it like a reader. After that, there follows some of the duller-but-necessary work, doing re-writing suggested by my wise editor, and then, fingers crossed, the thrill of feedback from readers who have enjoyed the story. WHO/WHAT ENCOURAGED YOU TO BECOME A WRITER?
Being a reader made me want to write. It really was as simple as that. It’s not even that I read an extraordinary number of books – I don’t. But I had the very good fortune to happen on some writers from an early age who made reading hugely attractive. When I ran into the Mary Plain books by Gwynedd Rae at the age of six, I knew I’d stumbled on something special – even at that young age, I recognised at an instinctive level that I was under the spell of an utterly charming narrative voice, masterfully created. I didn’t just ‘read’ books - I had love affairs with them. ‘Charlotte’s Web’ and ‘The Hundred and One Dalmatians’ captured me in a similar way. I can now appreciate that stories are my ‘element’, to use the term coined by the late educationalist, Sir Ken Robinson. Reading, watching, listening to and writing stories are where I belong. WHEN WRITING, DO YOU ADHERE TO A STRICT WORK REGIME?
I treat writing pretty much as a full-time job, albeit one with a good deal of flexibility. So it’s perfectly possible to take time off during the day to go to the dentist or run an errand, but on those days I can’t expect to be finished by tea-time. I don’t have an office or study, but I work at a desk placed in the bay window of my bedroom, overlooking the street. While the internet is a writer’s dream, in terms of making research quick and easy, it can also be a terrible means to procrastinate – although I’m not on Facebook or Twitter, there are websites, particularly writingrelated blogs, that I check far too regularly, when I should be getting on with work.
WHAT ASPECTS OF NOVEL WRITING DO YOU FIND MOST DIFFICULT?
Sometimes the sheer size of the challenge can be daunting. ‘I Know I Saw Her’ is about 72,000 words long, and the next one about 75,000 words. When you’re sitting at 12,000 words, it can seem there’s an awfully long way to go. However, I think writing literally hundreds of short stories for women’s magazines has been enormously helpful, in this regard. Establishing a working practice of writing a 2,000 or 3,000 word story in a day is a very good training, and if you can write a short story in a day, then why not 2,000 words of a novel? But there are days when it’s tough to move forward and I think there’s real skill in ensuring that those passages read just as effortlessly as the chapters which flowed easily. IN THE PAST, YOU HAVE WRITTEN A 30 PART SERIES FOR PEOPLE’S FRIEND. WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES AND ADJUSTMENTS YOU HAVE TO MAKE BETWEEN WRITING EPISODES AND COMPOSING A NOVEL?
My first 30 part series in ‘The People’s Friend’ was set in a local weekly newspaper office, and it looks like I’ll have a second series starting in November in a new setting, about which I’m very excited. Working on a series requires a great deal of planning – I have to send off fairly detailed synopses of all 30 episodes before anything is approved to proceed. Then, I submit six episodes at a time, they are read by the fiction editor and then by the editor, before being returned to me for any tweaks. Only then can I write the next six instalments. So it’s a bit start-stop, compared to other forms. Because so much THE IRISH SCENE | 79
BOOK REVIEWS
work is done at the planning stage, it’s relatively quick to write the full episodes – and they’re very short, at 800 words. I have loved writing the two series, partly because there’s a chance to develop recurring characters over 30 weeks, and give them recognisable voices, and also because it’s an interesting discipline, trying to tell a complete story in each issue, but also supporting more over-arching narratives. With my novels, I don’t plan in the same detail – in fact, the ‘plan’ is about one side of A4 in my desk drawer, although I will scribble lots of reminders to myself as I go along as I have learned by cruel experience that, just because you have what you think is a good idea, or even a blindingly brilliant one, there’s no guarantee that you’ll remember it ten minutes later (or perhaps that’s just me!) Whereas writing a series is somewhat collaborative, writing a novel can be very lonely, particularly if, like me, you agree with Stephen King’s advice and don’t show a single word of it to a living soul until it is completely finished. ANY IDEAS IN MIND FOR A FOLLOW UP NOVEL?
I have recently finished my next novel, the second in my two-book deal with Hachette. It is a completely new tale – new setting, new characters – but, again, what you might call small-town suspense. I’ve nervously submitted it to my agent and to my editor at Hachette. My agent emailed today and used the words “fantastic” and “couldn’t put it down”, which is a huge boost, and now I am desperately hoping my editor shares this enthusiasm – because, as you can imagine, when you write a book, you don’t just want people to like it, you want them to love it. WHICH AUTHORS DO YOU MOST ENJOY READING?
