The Story
Young Ireland emerged in Dublin in 1840 as a political, social and cultural movement that aimed to restore national pride and establish Ireland as an independent nation. People who identified with the Young Ireland movement were called “Young Irelanders”.
After the Great Irish Famine commenced in 1845, Young Ireland became increasingly critical of the British government for allowing the continued export of food to Britain, under armed guard, while the Irish poor starved on the blight-affected potato crop.
In 1848 the leader of Young Ireland, William Smith O’Brien, a member of the British parliament, planned an armed rebellion to force Britain to concede Irish self-government. Although only a minor skirmish ensued, seven Young Irelanders were convicted of treasonous offences and transported to Van Diemen’s Land.
This concert uses quotes and relevant music from the period to tell the story of William Smith O’Brien, John Mitchel, Thomas Meagher, Terence MacManus, Kevin O’Doherty, John Martin and Patrick O’Donohoe’s time in Van Diemen’s Land.
These Young Irelanders were in the colony for only five years but they left a lasting impression. O’Brien helped to develop the constitution for the emerging state of Tasmania. There are numerous physical reminders of the Young Irelanders, especially at Maria Island, Port Arthur, Bothwell, New Norfolk, Richmond and Westbury. Historians indicate that Young Ireland’s minor rebellion in 1848 was a significant step in Ireland’s long path to nationhood.
Sources
Boyce, J. (2008). Van Diemen’s Land. Black Inc., Melbourne
Cullen, J.H. (1928). Young Ireland in Exile: The Story of the Men of '48 in Tasmania. Talbot Press, Dublin
Davis, R. (ed.) (1995). 'To Solitude Consigned': The Tasmanian Journal of William Smith O'Brien 1849-1853. Crossing Press, Sydney
Kee, R. (1980). Ireland — A History. Weidenfield & Nicolson, London
Keneally, T. (1998). The Great Shame. Random House, Australia
Kiernan, T.J. (1954). The Irish Exiles in Australia, Burns & Oates, London
Kuntz, A and Pelliccioni, V.M (2018). The Traditional Tune Archive, https://tunearch.org/wiki
MacFie, P. (2011). Thomas Meagher, Sergeant Daniel Murphy and the Bennett Family. Papers and Proceedings: Tasmanian Historical Research Association 58: 100-114
Mitchel, J. (1854). Jail Journal, or Five Years in British Prisons. The Citizen, New York
O’Brien, W. S. (1853). Outlines of a new Constitution. Published anonymously in the Launceston Examiner, 31 August
O'Shaughnessy, P. (ed.) (1988). The Gardens of Hell: John Mitchel in Van Diemen's Land 1850–1853, Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst (New South Wales)
Quinn, J. (2015). Young Ireland and the Writing of Irish History. University College Dublin Press
Stevenson, M. (1995). Doomed to vanish: family can no longer keep up grand old home. The Examiner, Launceston, 13 May
The Writers of The Nation (1843). Spirit of the Nation. Duffy, Dublin
University of Tasmania (2018). Young Irelanders: Exiles in Paradise. https://www.utas.edu.au/young-irelanders.
