Melbourne Gaol, 1880: Ned Kelly stood condemned at the dock, looking at the judge who would sentence him, and the priest who would anoint him; all three men speaking with the brogue of their homeland, Ireland.
Long before that day, Irish migrants had been making their way to central Victoria, forming one of the most significant cultural and demographic influences in the Victorian goldfields.
Large waves of Irish migrants were pushed out of Ireland during the reconstruction of Irish Agriculture after the Great Famine of the 1840s and, seeking freedom from cultural oppression, were pulled by the lure of gold in the 1850s. By 1871, one in four Victorians had been born in Ireland, making the Irish the largest migrant group after the English, from 1854 to World War One.
The Catholic Church in Victoria grew with the faithful support of the Irish community. In the late 19th Century, Irish Catholics from counties such as Clare, Tipperary, Limerick and Kilkenny, shaped the life of towns such as Bendigo, Echuca and Heathcote. Priests such as Fr George Galen and Fr Thomas Barry rode long distances to celebrate Mass, lay people built churches stone by stone, and communities gathered around the sacraments. When Sandhurst became a Diocese in 1874, Irish leadership guided its growth; Bishop Martin Crane OSA, followed by Bishop Stephen Reville OSA and Bishop John McCarthy, leaving marks that would endure in education, pastoral care and parish life.
Irish religious men and women deepened that presence. The Sisters of Mercy, arriving in 1876, tended the sick and educated children across the Diocese. They were joined by the Brigidine Sisters, Presentation Sisters, Marist Brothers and Sisters of St Joseph (many of whom were Irish-born), whose classrooms, hospitals and convents became places where faith and daily life intertwined.
Beyond the Church walls, Irish Catholics helped shape the wider community; miners and farmers, tradespeople and teachers, forming clubs, mutual aid societies and charitable works. Much was lost to hardship, yet what endured bore fruit in ways few could have foreseen.
Mass migration from Ireland to Australia slowed sharply after the outbreak of World War I. Wartime dangers made travel difficult, and many Irish were drawn into military service. Political unrest at home, including the Easter Rising and the partition of Ireland, further discouraged emigration, while post-war economic uncertainty in Australia and revised immigration policy limited opportunities for settlement.
Irish immigration to Australia has remained low since the early 19th century, although the 2024 census revealed that 103,080 Irish-born people lived in Australia and 9.4% of Victorians reported Irish ancestry, with many more interested in Irish culture.
Irish Migration has had a profound influence on Australian society, shaping politics, culture, education, religionand community life. The Irish brought with them resilience, faith and civic engagement. From building churches and schools to shaping politics at the highest level, their influence is forever woven into the social, cultural and political fabric of Australia.
Since the mass waves of Irish migrants, new waves of migrants have continued to arrive in Australia, bringing their languages, devotions and rhythms of life. They have not replaced, nor are they replacing what has come before them, but are rather building upon it, finding shelter in foundations laid long ago. As an old Irish blessing has it, “It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.” In Sandhurst, that shelter became a Church, shaped by many hands, rooted in faith, and still growing.
