Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Hijacking of Archbishop Daniel Mannix

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On 29 April 2021 I gave a talk to the National Maritime Museum of Ireland entitled ‘A Victory Comparable to Jutland: the Royal Navy’s Hijacking of Archbishop Daniel Mannix in 1920’. The talk was recorded and is available for viewing at the museum’s website or directly through YouTube

Here is the description of the talk: On 8 August 1920 the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Cork-born Daniel Mannix, was travelling from New York to Queenstown aboard the SS Baltic when he was arrested off the coast of Ireland by the Royal Navy and transferred to a destroyer, HMS Wivern, which landed him at Penzance in England.… Read the rest

Susan Ryan: a daughter of St Brigid

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News of the sudden death of Susan Ryan AO came as a shock to many Australians, including myself. Just a few days before, she had participated in a zoom meeting of the Aisling Society of Sydney, of which I am the honorary secretary. She was hail and hearty as ever. Tributes soon began to flow, focusing on her political career and her contribution to the rights of women and to the aged.… Read the rest

Irish Elections 2020

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On 8 February 2020 the Irish people went to the polls to elect Dáil Éireann, the 160-seat lower house of the Irish parliament. The result was remarkable for two main reasons. Firstly, Sinn Féin, traditionally a fringe-dweller of politics in the Republic of Ireland, had received the highest number of first-preference votes, and with 37 seats was the second largest party.… Read the rest

Aisling 20/20 Vision

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The Australian Irish community in Sydney celebrated the St Brigid’s Day Festival in 2020 with readings, music performances and poetry showcasing the historical and cultural contribution of Irish-Australian women in shaping modern Australia.

As part of the celebrations the Aisling Society of Sydney, an Irish-Australian cultural organisation founded in 1955 (http://aislingsociety.org.au) hosted the Aisling 20/20 Vision colloquium at the State Library of New South Wales under the auspices of the Consulate-General of Ireland.… Read the rest

Sectarianism: Did Western Australia avoid the worst of it?

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Having written books and articles dealing with sectarianism in early twentieth-century Australia, I have been intrigued by the fact that Western Australia seems to have escaped its worst excesses. A conference in Perth under the auspices of the Archdiocesan Archives Office gave me an opportunity to explore whether that was true and, if so, why.

The conference was held on Holy Thursday 18 April 2019 in collaboration with the Centre for Faith Enrichment to celebrate World Heritage Day.… Read the rest

Hugh Mahon Biography

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In the early years of the Common-wealth Hugh Mahon was one of Australia’s most controversial politicians, both revered and reviled. He has the distinction of being the only member expelled from the Commonwealth parliament. That was in 1920 after he criticised British rule in Ireland, leading the prime minister WM Hughes to accuse him of “seditious and disloyal utterances”.… Read the rest

Battle of Kosturino: the Irish-Australian connection

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December 7 marks the 101st anniversary of the Battle of Kosturino, a little-known action in the little-known Macedonian campaign during the very well-known First World War. While this minor clash in the Balkans in December 1915 is of little significance in the overall context of the war, its interest for me as an Australian is that the battle involved troops from the 10th (Irish) Division, recently transferred from Gallipoli where the division’s 29th Brigade had served alongside the Anzacs during the August offensive at Lone Pine, Quinn’s Post, Chunuk Bair and Hill 60.… Read the rest

22nd Australasian Irish Studies Conference, Adelaide

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The Irish Studies Association of Australia and New Zealand held its 22nd conference at Flinders University, Adelaide from 29 November to 2 December 2016. The keynote speakers were Professor David Fitzpatrick (Trinity College Dublin), Professor Melanie Oppenheimer (Flinders University) and Dr Maggie Ivanova (Flinders University). Numerous other papers were given on various topics under the common theme of “Change, Commemoration, Community”.… Read the rest

21st Australasian Irish Studies Conference

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The 21st Australasian Irish Studies conference will be held at Maynooth University from 18 to 20 June 2015. The conference series was initiated in 1980 by the renowned Irish historian Oliver MacDonagh. Keynote lectures will be given by distinguished scholars including Guy Beiner from Israel and the Irish scholars Margaret Kelleher and Terence Dooley. The strong international character of the conference is ensured as a result of proposals from Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Britain, the United States, Spain, Belgium, Serbia, Italy and Korea.… Read the rest