Historically, my favourite authors have been John Irving, of ‘The World According to Garp’ and ‘A Musical Entertainer / Teacher
Prayer for Owen Meany’ fame, and William Goldman, perhaps best-known as the screenwriter of ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’, but also author of ‘The Princess Bride’ and ‘Marathon Man’. I have also loved Sue Townsend’s Adrian Mole diaries with a passion. In Ireland, we have a wickedly funny chronicler of our times, Ross O’Carroll-Kelly, the fictional creation of journalist, Paul Howard, who delivers more laughs for your euro than anyone has a right to expect (his books definitely best read chronologically, from the start, when he is the star of the school rugby team). I have enjoyed Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie crime novels because they are more than just crime, and I love relative newcomer but big success story Joanna Cannon, who’s ‘The Trouble With Goats And Sheep’ is a book to sit up into the wee hours to finish reading – her twists are gentle, yet breath-taking – how does she do that? WHAT BRINGS YOU HAPPINESS?
Family. I am incredibly lucky to have my parents, Robin and Myra, living nearby, and they are an endless source of support, encouragement, fun and wisdom. I live with my journalist husband, Niall, who patiently tolerates my ‘desk’ spilling over increasingly into our bedroom and graciously reads my books even though as a rule he doesn’t ‘do’ fiction. We have three sons in their twenties, Keir, Clem and Nye, who are all penetrative thinkers but also love mischief, and Niall has a daughter, Lara, who is shaking things up by doing a potentially career-changing OU degree in her thirties. So lots to be thankful for. As I mentioned above, I also love to be immersed in stories. When not writing, I get very excited about, for example, a new series of ‘Endeavour’ or a repeat of ‘Happy Valley’.
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Cinderella
(The Slightly Deviated Version) Well this has certainly been a full-on year. Our 40th Anniversary Celebrations and Awards Night are done and dusted. Congratulations to all the nominees and award winners. Next up is our panto “Cinderella” (the slighly deviated version). Written by Yvette Wall and directed by Michael Balmer, neither are strangers to the ITP. Some of you will remember Yvette’s outragous comedy “The Sisters of Saint Judas” which was produced by the ITP in 2018 and was directed by Michael. Yvette is an award winning, Perth based playwright, theatre producer, director, educator, mentor and founder of Off The Wall Productions. With her strong background in facilitating workshops in schools and community groups across Australia we feel privileged to be presenting her work. She is passionate about working with young people and is well known for her original fractured fairytales. And with a cast of 21 - children and adults this promises to be an absolute blast. Michael Balmer has the unenviable task of keeping the 21 cast members focussed and on script, it will like herding cats. But no bother to Michael who is a well known actor and director with a long track record of successful productions with country and metropolitan theatre groups over 35 years. Who
irishtheatreplayers.com.au
could forget his outstanding performance as Charlie in the 2019 ITP production of Hugh Leonard’s “Da”.
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You have probably seen lots of versions of the Cinderella story, I can guarantee, you haven’t seen one like this. RUNNING FROM WEDNESDAY 15TH TO SUNDAY 19TH DECEMBER, WITH MATINEES ON 18TH & 19TH, BOOK EARLY ON www.trybooking.com/BUSLF AND DON’T MISS OUT.
IrishTheatrePlayers THE IRISH SCENE
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Around The Irish Scene HIGHS AND LOWS
Left: Happy birthday to Dermot Byrne who recently celebrated his 90th birthday, surrounded by friends and family and local Irish band the Broken Pokers. Our sincere condolences also go to Dermot on the passing of his beloved wife Betty (left).
