‘Ireland, Empire and Irish-Australians‘, Shire at War, 4 June 2016
Microcosm in Yarram, Gippsland, Victoria, of tensions playing out across Australia. The article briefly outlines the movement towards Irish Home Rule, which stalled with the outbreak of war in 1914, then describes the initial loyalty to the Empire (and dismissal of Sinn Fein) of Yarram’s Catholic priest. In rural Gippsland, events in Ireland were being closely followed.
The article then discusses the developing local and Australian response to the Easter Rising in Ireland, with Catholic clergy and community leaders at first strongly against. Attitudes changed with the British response to the Rising and the execution of the leaders. The changing views were reflected in Yarram.
On these subjects, see also our collection of resources on the Easter Rising and the third of our ‘Divided sunburnt country’ series, on trade unions and Irish Australians.
