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Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaelogical Society, 1969, volume LXXIV

Convict Ship Newspaper, The Wild Goose, Re-discovered

By Walter McGrath

Introductory

Two years ago I contributed an article(1) to the Cork Holly Bough on the voyage from England to Australia, in October 1867-January 1868, of the British convict ship, Hougoumont, bearing to exile those Fenians who had been selected from the prisons at Dartmoor, Pentonville, Chatham, Millbank, Portsmouth and Portland for transportation to the penal settlement at Fremantle, Western Australia. The article was based on general and local (Cork) research in Fenianism, supplemented by information from the earlier published accounts of the voyage (most of them brief) appearing in such works as:—J.J. Roche, Life, Poems and Speeches of John Boyle O’Reilly; Z.W. Pease, The Catalpa Expedition; T. J. Kiernan, The Irish Exiles in Australia; W.J. Laubenstein, The Emerald Whaler; Seán Ó Lúing, Freemantle Mission; C. Bateson, The Convict Ships.

In that article I was rash enough to cast doubts on the possibility at this juncture of compiling a full roll call of the 62 Fenians on board the Hougoumont. Little did I know then that Mr. Gerald P. Fitzgerald,(2) Australian-born son of a County Limmerick Fenian, had been for some years engaged in most thorough research into the subject of the Fenians in Australia. Although residing in Melbourne he has travelled on a number of occasions across the continent to Fremantle to work for several weeks on the 19th century prison records there and at nearby Perth, and he has painstakingly compiled a vast amount of information about the 62 Fenian prisoners, including their names (checked with the Public Record Office in London), their prison numbers and the dates when they left the colony.

Here is the full list of prisoners, which I give with grateful acknowledgement to Mr. Fitzgerald:

Jeremiah Aher, Thomas Baines, Daniel Bradley, Hugh Brophy, John Sarsfield Casey (“The Galtee Boy”), Denis B. Cashman, Michael Cody, George F. Connolly, Robert Cranston, Thomas Bowler Cullinane, David Cummins, Thomas Daly, Thomas Darragh, Thomas Delaney, John Donoghue, Patrick Doran, Simon Downey, Thomas Duggan, Patrick Dunne; Thomas Mc C. Fennell, Maurice Fitzgibbon, James Flood, John Flood, Thomas Fogarty, John Foley, William Foley, Laurence and Luke Fullam (brothers), Eugene Geary, John Goulding (Golden), Michael Harrington, Thomas Henry Hassett, Denis Hennessy, Martin Hogan, David Joyce; Cornelius Dwyer Keane, James Kearney, Patrick Keating, James Keilly, John Edward Kelly, John Kenealy, Patrick Killeen, Patrick Leahy, Eugene Lombard, John Lynch, James McCoy, Morgan McSweeney, Robert Maye, Michael Moore, Bartholomew Moriarty; Joseph Noonan, Michael Noonan, Jeremiah O’Donovan, Cornelius O’Mahony, John Boyle O’Reilly, Patrick Riordan, James Reilly, John Sheehan, John Shine, Patrick Wall, John Bennett Walsh, James Wilson.

Over 20 of them were from Cork or had close associations with Cork. They included several who had taken part in the Rising of March 1867; others who had been imprisoned since the police sweeps of 1865; and 17 (including John Boyle O’Reilly) who were known as the “military Fenians” because they had been serving in the British army when convicted of taking the I.R.B. oath or of otherwise helping Fenianism. (One of these was John Lynch of Bandon, a private in the Fifth Dragoon Guards, who is not to be confused with the better-known Cork city Fenian of that name who had died in Woking prison hospital, Surrey, in June 1866.(3)

Three of the Co. Corkmen on board had originally been sentenced to death, their sentence later being commuted to penal servitude for life. Those three were David Joyce and Thomas Bowler Cullinane of Ballymacoda, two Irish speakers, who had raided Knockadoon-Warren coastguard houses under Peter O’Neill Crowley on the night of the Rising; and John Edward (Ned) Kelly, a Kinsale born Protestant who had been with O’Neill Crowley at the fatal affray at Kilclooney on March 31, 1867. Several others were also under life sentence, while the sentences of the rest ranged from 20 years to five years.

All had endured extreme prison suffering before transportation. The rigid discipline of British jails was, however, relaxed on board the Hougoumont, and the Fenians were fortunate in that they had a friendly chaplain, Fr. Bernard Delaney of Dublin, travelling to Australia with them.