DEAR SANTA
HAPPY FEET
Right: Fred Rea presented the Irish Scene Cup at the State’s to Hanna Lonergan-Smith and Maeve Carroll joint winners 8 years AIDA WA State Championships
Left: Dubliner Stan Briggs (Stanta) gives Santa a helping hand around Perth shopping centres and parties at Christmas time. The beard is the real deal by the way!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY WEDDING BELLS
Above: Big congrats to Natasha & Philip Dunphy who were recently married 82 | THE IRISH SCENE
Above: Congratulations to Denis & Patricia Bratton, who just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary (left)
If you would like to be featured in the next issue, please send your photo/s to irishsceneperth@gmail.com along with a short description
CONGRATULATIONS
Left: Irish institution Durty Nelly’s celebrated their 23rd birthday in October
MANY HAPPY RETURNS
Above: Happy birthday to Fr Tadgh Tierney who celebrated his 80th at Morley Catholic Church
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
Left: Kids from the Torc Ceili Club at the Irish Club
ENJOYING A PINT
Below: Jack Comerford (left) at The Heights pub in Alexander Heights, and Paschal Clarke (right) at Durty Nelly’s in Perth
LÁ BREITHE SHONA DUIT
Below: Ann and Charlie Totten enjoying birthday celebrations in Busselton with family
THE IRISH SCENE | 83
Australian Irish Dancing Association Western Australia
AIDA WA WERE DELIGHTED TO HOLD YET ANOTHER FEIS THIS YEAR!
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Given the circumstances, we are forever grateful for the continuous hard work & efforts of our committee members & teachers, as well as our dancers and their families for your continuous support throughout these uncertain times. Spring Feis took place at Allan Shaw Centre, Peter Moyes Anglican School. Huge thank you to Hilary McKenna who was our Judge for the weekend.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL WA DANCERS WHO TOOK PART IN THE AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL OIREACHTAS ONLINE CHAMPIONSHIP! To view the results, point your phone camera to scan the QR code at the right, or visit: https://aidainc.com/results-0 84 | THE IRISH SCENE
AIDA WA EXECUTIVE 2020 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: Siobhan Collis TCRG
SCHOOL CONTACTS: CELTIC ACADEMY East Victoria Park & Karragullen www.celticacademyperth.com Siobhan Collis TCRG 0403 211 941 LYONS IRISH DANCE Butler & Clarkson lyonsirishdancecompany@gmail.com Facebook: @LyonsIrishDance Roisin Lyons TCRG 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 Minister for Mental Health; Aboriginal Affairs; Industrial Relations 12th Floor, Dumas House 2 Havelock Street, WEST PERTH WA 6005 Email: Minister.Dawson@dpc.wa.gov.au Telephone: (08) 6552-5800
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
THE IRISH SCENE | 85
Joint Junior Academy/ Minor Board/WAIFC Golf Fundraiser MAYLANDS GOLF CLUB, 16 OCTOBER 2021
BY TOM MURPHY A golf fundraiser was held in Maylands Golf Club on Saturday 16 October in aid of the Gaelic Games Junior Academy of WA, GAAWA Minor Board and the Western Australia Irish Famine Commeraration. The day was a great success with 21 teams and 84 players turning out. Huge thanks to all of our sponsors, prize givers, players, Maylands Golf Club and especially Peter McKenna for all his hard work organising the event.
86 | THE IRISH SCENE
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JOINT JUNIOR ACADEMY/MINOR BOARD/WAIFC GOLF FUNDRAISER
Results 1ST PLACE
PJ Kenny & Mark Creavan
2ND PLACE
Liam O’Shea & Lonergan
NAGA
Ciaran Gallagher & Oisin McFadden
LADIES LONGEST DRIVE Mary Doherty
MEN'S LONGEST DRIVE
Shane Power
Sponsors
BC Formwork, Talis Consultants, Final Trim Workforce, Avoka Cafe, McLoughlins Butchers, Durty Nelly’s, SVG, An Sibin, Irish Scene, TNC Websites, DCI Electrical, The Newsletter Company, St Finbarrs GFC, Greenwood GFC, Sarsfields GAA, Western Shamrocks GFC, CLC Building Co, Maylands Golf Club, Reiplant, Pipeline Technics, Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce, JB O’Reillys, Irish Golf Club.
A HUGE THANKS TO ALL OUR SPONSORS!!!
Irish Golf Club Champions event BY PETER McKENNA The winner of the Nett event was Paul Jenkins (pictured on the right) while the winner of the Gross event was PJ Kenny (pictured on the left). The event was played over two rounds at Hartfield and Kwinana golf clubs.
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THE IRISH SCENE | 87
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THE FULL TIME WHISTLE HAS BEEN BLOWN FOR THE LAST TIME AT GRANDIS PARK THIS SEASON AS WE CONCLUDE WHAT HAS BEEN ANOTHER GREAT SEASON ACROSS OUR JUNIOR & SENIOR TEAMS.
