They broke the ground for the generations to follow. The Old Ghan railway was a major achievement, not only providing an essential service but in showing what is required to live and work in this challenging environment. Continue reading
Filed under Irish Australian History …
From Tipperary to Outback Australia
Today, a hundred and eighty years later I stand near his grave in the hot, dry semi-desert land of the Australian ‘outback.’ Emigrating to Australia in the 1860s and becoming one of the burgeoning numbers of the Irish diaspora, John, better known as Jack, was part of a heroic effort to develop this new and challenging land, so different in every way from the green fields of Tipperary. Continue reading
Middleton’s Irish connection
The name Middleton seemed appropriate for this midpoint between Goolwa and Port Elliot, but I was unable to pinpoint where in Ireland the original Middleton was, presumably a place between two towns or village Continue reading
Australian Human Rights Commission Voice Referendum
The Commission’s contribution to the 2023 referendum is independent and non-partisan, appropriate to its role as a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI). We encourage and support the Australian public to consider the Voice proposal and associated referendum through a human rights lens. Continue reading
The Dictionary and Lost Irish Words
Is there bias in dictionary compiling? Ultimately, yes. Continue reading
Anne Casey Sydney Irish Poet
The bilingual poem below was commissioned as part of the Red Room Poetry Fellowship 2022 Continue reading
You’ll take a cup of tea? Archaeological evidence for tea drinking at Baker’s Flat, South Australia
The fineness of the design and the stippling indicate a manufacture date in the early nineteenth century, suggesting that the teacup may have been brought to South Australia in an emigrant’s baggage rather than purchased locally in the years after arrival. Continue reading
ISAANZ 26 call for papers June 16 extension
It’s been a difficult few years for researchers in Irish disapora studies, but things are looking up now with the Global Irish Studies Conference in South Africa in July (see What’s On ), and here in Australia it is pleasing to see the ISAANZ conference 26 is planned for December in Melbourne. The call for … Continue reading
A Right Royal Cup of Tay
Tea drinking may be associated with English culture, but it is still very much part of Irish culture too. Continue reading
Slán ó Chroí le Maelíosa Stafford Goodbye from the Heart
We are saddened to hear of the untimely death of Maolíosa Stafford. Tomás de Bhaldraithe has sent us this account of Maelíosa’s many achievements followed by a translation: Continue reading