This shipment of convicts (280 of them) from Britain to the Antipodes was the first since Young Ireland days, 19 years before, and was destined to be the last.

All the published accounts of the voyage mention that the Fenians produced a hand-written newspaper or journal, which they called The Wild Goose. The paper and ink for it were procured by Fr. Delaney and seven weekly issues appeared, culminating in a double-size Christmas number. Saturday was publication day, and the Fenians would look forward to coming together in one of the holds and having the contents of the paper read aloud to them by John Flood, who was chief editor, or John Boyle O’Reilly, his assistant.

O’Reilly later wrote(4): “We published seven weekly numbers of it. Amid the dim glare of the lamp, the men at night would group strangely on extemporized seats. The yellow light fell down on the dark forms, throwing a ghastly glare on the pale faces of the men. . .”

Corkman Eugen Lombard (a baker of Cornmarket Street), who had been captured by Lancers from Mallow on the slopes of Bottle Hill after the attack on Ballyknockane police barracks on the morning of the Rising (March 6), wrote home to his parents some time after his arrival at Fremantle, under date January 22, 1868, as follows:(5)

“We enjoyed a tolerable passage and arrived here on the 9th of January, making the voyage in 89 days. Really I was heartily sick of life on board ship, the journey was so long. I managed one way or other to while away the time. Myself and my exiled friends lived very agreeably during the passage. We were kept separate from other prisoners and placed in a good part of the ship nearly amidships. We published a written newspaper on board, entitled “The Wild Goose”. I was a copyist on it and it was edited by J. Flood, he that was tried with Capt. McCafferty. Eight (sic) copies of it appeared. Only half the voyage was over when ‘twas thought of. It was our greatest delight to have a read of it. . . I wrote a diary of the voyage; it will occupy about 30 sheets of letter-paper when properly transcribed. I have it entered as private property here and as soon as I will be let out of prison I shall prepare a copy of it and send it home to you. It will entertain you much and will give you a real idea of what a voyage of 14,000 miles is, and also a sketch of my own life on board ship. . . There are extracts from six copies of “The Wild Goose” in it. I could never have written it if not for a kind friend on board that supplied me with paper. The Galtee Boy wrote another one. . .”

Exactly a century after Eugene Lombard had penned these lines, the original manuscript of The Wild Goose (of which some copies had been made at the end of the voyage) was given into the custody of the Mitchell Library, Sydney, New South Wales, by Mrs. Sheelagh Johnson, grand-daughter of John Flood. By coincidence, at that time (late 1967 and early 1968) three people in Australia were engaged in research in Fenian history. They were Mr. G. P. Fitzgerald, already mentioned; Rev. John Senan Moynihan, diocesan archivist, Perth, better known in Ireland as Father Senan, former editor of the Capuchin Annual, and Mrs. Alan Queale of Brisbane, a well known writer on Irish-Australian affairs. My own article in the Cork Holly Bough was followed within a month by a series of three in the Melbourne Advocate by Fr. Moynihan, all marking the 100th anniversary of the voyage of the Hougoumont and, in the case of the Advocate series, marking, too, the centenary of the ending of the utilisation by Britain of Western Australia as a penal colony. In their correspondence with one another the three widely-separated researches, in Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane, speculated as to the possibility of a copy of the Fenians’ convict ship publication being extant, little suspecting that at that very time the editor’s grand-daughter (who had held it for 20 years) was about to deposit the original in the Library of New South Wales—the repository of the greatest collection of manuscripts in Australia.

It was to Mr. Queale that the news was first broken—in a chance communication from the Mitchell Deputy Librarian who mentioned that they had recently come into possession of a 64 page Irish handwritten newspaper called The Wild Goose

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Later in 1968, Messrs. Queale and Fitzgerald and Fr. Moynihan pieced together the story of its survival. When Flood died in 1909 (at Gympie, Queensland) he was survived by two daughters, Rosalie, the elder, and Mary. The former entered the Loreto order and ultimately became Mother Patricia. She died in 1961 at Loreto Convent, Kirribilli, North Sydney. It was to her that Flood had bequeathed his cherished manuscript, and some years later before her death Mother Patricia handed it over to her younger sister, Mary, (Mrs. Morgan) with a view to its going eventually to Flood’s grandchildren. Mary’s daughter (Mrs. Johnson) subsequently came into possession of The Wild Goose and it was she who presented it to the Mitchell Library early in 1968.