Award Winners: TEAM
COACH
PLAYER
State League 1st State League Ressies State League 18s Amateurs Amateur Ressies Metro Prem Metro Div 4 Masters VETS
Ross Jarman Josh Hart Patrick Nonthapak Lucas Reid Jamie Castelo Ross Edwards Chris Boyle Eddie Lewis Robbie Davitt
Callum Trayner Ronan Roarty Patrick Nonthapak Lucas Reid & Dean Cowbrough Jamie Castelo Aidan Lavery Graham Campbell Ross Cosgrave Andy Foster
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Our Juniors ended the season on a high with our U14s and U15s winning their respective leagues. Our 14s Girls team coached by Bryan McCready won the Girls Junior Cup, beating a very strong, previously undefeated Redbacks side. Both our U14s, U14s girls & U13s made it to the final of the Top 4 Cup. Whilst we had no winners on the day, the teams put on a fantastic footballing display and should be extremely proud of their achievements. Some of our Junior teams also travelled to compete in the annual CCJSA Bunbury Soccer Carnival. Teams representing our U12s, 13s, 14s and 15s as well as two of our girls teams enjoyed 2 full days of football and all the fun in between. Lee Blackwell’s Under 14 girls won the Cup for their age group for the second consecutive year
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having dominated their group. And we wrapped our Junior Season up nicely with Junior Trophy Day where everyone across the entire Junior program was recognised and rewarded for their year. It was a great celebration which was enjoyed by everyone. Congratulations to everyone involved across our Senior Teams from State League, Amateurs, Metro, Masters and Vets. Both our Metro Prem and Metro Div 4 teams finished second in their respective leagues, after a competitive season, our Metro Div 4 team being beaten by only 1 point. Our VETS also managed to secure a Top 3 spot, finishing in 3rd place. And it was off to the Woodvale Tavern for our Seniors, Committee Members and major sponsors as they enjoyed our Annual Presentation Night, celebrating with presentations, dinner, drinks and dancing. A fantastic night and a fantastic way to end the 2021 Season.Other worthy award recipients on the night were Dave Reid, Club Person of the Year 2021, Chris Boyle, Golden Boot for Metro Div 4 and Jack Bardsley who won the Michael Harben Young Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive year. And that’s a wrap!! Well at least for some of us…. the committee are busy planning ahead now for the 2022 season. Please keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.
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As always, thank you to our major sponsors, and also to Nicky Edwards for his continued support: PIPELINE TECHNICS
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THE IRISH SCENE | 89
Season’s Greetings from your WA Labor Irish-Australian team
Jessica Stojkovski Member for Kinglsey
Caitlin Collins
David Michael
Member for Hillarys
Stephen Dawson
Member for Balcatta
Member for Mining and Pastoral
Alannah MacTiernan Member for South West
Margaret Quirk Member for Landsdale
walabor.org.au Authorised by Jessica Stojkovski MLA. 4/923 Whitfords Ave, Woodvale WA 6026
Authorised by T. Picton, Level 1/22 Eastbrook Terrace, Perth, WA 6004
90 | THE IRISH SCENE
Alanna Clohesy
Member for East Metropolitan
Fifty years a-growing ON FOOT OF THE RECENT 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GAA IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA, FOUNDING MEMBER FR PÁRAIC KELLY, NOW IN CLAREGALWAY, IRELAND, WROTE TO IRISH SCENE TO SHARE SOME OF HIS FOND MEMORIES OF THOSE EARLY DAYS IN PERTH AND THE PERSONALITIES INVOLVED. AN INCREASINGLY RARE THING TO RECEIVE A HANDWRITTEN LETTER (DATED 7TH SEPTEMBER) IN THIS DAY AND AGE WE HAVE REPRODUCED THE CONTENTS OF THE LETTER AS FOLLOWS. Dear Lloyd, I heard from Tommi Kearns that you are celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the foundation of the GAA in Western Australia. As you know I was involved in its beginnings in 1970. It started in a very simple way, when I met Martin McHale, a Mayo man at a gathering in the Irish Club (then in Highgate). Martin had already bought a football from a sports shop in Perth so we got going without much delay. We also got some fabric