The Irish Memorial in Waverley, Sydney

Yesterday we visited the Irish Memorial at Waverley cemetery in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

The marble and mosaic structure was built in 1898 to commemorate the Irish Rebellion of 1798, and particularly the part played by Michael Dwyer, 'the Wicklow Chief'.

Michael Dwyer, born in Wicklow, Ireland, in 1772, was 26 when the 1798 Rising against English rule began. He led the English on a merry dance until December 1803, when he surrendered on condition he and his colleagues be sent to America. However, the English reneged and sent them to Botany Bay aboard the Tellicherry in 1806.

Governor Lachlan Macquarie gave him a full pardon in 1814. Dwyer died 11 years later, aged 53, and was buried in Sydney's Devonshire St cemetery (where Central Station now stands).

In the lead up to the centenary of the uprising, the Irish community in Sydney campaigned to have a memorial erected for the Wicklow Chief and his colleagues. The £2000 needed was raised by the Irish in Sydney, country towns in NSW and in Queensland, Victoria and New Zealand.

On 22 May 1898, Dwyer's remains, and that of his wife's, were moved from Devonshire St to the memorial in Waverley. It was the largest funeral Sydney had seen with 400 horse-drawn carriages following the hearse in a procession of 10,000 people watched by 100,000 others.

More than 100 years, the memorial still stands in tribute.

2010 Nepean Family History Fair

Fresh from the success of last year's fair, the Nepean Family History Fair is on again in 2010. Irish Wattle will be having a stall there so come and say hello.

When: 10am-4pm, 7 March 2010

Where: Penrith City Library

601 High Street Penrith NSW

Cost: gold coin donation

Contact Penrith City Council for more information

Being Irish in New South Wales

Check out Irish Community NSW, a terrific service for people living in and visiting NSW who are interested in finding out about events that the many Irish cultural and sporting groups and businesses put on throughout the year.

Visit their website here for the latest news and events!

Treasures of the National Library of Australia

I love looking through the digital photo collections at the National Library of Australia.

Some of my favourites are the beautiful watercolours done by John Hunter before he became the second governor of New South Wales.

These treasures form one of the earliest European records of Australian birds, and one of the first collections of drawings made during the European settlement of the country.

For more gorgeous pictures, see Birds & Flowers of New South Wales Drawn on the Spot in 1788, ‘89 & ‘90