In July of that year she wrote to Mr. Queale as follows:

“It is amazing to me that the interest taken in The Wild Goose, as I had tried for 12 months to find someone interested in it or who knew something about the Fenians, but no one was very helpful. The Mitchell Library were the only ones, and they convinced me of its value. . . I knew I could not keep it any longer as it was so frail it would just fall apart one day. I certainly don’t regret letting them have it as it has been of such interest. I am quite sure it was the original, as it was the only one held by the two daughters of John Flood, Rosalie (who was Mother Patricia of Loreto) and my mother, Mary (who was Mrs. Claude F. Morgan). Aunt Rosie handed it to my mother for the purpose of its going to the grandchildren, as she felt it should be kept in the family, and that is how I happened to have it. It has been with us for well over 20 years now.”

Mr. Fitzgerald, who has traveled to Sydney to examine it, has satisfied himself beyond any doubt that it is the original. In addition, he has found on it, in Flood’s handwriting, initials which denote the authorship of every contribution and give an invaluable guide to the pen-names used, e.g., “Binn Éider” is Flood himself; “Laoi” and “Kappa” are John Edward Kelly; “Mushra” is Thomas Duggan, “Beta” and “Delta” are Father Delaney.

The Mitchell Library has allowed four xerox copies of the publication to be made, one each for Fr. Moynihan, G.P.Fitzgerald, Alan Queale, and one which has come to Ireland for a friend of Mr. Queale, Seán Ó Lúing of Dublin, author of Fremantle Mission, who has kindly loaned his copy to the present writer for the purpose of this article. A microfilm copy has been procured for the library of University College, Cork, from the Mitchell Library.

The Cashman Diary

Before surveying some of the more interesting contributions to The Wild Goose it is necessary to make some reference to another valuable and important Fenian document discovered in Australia by Mr. Fitzgerald, a copy of which he has supplied to the present writer. This is a typescript copy of a diary kept during the Hougoumont voyage by Denis B. Cashman, who had been a leading Fenian in Waterford and who in later life in the U.S. was to write a biography of Michael Davitt.(6)

The typescript, which runs to 25 pages and indicates that the original manuscript diary ran to 28, was discovered by Mr. Fitzgerald in the J. S. Battye Library, Perth, some years ago and he was informed that it had been left there by a Fullbright scholar, Dr. Martin Carroll, who was engaged in research for a thesis on John Boyle O’Reilly entitled “Behind the Lighthouse,” a copy of which is now held in the library. The diary had been copied from an earlier typewritten version stated to be in the possession of the editor of the Ave Maria magazine, Indiana, U.S.

In it Cashman gives many fascinating details of the voyage, but only those dealing with The Wild Goose are our concern here. Under date November 5, 1867, he records “a meeting held to see if we could start a newspaper. Meeting composed of Con Mahony, J. Flood, Duggan, O’Reilly, Cody, Casey, Noonan and self. . . J. Flood appointed editor, O’Reilly sub., Kelly manager. . .” Two days later it is recorded that on the suggestion of Ned Kelly the name The Wild Goose was adopted. Cashman himself was appointed to draw the artistic headings, a wreath of shamrocks with the name peeping through it. (This work became his most absorbing occupation throughout the rest of the voyage). The following are some further extracts from the diary:

November 9—The Wild Goose made its appearance this evening. . .”; Nov. 10—“The Goose greatly liked last night—it was read by O’Reilly. . .”; Nov. 22—“I have been hard at work preparing The Goose for to-morrow; it promises to be a good number; this occupation pleases me very much”; Nov. 23—“Our third number of The Wild Goose out to-day; the leader on ‘Forethought’ excellent. . . some good poetry. . .”; Nov. 27—”. . . be gone dull care, I’ll endeavour to drown thought by weaving a wreath of shamrocks for next week’s Goose”; Dec. 6—“Hard at work all day for Goose. . .”; Dec. 18—“Up to my eyes in paper to-day weaving wreaths of holly and ivy and shamrock for the Christmas number of Goose. . .”

In the last few pages of the diary is recorded the surprising news that so impressed were the captain and mates of the Hougoumont with the Fenians’ publication that Cashman and others undertook the laborious task of making special copies for them and presented them just before they reached Fremantle.