from which his wife made two sets of jerseys, a green one and a red one. It was on the Esplanade in Perth city that we began. Later we moved to the Norbertine grounds, which they kindly gave us to use as well as a dressing room. Among those to join us early on was Noel Colgan, R.I.P, Mick Dennehy, Mick Healy, Paddy Quirke, Brother Iggy Hannick, Denis Bratton, Felix McKnight, John Murphy and Tommi Kearns. Early on we formed a committee of which I was chairperson, Noel Colgan vice chair and Martin McHale was secretary. Mike Dennehy was a committee member. St. Brendan’s College in Hilton was our initial meeting place. Our publicity began through the Catholic paper ‘The Record’, which covered our matches. We used a simple system of picking two teams, comprised of those who turned up. When we had thirty or more players, we picked captain who in turn picked five or six players who formed the basic unit every Sunday. Others who turned up were picked to make up fifteen players on each of the two teams playing on that Sunday. That was initially seen on a league basis. As far as I can remember that was how the initial Fr. Kelly cup came in as the prize to be played for. We had some great matches and very enjoyable times. Wives, girlfriends and children gathered for these matches. In those days too in the early seventies, there was a hostel in Noalimba for newly arrived immigrants to WA. As it happened I used to celebrate the
Fr Kelly (left) and Tommi Kearns
9 o’clock mass in Brentwood where the hostel was situated. It meant I met newly arrived immigrants after mass and told them about the GAA. The GAA matches became a place of information about work opportunities as well as accommodation. I have memories of great matches we played. We played a Pinjarra team, and another time we played a game at Mundaring Shire festival. It was around St. Patrick’s Day, terribly hot and no grass as yet on the pitch, we made a pact before the match not to shoulder one another, because of the danger of getting hurt on the ground. One man disobeyed that rule and big Martin McHale, who we called the ‘Horse’ bit the dust. The services of Dr. Felix McKnight were called upon and soon big Mac was back on his feet again. Denis Bratton was playing with us, a member of a famous Armagh football team. He was an accomplished footballer, left or right. Brother Iggy Hannick, a Mayo man was also another fine footballer. Denis was about to shoot for goal when Iggy gave him a shoulder and put him flying into a pool of water. We have many memories of happy days and incidents. Some Aussie Rules lads began to play with us, Primo Chiare, I remember in particular. I believe he later became President of the WA GAA. It gives me great joy and happy memories as I look back on those days of simple beginnings and now to see how the GAA has flourished there, the four football clubs, the few hurling clubs, Camogie and all the underage teams which is a tribute to the men and women that took over the Association. The GAA has now its own grounds, dressing rooms etc. Having left WA in 1973 I went to Zambia in Central Africa in 1974, retiring from there in 201 and now living in SMA House, Claregalway, Co. Galway. Páraic Kelly.
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THE IRISH SCENE | 91
@GAAINWA
Consul Cup Finals THE GAA WA GAELIC FOOTBALL SEASON CULMINATED IN OUR SEPTEMBER FINALS DAY DOWN AT TOM BATEMAN RESERVE IN THORNLIE. CONDITIONS WERE PERFECT AND A LARGE CROWD OF ALL AGES CAME DOWN TO ENJOY THE FOOTBALL, CELTIC ACADEMY'S IRISH DANCING, MUSIC FROM CHART TOPPER, JONNY REID AND THE EVER POPULAR BOUNCEY CASTLE. AS ALWAYS, THEY WERE KEPT WELL FED AND REFRESHED THANKS TO GROUNDS MANAGER, SEAN O’CASEY AND HIS TEAM. THE FINALS WERE LIVE STREAMED ON AUSTRALASIA GAA’S YOUTUBE AND COMMENTATED UPON BY MORLEY’S ENTERTAINING MICK O’CALLAGHAN AND GREENWOOD’S FOUNTAIN OF KNOWLEDGE, DARREN HAND. OUR THANKS GOES TO THEM FOR ENHANCING THE OCCASION WITH THEIR LIVELY WIT AND WISDOM! 92 | THE IRISH SCENE
