The branches were bending in the wind. Branches. An Craoibhín Aoibhinn. That was the pen name of the writer Douglas Hyde… Continue reading
Filed under emigration …
The Detail is Where Angels Lurk
The sense of life’s possibilities that this family history suggests is intoxicating. Continue reading
Assisted Irish Migrants to New South Wales in the 19th century
Was the period between 1840 and 1869 the one when the influence of the Irish, at least, numerically, was strongest in colonial Australia? How do we account for the fluctuations? Continue reading
Why Do You Write in Irish?
The world seemed clear. The questions started later in life or when we went to the cities and were asked to convert and change our language to English, sometimes politely sometimes not so much. We got used to the requests, ‘can you please say that in English?’ or the statements ‘We speak English in here’ or ‘I’m afraid we don’t speak that language here’. Continue reading
What’s in the name ‘Sheila’? new research
According to Diarmaid Ó Muirithe, the name Sheila derives from Cecily, ‘the English form of the Latin name of the…virgin martyr St Cecilia…The Anglo-Normans brought the name to Ireland and in time it became in the Irish language Síle.. Continue reading
The Nation writers emigrate to Melbourne
It is a remarkable fact that three writers associated with The Nation newspaper emigrated to Melbourne in the mid-1850s: Edward Hayes, Charles Gavan Duffy and Gerald Henry Supple. Professionally diverse, they shared a deep love of poetry and song. Continue reading
My Irish Story
From Limerick and Wicklow, now with a street named after a member of the family. Continue reading
Poems by David Harris
Today, on our morning swim together.
I watch her dive, hair streaming,
at home among the waves…
You won’t find these in the bush.
Thistles, nettles, tumbleweed,
three-cornered jacks, horehound, Continue reading
A Brief History of the Irish in Australia
A summary of Irish role in history and literature of Australia, written prior to more recent research and publications in the area. Continue reading
Ghosts of Irish-Australia
A voice from the next life recalls his time with use Continue reading
