Mass emigration of tenants evicted from Offaly estate to be remembered in Australia

February 7 last marked the 160th Anniversary of the departure of the Erin-go-Bragh from Cobh on its long and difficult journey to Brisbane, Australia.

The 160th anniversary of her arrival into Brisbane on August 2, 1862 was celebrated by the descendants of both her passengers and crew.

The Erin-go-Bragh (Ireland Forever) was originally called the Florida. It was an ironic name change as the passengers would never see their homeland again, although they always kept Ireland and the families they left behind in their hearts and memories.

The Erin-go-Bragh was the first ship to carry mainly Irish emigrants to start a new life in Queensland, Australia. Many of the emigrant families on board had been evicted by Lord Digby from the Barony of Geashill, outside Tullamore. Lord Digby’s eviction of these poor families caused a scandal in the Irish press and parliament at the time.

Fr Patrick Dunne from the Tullamore parish who had spent time on the Australian gold fields, worked with Bishop James Quinn (Diocese of Brisbane) and the Queensland Immigration Society to arrange passage and land orders to both assist these evicted families and to help to bolster the number of Catholic immigrants into Queensland. It was the first of many ships which helped to build a strong Irish community. At the time, the local Brisbane press said that Bishop Quinn was trying to create “Quinnsland” instead of Queensland through Irish immigration.

In 1861, Fr Dunne toured the towns and villages around Tullamore to encourage dispossessed families to emigrate to Australia for a better life. With the American Civil war underway and only poverty and starvation awaiting them in Ireland, many signed up for this journey hoping for a brighter future.

Fr Dunne arranged for a special train from Tullamore to take around 400 emigrants to meet the Erin-go-Bragh in Cobh for its departure on February 7, 1862. Fr Dunne then accompanied the families on their journey to Australia.

A number of stories have survived from the Erin-go-Bragh’s journey including a happy, but possibly apocryphal tale from St Patrick’s Day, when a new born baby was presented to Fr Dunne for Baptism. Being St Patrick’s Day, Fr Dunne announced that naturally the infant would take the name Patrick in honour of St Patrick. The day after the Baptism, the parents let Fr Dunne know that Patrick was in fact a girl and she was renamed Patricia.

Sadly, the Erin-go-Bragh’s journey was less than smooth sailing, as she had the longest journey and most deaths of any migrant ship into Brisbane.

Battling strong headwinds and a leaking hull, the Erin-go-Bragh took six months to make the journey from Cobh to Brisbane. This was twice the time of the usual 3 month journey. Her frustrated passengers nicknamed her the “Erin-go-Slow”.

While Captain Borlaise and his crew did the best they could, 54 passengers (including 41 children) died mainly from communicable diseases on their journey. The death rate on the Erin-go-Bragh was nearly 7 ½ times the average for such a journey.

The final death on the journey occurred as the ship arrived off Brisbane with a young mother passing away from complications in childbirth after losing her child just days earlier. She was buried in an unmarked grave on one of the islands near where the other passengers where quarantined before being allowed into Brisbane. Years later, her husband returned to find her grave, but unfortunately it couldn’t be located and its location still remains a mystery to this day.

For the past few years, the Erin-go-Bragh descendants gather on St Patrick’s Day and on the anniversary of her arrival into Brisbane to remember the sacrifices of their ancestors, the many lives lost, the efforts of the Erin-go-Bragh’s crew and the generosity of the Queensland Catholic community which had supported their voyage to Australia.

At each anniversary commemoration, the Erin-go-Bragh descendants read the names of all 54 passengers who passed away en route and lay flowers in the Brisbane River as a mark of their respect and gratitude.

The Erin-go-Bragh’s descendants include many well know Australians, but perhaps the best known internationally are Patrick Rafter, past international tennis player and footballer Clare Polkinghorne who is one of the most capped Australian footballers, male or female across all football codes.

In August 2022, the Erin-go-Bragh’s descendants will gather to commemorate the 160th Anniversary of her arrival into Brisbane. They will gather in Captain John Burke Park which was named after one of the Erin-go-Bragh’s crew who went on to own one of Brisbane’s biggest shipping firms.

Michael Nayler, an Erin-go-Bragh descendant from the Rafter and Deering families said, “It is a privilege to gather with other descendants to commemorate and say thanks for the strength, resilience and bravery of all who made this perilous journey.”

Mr Nayler invited all descendants, Irish relations and anyone else who may be interested in learning more about the Erin-go-Bragh’s story and upcoming events to join the Erin-go-Bragh’s Facebook page – @eringobragh1862.