The Crew
"Only those who have stood within the bars and heard the din of devils and the appalling sounds of despair can imagine the horrors of the hold of a convict ship."
- John Boyle O'Reilly
John Boyle O’Reilly
Some men overcome adversity. Others make an art of it. In 1867 John Boyle O’Reilly was given a sentence second only to death in its severity: transportation. O’Reilly, however, was no ordinary convict. He published poetry throughout the harrowing journey to Australia and, once there, outwitted prison guards to escape to America.
JANE CASTINGS
She was caught and convicted for receiving stolen goods of cheese and bacon in Leicester, England. She trained and paid a group of teenage boys to steal the goods that she requested. In 1846, Jane left her husband and children behind and was transported for seven years to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) aboard the Sea Queen.
CORNELIUS DWYER KANE
Cornelius Dwyer Kane (aka Keane) (1839-1891) had been a law clerk from Skibbereen, County Cork, Ireland. Transported aboard the Hougoumont, Kane was conditionally pardoned in 1871, but was forbidden from returning to Ireland, so he never reunited with his wife and children there. He did, however, settle in Queensland and became a civil servant.
MICHAEL HARRINGTON
A British conscript turned infamous convict, Michael Harrington is perhaps best known for orchestrating one of the most daring escapes from Australia. In 1876, Harrington, along with six others, braved a massive typhoon in nothing more than a tiny rowboat to board an American whaling ship in what is now remembered as the "Catalpa Rescue."
ROBERT CRANSTON
Born in County Tyrone, Cranston joined the British Army and then the Fenians. Like JB O’Reilly, Cranston recruited fellow soldiers from the British Army into the Fenian Brotherhood and was arrested in 1866. He was sent to prison in England, then transported to Western Australia where he became one of the six Catalpa escapees. He later settled in Philadelphia, where he died in 1914.
JAMES KIELEY
James also played a part in the “Catalpa Rescue,” which obviously didn’t go to plan. He was convicted, sent to Western Australia “for life” imprisonment, however he was granted a pardon by the King in 1905.
JAMES WILSON
"Remember this is a voice from the tomb. For is this not a living tomb?" - James Wilson. Though his early life is shrouded in mystery, James Wilson's time in Australia is immortalized in his letter "A Voice from the Tomb," which describes the penal colony experience in vivid detail.
MICHAEL MOORE
Moore, a blacksmith, was probably from Dublin. He was a Fenian but not a member of the British army. He was arrested in 1865 and later transported to Western Australia aboard the Hougoumont. He was pardoned, along with other political prisoners in 1869. Moore arrived by ship at San Francisco in January 1870, along with Denis Cashman, one of JB O'Reilly's best friends.
HUGH BROPHY
Brophy was a staunch Fenian and supporter of Irish independence. He was convicted and served 10 years of hard labor in Fremantle Gaol. After his time served, Brophy went back to his trade as a builder, constructing the first bridge across the Swan River. Later in life, he moved to Melbourne and became an active pillar in the Irish community there.
THOMAS DELANEY
Delaney was from Laois, Ireland. He joined the British army and also the Fenians. He was arrested in Dublin in 1866 and later transported to Western Australia aboard the Hougoumont. Delaney was not included in the Catalpa escape since he had been sentenced to hard labor in 1875 and was under constant guard by the prison authorities. After his subsequent conditional pardon and release, Delaney emigrated to the USA in the 1880s.
THOMAS DARRAGH
Court‑martialled and convicted for mutinous conduct, Thomas Darragh was transported to Western Australia on the last convict ship to Australia. He later escaped as part of the ‘Catalpa Six’.
