Earl Grey’s Irish Famine orphans (30): what’s involved in writing orphan stories

This reblog of a 2016 post is to alert you to the next Earl Grey orphan history that will appear in tintean.org.au on 7 October. May I encourage you to subscribe to the magazine?https://tintean.org.au/about/ Doing so will inform you when the next issue, and subsequent orphan stories appear. Each history is written by an orphan descendant with the focus largely on what became of the orphan and her family in Oz.

trevo's Irish famine orphans

IMPLICATIONS

St Stephen’s Green, Dublin: Famine sculpture detail

I wonder why we need to assess the contribution of the orphans to Australia. Is itjust something historians do, deluded fools that we are? There havebeen a number of attempts already. The orphans were workhouse refuse/deadwood tipped out on poor unsuspecting colonists by British imperialists. Or were they’mothers to the Australian character’ whose ‘descendants enjoyed opportunities unheard of in Ireland’? There’s a great array of views about the orphans’ history on the Irish Famine memorial website that are worth pondering, athttp://www.irishfaminememorial.org/en/events/I wonder if speeches made at the Melbourne annual gathering in November are also available. Does anyone know?

I’ve even dabbled a little myself in the past, in the introduction to Barefoot and Pregnant?, volume one, in the magazine, History Ireland in 2000, and in the description of the Earl Grey scheme on the Irish Famine memorial website. See for…

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Earl Grey’s Irish Famine Orphans (70): Tinteán

Some Good News

Just in case you haven’t heard already, the Irish-Oz online magazine http://tintean.org.au intends running a series of orphan histories over the next few months, beginning this Saturday 7 September.

Last month, August 2019, the editors approached me to help organize it. I was happy to do so for their philosophy is very much in line with my own. Open access to knowledge lies at the core of every republic of letters.

Bridget Flood per Eliza Caroline; from Waterford to Port Phillip

I am also an acquaintance/friend of one of Tinteán‘s editors whose work i happen to admire. She is a world authority on James Joyce and Joseph Furphy, and an editor of great skill and integrity who will do the contributors proud.

Mary Doherty per Eliza Caroline; Carrick-on-suir to Port Phillip

A small number of people have accepted an invitation to write a short narrative history of ‘their’ orphan ‘girl’. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It is wonderful to see the orphans stay close to you 170 years after their arrival in Australia.

Honora Shea per New Liverpool; Kilkenny to Port Phillip

The first history will appear 7 September inst. How long the series runs will depend on how it’s received, i imagine. Would you like to subscribe to the magazine? It’s free, and easy to unsubscribe. See the top right hand of this webpage https://tintean.org.au/about/ And don’t be afraid of letting us know your reaction.

How many millihelens (the word is from Sinéad Morrissey’s On Balance) would it take to launch another series, do you think?

Eliza McDermott per Tippoo Saib; Roscommon to Port Jackson

Wabi Sabi