Principal Contents of The Wild Goose

Prior to the discovery of the Ms. in the Mitchell Library, little was known about the literary merits or otherwise of the contents on The Wild Goose. In J.J. Roches’s voluminous book on the life and work of John Boyle O’Reilly, published in the U.S. in 1891, it is recorded that two of his best known poems, “The Flying Dutchman” and “The Old School Clock” had first appeared in The Wild Goose, the former having been written while the Hougoumont was rounding the Cape of Good Hope, and the other having been composed two years earlier in Arbour Hill military prison, Dublin.

This knowledge, however, gave little foretaste of the excellence of some of the other contributions to be found in the 64 pages of the publication. It was not known, for instance, that Ned Kelly of Kinsale had considerable poetic ability. He wrote under the nom-de-plume “Laoi” (in Gaelic lettering). Or that Cloghduv—born Thomas Duggan (grandfather of professor Lucy Duggan, U.C.C., and the late Archdeacon T. F. Duggan) who had formerly been a schoolteacher in Ballincollig and had lost that post on account of his nationalist activities obviously had a deep knowledge of ancient Irish history and mythology. He wrote an unfinished serial story in four issues of The Wild Goose entitled “Queen Cliodhna and the Flower of Erin—a Tale of Our Pagan Ancestors,” under the nom-de-plume “Mushra.”

The seven issues appeared on the following dates (all 1867): November 9, 16, 23 and 30; December 7, 14 and 21. The final, or Christmas, issue had 16 pages; all the others had eight.

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["Cremona" is continued from previous page] A narrow bridge connects the town, and whilst their comrades slept, By thirty-seven of the Gael a watchful guard was kept, And many a heart is winging back away across the main To that dear land they loved so well but ne’er may see again; They dream of homes by Shannon’s side, where they so often played, Bright, happy, careless boys before they donned the white cockade, Of heart loved scenes that smiling lie by Leinster vales and rills, By Ulster glens and Connaught’s plains and Munster’s lakes and hills; They dream of friendship and of love, they dream of bliss and woe, Of Glory’s fields where the Brigade was charging on the foe; But dream not, that by traitor led, the Austrians now creep With bated breath and stealthy step upon them while they sleep. The sentry, too, is musing as before the northern gate With measured step and piercing eye, and hero-heart elate He paces thro’ the rain and gloom, but on the muttering blast Hears not the foe whose serried ranks are gathering thicker fast. A curse upon the traitor wretch who to the wily foe For sordid gold the town betrayed! A sewer that ran below The walls—its bed had long been dried—and save to him alone It hidden lay, unused, unsuspected and unknown; Thro’ this he led the Austrians, and now thick thro’ the night Their columns sudden break upon the startled sentry’s sight. His warning cry rings up into the very vault of heaven As rush the legions of Eugene around the Thirty-seven, And ere his cry had died away their Irish bullets tore A yawning gap right thro’ their ranks—their steel was red with gore, As with one cry—as when in wrath the lion from his lair Enraged springs—they dash upon the foreman’s closing square; Again and still again they charge with cheers upon their ranks, But columns massing denser still are closing on their flanks, Then inch by inch before the foe outnumbered back they fell, Yet high above their musket’s peal uprose their maddened yell, As fast they fired, reloaded, and then fired and charged again, Marking the bloody way they went with heaps of foemen slain. Their numbers now are thinning fast, but still they bravely fight, As wolfdogs ‘gainst the howling wolves defend the flocks at night. Their cry grows weaker as they fall and all are bleeding fast, When to their ears a thrilling shout comes ringing on the blast; And in their shirts rush thro’ the night—a tempest on the sea— Their comrades of the “Old Brigade” led by O’Mahony. When in the night the fierce typhoon sweeps white upon the fleet That turns and flies before its scream afraid its wrath to meet, So, in their shirts, those grenadiers rushed screaming thro’ the blast Upon the panic-stricken foe that fled before them fast. Back, back, they drove, before their wrath, a shattered, struggling wreck, And vainly strove with hurried fire that hurricane to check. But the fast the foe came pouring in; Eugene in the Town Hall Commands, and thirty thousand men are rushing to his call. But numbers heed not the Brigade, as like avenging fates In that fierce Irish tempest rush they drove them to the gates; There, cheering high above the fight, outnumbered ten to one, They hand to hand still held their own, still gallantly fought on— They fought like tigers for their young as oft they fought before, But higher into Glory’s skies did “Wild Geese” never soar. God’s blessing fall upon their name, their race and on their land! Where’er they strike may Heaven guide and strengthen still each hand, Still hand to hand they fiercely fought, and steel and bullet sped Bright deeds of valor doing till their shirts with blood were red. But fast they’re falling—faster as the bullets shower like rain Now thro’ the gates the Austrians are surging back again; Before their massing columns they retired but did not yield, But turned at bay and charged them back until their column reeled, Back, step by step, across the bridge, with one already mined, With serried ranks they face the foe and blow it up behind. But now the French rush to their aid—they hear their rapid tramp, Again they cheer and charge the foe and drive them to their camp. Bright deeds of chivalry were done that night by the “Brigade,” But with the Austrians fought one whose name will never fade— McDonnell! He was Irish too! We hail his name with joy, Who charged that night thro’ thickest fight and captured Villeroy. He scorned the bribe to set him free, yet brighter grows his fame, A soldier still to honor true and to his Irish name. The morning broke and in the air the Oriflamme still waved Proud over old Cremona’s walls—by Irish valor saved; But dear they bought that victory, those sons of Inisfail, And while Te Deum swells in France for victory—a wail Went up to heaven from their own land, a death wail for her brave Who fell beneath a foreign flag, so far beyond the wave. And with the wail of agony, a fervent prayer arose To Heaven for one such victory at home o’er Ireland’s foes.

