Remember the Irish who made their mark in Tasmania

On St Patrick’s Day, consider the rich and colourful legacy of those who landed here, by choice or not, says Reg Watson

IT will be St Patrick’s Day tomorrow, an annual event that is widely celebrated and promoted, when the wearing of the green and of the shamrock is fashionable throughout the world.

Festivities take place to recall and declare all things Irish.

What of the contribution the Irish have made to Tasmania? Bushrangers such as Martin Cash, Rocky Whelan and Larry Kavanagh were Irish and we tend to think that the majority of convicts who came to Tasmania were Irish. This is not necessarily true. About 25 per cent of all convicts were Irish, therefore leaving more than 70 per cent English, with a spattering of other nationalities and backgrounds making up the rest. Out of all types of convicts, the Scots were the best educated, the English had a literacy rate to some degree of 50 per cent, the Irish the lowest.

Most of the Irish convicts were sentenced because of criminal acts, but many also were victims of a defective land system, which meant the peasant became increasingly dependent on the landlords. Many were transported on what was called “white boy” offences, ranging from disturbances and taking illegal oaths to stealing cattle, sheep and horses, particularly in times of hardship, such as the potato crop failure.

The worst offenders were transported to Van Diemens Land then to Macquarie Harbour. Peak transport took place during the 1830s.

There were also political prisoners such as the seven Irish exiles to Van Diemens Land, John Mitchel, Thomas Francis Meagher, John Martin, William Smith O’Brien, Kevin O’Doherty, Terence MacManus and Patrick O’Donohoe. They were sent to their penal home in 1849 and 1850. Several successfully escaped while, one was caught in the act and the others were pardoned by Queen Victoria. Three of the seven exiles were Protestant.

So what has their contribution to Tasmania been? As with many thousands of Tasmanians, from a very difficult beginning they carved a life for themselves, foundations of which seceding generations have built on. The Irish blended in well. Even though they kept their religion and their pride in being Irish,

overall there was little confrontation in Tasmania. Most worked hard, many made good for themselves. Hard-working, law-biding, moral, strong family people. Was it a struggle? Naturally.

The Irish legacy in Tasmania lives on. The Irish largely settled towns such a Richmond and Westbury and many Tasmanians have Irish Christian names or surnames. Out of their religion come magnificent cathedrals such as St Mary’s and St Joseph’s.

All Labor premiers of Tasmania until Eric Reece were of Irish and Catholic stock. One of the most colourful and interesting premiers was Edmund DwyerGray. He was a staunch Tasmanian who worked for secession, believing Federation had not been kind to the island he loved and served. As an Irishman he loved his whiskey, which was a bit of a problem.

We must not forget that our international film star, Errol Flynn was of Irish stock. Errol was more prone to claim Irish ancestry than his Tasmanian origins, something we Tasmanians tend to forget.

Militarily of course, their contribution to our war effort was strong. During the Boer War, they sympathised generally with the hardy Boer, but during World War I their contribution is without question and they suffered the price as well as everyone else. During World War II they had so harmonised with the rest of the population they were no longer, by a large degree, distinct from the rest of the population.

Our affection for Ireland should be strong, not forgetting the influence it has had in shaping our state, which cannot be underestimated. Irish humour is world-renowned. They have the wonderful ability to be able to laugh at themselves, something which (and they may not like to admit it) they have in common with the English. We all have our “Irish” joke. Maybe politically incorrect, but the beauty is, the Irish join in.

Reg A. Watson is a Tasmanian historian and author. His great grandmother Isabella Cavanagh was Irish and Catholic and married John Wentworth Watson on the Ballarat goldfields.