WOMEN’S FINAL The women opened proceedings with Western Shamrocks taking on League winners, Southern Districts. Having beaten Shamrocks already in their path to the final, Southerns went into the final firm favourites but this certainly did not deter a confident Shamrocks squad who laid down a marker from the throw-in as full forward, Bernie Egan Mc Crann took a well executed, early point. What followed was another tight battle between the two teams in what has become typical of the 2021 season. A nervous looking Districts took their time to find their feet, centre forward Grainne Mclean pointing from a close range free to leave it two points to one after ten minutes. This was cancelled out immediately with an Edwina O’Donnell point that could have rattled the net instead. Shamrocks created plenty of opportunity to build their lead further but were disappointed with a number of wides before Egan pointed twice to pull further ahead. At this point, Shamrocks had gained a numerical advantage with the sinbinning of the influential Eimear Teague Mossey after a collision of bodies around the middle. This, and the pressure from Shamrocks on kickouts, made scant the ball coming out of defence for Districts so McLean capitalised on one stampede forward to take a fine individual score from the outside of the left boot leaving just two in it. Having struggled to gain possession in the opening quarter, Southern Districts finally seemed to have found their feet with an injection of pace and ball winning ability coming from the introduction of Maureen Teague Kelly. However, timely interventions from the likes of Eliza Bullock,
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 stfinbarrsgfc@outlook.com
WESTERN SHAMROCKS Mens & Ladies Senior Football westernshamrocks@hotmail.com
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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Johanna Kelly and the always solid net-minder, Laura Shaughnessy, were to prove vital for Shamrocks in controlling the damage done in this period. Sharon Cassidy hit a long-range point before Amy Cox and O’Donnell swapped fine points for the sides and McClean showed off the outside of the left again. Shamrocks kicked on when the sprightly Eileen McElroy made a foraging run to earn herself a free, duly converted by Cassidy. O’Donnell finished a lively half with a point to leave it eight points to four in favour of the Western women. Southern’s wing back, Ciara Durnien surged forward early in the second half, laying off to Cox for a score. It was a sign of things to come as Shamrocks immediately counteracted with a confident run from Amy Mulholland to set up Cassidy again. Districts registered several wides in a row early in this half before their full forward, Amanda Ward was put through on goal to leave the bare minimum between them. The Shamrocks response was to be the story of the game though, with three successive points from Egan and Cassidy entirely cancelling out the District’s major before Durnien fought back with her own point this time. This seemed to ignite Districts with some good work at the back from Shovlin and another run from Durnien eventually resulting in a Sarah Donnelly point despite the attentions of a determined Shamrock’s full back line. At this point, Cassidy continued her fine exhibition of free taking for Western Shamrocks with another conversion before Districts keeper, Robyn Williams kept them in the game by her fingertips nudging Egan’s powerful effort over the bar. Despite the driving runs of Grainne Byrne, Durnien and the Teague sisters for Southern Districts, their late possession was to prove fruitless through a combination of poor shot selection and a green wall of solid defensive play from Bullock, McElroy and Shauneen Brady. Carrie Keenan combined with Durnien to set up Donnelly for a point off the inside of the post and that would be Districts’ final score. Shamrock’s Eimear Murphy took off on an extended run to lay O’Donnell off for a shot which initially appeared to be saved but was deemed to have just touched the roof of the net. This killed off the game and left Western Shamrocks deserved Women’s Champions for 2021. Congratulations to Shauneen Brady who received player of the match and Morley Gael’s Noelle Ward who picked up WA’s Best and Fairest. A special word of thanks goes to Women in Sport WA and their associated photographers who took the time to visit our games frequently and record the action for us. Check out our socials for more images.
