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The Luck of the Irish

ebook

The author of the bestselling Cargo of Women and Australia's Birthstain tracks the lives of Irish convicts who arrived in Australia the mid-1800s, uncovering a long-lasting influence of the Irish convicts on our national character.

The luck of the Irish was chronic bad luck, as their sad history attests. That's how it looked for 250 Irish convicts when their ship, the Hive, sank ignominiously off the New South Wales coast in 1835. Miraculously all survived, guided to safety by local Aboriginal people.

They landed at a time when the so-called slave colony was at its height, ruled by the lash and the chain gang. Yet as Babette Smith tracked the lives of the people aboard the Hive, she discovered a very different story. Most were assigned to work on farms or in businesses, building a better life than they possibly could have experienced in Ireland. Surprisingly, in the workforce they found power, which gave rise to the characteristic Australian culture later described by D.H. Lawrence: 'Nobody felt better than anybody else, or higher.'

The Luck of the Irish is a fascinating portrait of colonial life in the mid-nineteenth century that reveals how the Irish helped lay the foundations of the Australia we know today.

'Deeply researched and vividly written, it's a terrific new and up-to-date account of the convict experience, mainly from the bottom up. I'm impressed.' - Emeritus Professor Alan Atkinson FAHA, University of Sydney

'Brings the convict era to life through personal stories and insightful analysis.' - Lindsay Tanner


Expand title description text
Publisher: Allen & Unwin

OverDrive Read

  • ISBN: 9781743437766
  • Release date: July 2, 2014

EPUB ebook

  • ISBN: 9781743437766
  • File size: 5266 KB
  • Release date: July 2, 2014

PDF ebook

  • ISBN: 9781743437766
  • File size: 3463 KB
  • Release date: July 2, 2014

Formats

OverDrive Read
EPUB ebook
PDF ebook

subjects

History Nonfiction

Languages

English

The author of the bestselling Cargo of Women and Australia's Birthstain tracks the lives of Irish convicts who arrived in Australia the mid-1800s, uncovering a long-lasting influence of the Irish convicts on our national character.

The luck of the Irish was chronic bad luck, as their sad history attests. That's how it looked for 250 Irish convicts when their ship, the Hive, sank ignominiously off the New South Wales coast in 1835. Miraculously all survived, guided to safety by local Aboriginal people.

They landed at a time when the so-called slave colony was at its height, ruled by the lash and the chain gang. Yet as Babette Smith tracked the lives of the people aboard the Hive, she discovered a very different story. Most were assigned to work on farms or in businesses, building a better life than they possibly could have experienced in Ireland. Surprisingly, in the workforce they found power, which gave rise to the characteristic Australian culture later described by D.H. Lawrence: 'Nobody felt better than anybody else, or higher.'

The Luck of the Irish is a fascinating portrait of colonial life in the mid-nineteenth century that reveals how the Irish helped lay the foundations of the Australia we know today.

'Deeply researched and vividly written, it's a terrific new and up-to-date account of the convict experience, mainly from the bottom up. I'm impressed.' - Emeritus Professor Alan Atkinson FAHA, University of Sydney

'Brings the convict era to life through personal stories and insightful analysis.' - Lindsay Tanner


Expand title description text
  • Details

    Publisher:
    Allen & Unwin

    OverDrive Read
    ISBN: 9781743437766
    Release date: July 2, 2014

    EPUB ebook
    ISBN: 9781743437766
    File size: 5266 KB
    Release date: July 2, 2014

    PDF ebook
    ISBN: 9781743437766
    File size: 3463 KB
    Release date: July 2, 2014

  • Creators
  • Formats
    OverDrive Read
    EPUB ebook
    PDF ebook
  • Languages
    English