BINN ÉIDER

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[page 4 was deleted - appears to be copy of page 3]

Convict Ship Newspaper, The Wild Goose, Re-discovered                Page 5

Flood’s greatest contribution was the writing of the seven editorials. Each deals with a virtue or desirable characteristic which he urges on his fellow-prisoners—patience, forethought, self-reliance, love of homeland etc. Sincerity without melodrama runs through them all. Between these and his poems, some of which have a Christmas theme, Flood must have been kept occupied almost full-time at work for the Goose during the seven weeks of its appearance.

John Boyle O’Reilly wrote nine poems for the paper. Only three have been republished and this is all the more surprising when it is considered that Roche’s book on O’Reilly includes no less than 140 of his poems.

Here is “Farewell” written at the start of the voyage, long before the idea of publishing a newspaper occurred to the prisoners.

FAREWELL

Farewell! Oh how hard and how sad ‘tis to speak That last word of parting—forever to break The fond ties and affection that cling round the heart, From home and from friends and from country to part. But ‘tis harder, when parted, to try to forget, Though it grieves to remember, ‘tis vain to regret— The sad word must be spoken and Memory’s spell Now steals o’er me sadly. Farewell! Oh Farewell.

Farewell to thy green hills, thy valleys and plains, My poor blighted country! In exile and chains Are thy sons doomed to linger. Oh God, Who didst bring Thy children to Zion from Egypt’s proud king, We implore Thy great mercy! Oh stretch forth Thy hand, And guide back her sons to their poor blighted land.

Never more thy fair face am I destined to see; E’en the savage loves home but ‘tis crime to love thee. God bless thee, dear Erin, my loved one, my own, Oh! How hard ‘tis those tendrils to break that have grown Round my heart—but ‘tis over, and Memory’s spell Now steals o’er me sadly. Farewell! Oh Farewell.

JOHN B. O’REILLY

Hougoumont, Oct 12, 1867

And near the end of the voyage, nine or ten weary weeks later, he writes:

“A MERRY CHRISTMAS”

A “merry Christmas” each one sends To-night across the foam, To all the loved ones, all the friends, Who think of us at home.

From them a “merry Christmas” flies On angels’ pinions bright; ‘Tis heard upon the breeze that sighs Around our ship to-night.

Though on our ears no voices fall, Our hearts, our spirits, hear- “A merry Christmas to you all And happy bright New Year.”

Then, brothers, though we spend the day Within a prison ship, Let every heart with hope be gay, A smile on every lip.

Let’s banish sorrows, banish fears, And fill our hearts with glee, And ne’er forget in after years Our Christmas on the sea.

These are light, superficial verses, but in the same issue (No. 7) appears what is probably O’Reilly’s finest poem, too long to reproduce here, entitled “Christmas Night.” It deals with the emotions of an Irish prisoner in an English jail and is clearly based on his own thoughts in Millbank, London, during the previous Christmas Day. It is fit to rank in any anthology of verse, and it is impossible to read it without being deeply moved.

