A Report by Bernie Brophy
Celebrations took place in and around Fremantle, Western Australia, between the 23rd and 31st March 2026 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Australia’s most daring maritime prison break in April 1876. Six Irish political prisoners, known as Fenians, were rescued by an American whaling-ship, the Catalpa, which had travelled from New Bedford, Massachusetts, in April 1875 to carry out the rescue.
Readers are referred to my article published in Tinteán on 10/10/2025 which tells the story of how the dramatic rescue was effected.
The festival to celebrate the occasion was arranged by Fenians Fremantle & Freedom Inc. and was extremely well attended .
The festivities commenced with the excellent play Catalpa: Flight to Freedom on the evening of 23rdh March. It was performed to a sell-out crowd at the atmospheric Fremantle Prison. It is hoped that the play will go on tour around Australia over the next 12 months.
During the week there was an afternoon featuring Irish poet Tony Curtis and a History Symposium with speakers and panelists from the University of Notre Dame speaking about the political and historical context in which the escape took place
On Saturday 28th March there was Oral History in the Pub. The morning featured Fenian history custodians sharing their stories and a Q and A. The speakers spoke about who the Fenians were, the vision to free the 6 military Fenians and what was happening on the ground from an Australian perspective.
In the afternoon session, the escape was looked at from the American perspective. Jim Ryan is the great grandson of the Catalpa Captain, George Anthony. He came to the Festival from New Bedford, U.S.A. He has done extensive research into his family history and spoke about what prompted his great grandfather to take on the challenge and responsibility of this daring escape – ‘because it was the right thing to do’.
Peter Murphy, writer and historian from Bunbury, spoke about what happened to the Fenian escapees after the Catalpa rescue
Frank MacGabhann, visiting from Dublin, is a lawyer and playwright. He was originally from New York where his great-aunts cared for the Catalpa mastermind, John Devoy, towards the end of his life. Frank is an advocate of the Fremantle Fenians. He has written a screenplay on the Catalpa rescue and is in the process of raising funds in Ireland for the production of a film on the great escape.
On the Saturday night, Declan O`Rourke from Ireland, internationally renowned singer and songwriter, performed at a special concert in Perth, including singing a Catalpa song he had written on his arrival in Fremantle.
On Sunday 29th March, there was a family day at the WA Maritime Museum and a live podcast featuring an interview with Jim Ryan. Jim brought with him various items of memorabilia relating to the Catalpa including the original flag of ownership of the ship, the Contract of Sale for the purchase of the ship by JT Richardson, and other documents. As a young boy, Jim had discovered these materials in an attic at his grandfather’s house, sparking his interest in the Catalpa story.
To round off the festival, an Irish music night followed on Sunday night at Clancy’s Fish Pub in Fremantle, featuring local group The Deadly Woodbines.
In Dublin, the original American flag from the Catalpa is currently on display at the National Museum of Ireland. In April there was an exhibition telling the Catalpa Rescue story on display in the corridors of Ireland`s Parliament House in Dublin.
Also in April this year, a replica of the Catalpa’s American flag was raised over the New York City docks and at the New Bedford Courthouse.
Congratulations should be extended to Margo O’Byrne, Chairperson of Fenians Fremantle & Freedom Inc, and her committee for a most enjoyable and well organised commemoration. Truly a special occasion to celebrate a successful venture requiring co-operation between people from Ireland, America and Australia in the fight for Irish independence.
Bernie Brophy
Bernie is a great great nephew of Hugh Francis Brophy, one of the 62 Fenians transported to Australia on the last convict ship, the Hougoumont, which arrived in Fremantle in January 1868. The Fremantle Fenian Freedom group arranged a commemoration of the 150th anniversary of this event in Fremantle in January 2018. The writer and other Fenian descendants from Australia and Ireland participated in these commemorative activities, along with many other interested members of the general public.SearchSearch
Tinteán 