N BA
GAA GROUNDS
Tom Bateman Reserve Corner Bannister & Nicholson Rds (entrance off Wilfred Rd) Canning Vale
THE IRISH SCENE | 93
GAAWA
MEN’S FINAL After a very entertaining exhibition from the WA GAA Junior Academy the men’s final got under way between Southern Districts and St Finbarr’s. Despite their female counterpart’s earlier demise, Districts had much to be hopeful about given their unbeaten record throughout the season. The game got off to a frantic start with rushed passes and unforced errors aplenty before Southern’s front man, Aaron McCarney, opened the scoring with a close range free. Wing back, Alan Lynam wasted no time in responding as he drove forward to execute a high shot of his left boot. After a shaky start, St Finbarr’s began to control things around the middle, winning more than their fair share of kickouts and Galway’s experienced Ronan O’Flaherty orchestrating the play. Paulie O’Donoghue made the most of a sharp ball in from Paul Power to turn his man and fist over the bar. Solid defending from both sides, with Mickeys, Kelly and Mossey, Peadar Faughan and John Donnelly all hoovering up errant passes, saw a low-scoring opening quarter before Finbarr’s corner forward, Power and midfielder, Stephen Murphy, both pointed from play and O’Donoghue made the most of a long range free off the ground to push Districts four points adrift. Val Mulkerrins cut the deficit to three finishing off a series of play he started with a well-earned point. This seemed to spur Districts on as they upped the pressure on Finbarr’s possession to win back the kickout and break forward. Caught on the hop, with three Districts men inside, Paul Ronan weighed up his options and decided the take down was on as he dragged ball carrier Mickey Kennedy to ground. A black card resulted but the goal chance was eliminated as Districts had to settle for a converted McCarney free. A further free from the Fintona man left the bare minimum between the sides before Shane Flynn showed his worth to win a long ball in that would eventually result in another O’Donoghue point. Impact subs, Shane Power and Flynn, combined in winning another scorable free for O’Donoghue. Districts then tried a rare, short kickout to start a determined run from Kenny Foley which led to a ball starved Marcus O’Neill getting his name on 94 | THE IRISH SCENE
the scoresheet. This left it seven points to five for the Finbarr’s men on the break. District’s high tower, Caoimhghin McDonnell, set out his intentions from the throw up as he drove forward to supply McCarney for a spectacular opening score. However, the ever industrious Finbarr’s side capitalised on what they could, with O’Flaherty pouncing on a Kevin Canavan save to point before O’Donoghue won a wayward shot at the end line to score another. They continued to benefit from wayward shots as the livestream showed Flynn’s wide ball fooled the far umpire into raising the white flag despite his near official signaling wide; should have gone to you know where! Darren Magennis showed his strength and power to break forward for Districts with a ball off the outside of the boot to McCarney for a forward mark who chose to finish with the right this time. The threepoint margin didn’t last long as the roving Shane Power shrugged off any injury concerns to power through the District’s defence for the all important goal. Both teams registered a couple of wides before another McCarney free. This was to be cancelled out with a comfortable point from Thomas Cooper Fahy following some calm play from O’Flaherty and Martin Atkinson around the middle. At this point Districts threw caution to the wind with James Leacy and Kennedy turnovers resulting in two more well taken points for McCarney before Eoghan Farrell was pulled down on a pointed run. McCarney’s resulting long range free off the ground was to end the day’s scoring with St Finbarr’s taking home a well-earned 1:12 to 12 point victory. Congratulations to this year’s joint Best and Fairest, Southern District’s Aaron McCarney and St Finbarr’s Paul Power. A final note of gratitude goes to our referees on the day, Alan Burke and Robbie O'Callaghan as well as all our other referees and match officials throughout the season.
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facebook.com/ggjawa Call/text: 0415 048 425 Email: infoggjunioracademy@gmail.com ggjunioracademy@gmail.com Web: ggjaofwa.teamapp.com SPONSORED BY
It has been a busy few weeks with our new season well underway. The change in time and venue seems to be suiting a lot more people with 120 children participating. Our amazing coaches agree that not having to contend with wintry, cold mornings is a positive! Families are also enjoying being able to catch up with others while their children are training. The Jim Stynes Memorial Cup (combined Gaelic football and AFL rules) held on 10 October was a big success with 121 boys from nine teams in attendance. The Academy and six AFL Junior clubs - Bayswater, Brighton Seahawks, Sorrento Duncraig, Marist and Whitfords competed for the trophy. Everyone enjoyed themselves and
it was a nail biting, close final, with the Academy winning by 1 point from Whitfords. This year saw three girls teams (Piara Waters, Sorrento and the Academy) play exhibition matches on the day. Thirty six girls enjoyed the opportunity to display their skills and take part in the event which was kindly sponsored by Pipeline Technics. The day would not happen without our dedicated Committee, coaches, referees and supporters who give their time and energies both before and on the day to ensure the event is well run. It was also great to see our own “Academy kids”, Glen and Charlie now at an age where they were able to put their referee training into practise.
With the change to our season times, this event enabled our younger Academy kids to be involved, with families making it a day out and the children having the opportunity to play at HBF Stadium. Congratulations must also go out to Debbie Teahan and Gerry Crowley who were made life members of the GAAWA at the recent 50th Anniversary of GAA in Western Australia. The awards recognise their efforts in establishing the Academy back in 2012 and their ongoing contribution to Gaelic Games in Western Australia. Much deserved!
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LOIS CROWLEY
SECRETARY, GAELIC GAMES JUNIOR ACADEMY OF WA
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