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The chaplain, Fr. Bernard Delaney, who was going out to undertake missionary work in Australia, wrote four contributions to the journal, two of them of a spiritual nature. He used the pseudonyms, “Beta” and “Delta.” In a valedictory message, written in the final issue, he says:

“Entering our new homes in Australia, one of the earliest admonitions of our consciences will be to beware of the abuse of God’s graces and blessings, in which are comprehended all those copious means afforded us by God of attaining to sanctity and perfection. . .”

In an earlier article of his, entitled “Past—Present—Future,” there occurs this passage:

“From our little island home at different periods have the ‘Wild Geese’ winged their flight—some into voluntary exile, others driven over the wide world by the unsparing hand. They, too, looked forward into the future and tried in vain to read the mysterious pages—but what was their future is now our past; and we can look back and trace their checquered wanderings, learning wisdom and gaining strength as we look on their trials, their struggles and their end. Their dearest affections were rudely snapped asunder; their home ties were severed, and they wandered over the world, fighting the battles and aiding in the councils of strangers; but one grand memorial shines out from their various ways to cheer us on and stir us to emulation: wherever they went or in whatever duty engaged, they nobly upheld the unstained name, honor and bravery of their race. Scattered far and wide are the graves of the “Wild Geese.” They lie wherever fields were fiercely fought, and the halo of light which memory and love shed over their graves will be a beacon guiding us on through whatever scenes the future may have in store for us.”

It is not difficult to imagine the inspiration which the reading of passages like that afforded to the prisoners. (Many of them were later to pay tribute to Fr. Delaney for his never-failing kindness to the Fenians and for his sincere friendliness, free from all condescension.).

In issue No. 5 a page and a half are devoted to a description of the adoption of Lord Edward Fitzgerald as Chief Eghindal of the Bear Tribe of the Six Nations at Detroit, culled from Anecdotes of Enterprise and Adventure by Ralph and Chandos Temple.

In the entire 64 pages there is only one article dealing with an incident concerning Fenianism or the events which preceded the men’s transportation. This is by Joseph Noonan (sentenced in Tralee for his part in the Kerry rising) and is entitled “A Leap For Liberty.” He describes how, after evading capture for a fortnight in the mountainy country west of Killarney, where 2,000 troops were engaged rounding up the Fenians, he successfully made his way to London, only to be arrested there on the information of detectives who had traced him. He was sent back to Ireland in armed custody, and while travelling on the train across England to the port of embarkation he induced his guards to unlock his handcuffs. Taking them by surprise he suddenly leaped across the carriage, jerked down the window and jumped out into the night, although the train was travelling at a fast speed. He was knocked unconscious for a short time, but soon came to. He concludes:

“I was free again, but I am sorry to say it did not last long for, in four days after, I was in the same train under a stronger escort on my way to the old country to stand my trial for treason-felony of which I was found guilty and am now on board the Hougoumont bound for Western Australia.”

We conclude this review of The Wild Goose by quoting the closing part of the farewell message of John Flood, published on pages 1 and 2 of the final issue (December 21):

“. . . Christmas comes to greet you with a new face—not the old familiar one of bygone and happier years but Christmas still, bringing with it sacred memories of home and friends. Your only consolation, to know that they miss you at home; your only hope, that your next and each successive one will be still brighter. You need no Christmas story—each of you has one in his own heart; and He Who gave you Christmas time will cause the holy influence of the day to fall as sweetly on you here, on the desolate ocean, as under happier skies and auspices. You will find the bond of sympathy that binds you all together can give you a pleasure second only to the ties of home. I bear you the prayers of those that are dearest, for your happiness and welfare, mingled with a hope that the time may soon come when they can again wish you ‘A merry Christmas and a happy New Year.’ Hearts are beating for you from which time and space cannot separate you. Prove worthy of their interest in you, and for the rest—Courage, and trust in God. Adieu.”

NOTES

1. “Grim Voyage of the Hougoumont.” Pp. 11 and 38, Cork Holly Bough (Cork Examiner publications, Christmas 1967.) 2. Mr. Fitzgerald spent the summer of 1968 in Irleand, during which he continued his researches into the lives of the Fenians sent to Australia. 3. For a full account of the life of the Cork City Fenian, John Lynch, see Cork Holly Bough, Christmas 1964. 4. J. J. Roche, Life, Poems and Speeches of John Boyle O’Reilly, page 68. 5. Quoted in The Irishman, April 4, 1868. 6. The Life of Michael Davitt by D.B. Cashman to which is added The Secret History of the Land League by Michael Davitt, Glasgow n.d.