Shamrock Sydney

By Rita Bratovich.

On the sloping sea-side cliff top of Waverley Cemetery stands an impressive white marble monument – the memorial to the 1798 Irish Rebellion. Michael Dwyer, a ring leader in the uprising, was exiled to Australia and is buried with his wife, Mary, beneath the monument. Every Easter Sunday since 1916, a ceremony has been held at the site commemorating the rebellion.

The Waverley monument is the largest in the world dedicated to the Irish Rebellion and it symbolises the strong historical and enduring connection between Australia and Ireland – something that goes beyond convict settlement.

“People feel an affinity with the culture for various reasons, it’s not just because of a direct family connection”, says Karl Kinsella, president of the Irish National Association. When it was founded in 1915, the INA was a central hub for Irish immigrants in Sydney, providing social, business, sporting and support services, as well as maintaining the Irish Memorial at Waverley. Today it is predominantly a cultural organisation, operating The Gaelic Club which is a popular venue used by Irish community groups for social events, dance, language classes and meetings. It shows that there is still a strong sense of tradition among the Irish diaspora.

“There’s a dancing school that’s been operating on Saturday mornings at the Gaelic club for at least 50 years,” says Kinsella. “I walked into the Gaelic Club one night and there were 80 people having a trivia night – in Gaelic!”

Kinsella believes Irish influence is evident in many aspects of Australian culture too. He can see it in progressive politics, especially labour movements and trade unions; in the education system and the influence of the Catholic church; in the bloodstock industry; in music; even in things that define the ‘typical Australian’.

“I’d like to say that the sense of larrikinism that Australia talks about a lot is very much related to the Irish approach to life and humour and irreverence for authority.”

The Irish Support Agency (ISA) was set up in 1995 specifically to address the needs of the Irish community in NSW. It helps Irish seniors who have little or no family in Australia, or anyone experiencing a personal crisis; visa problems; homelessness as well as offering parenting programs and mental health training for ex-pats.

“With such a vibrant Irish Community in Sydney it can be easy to forget how far away from Ireland we really are, until you get on the 24 hour flight home!” says Coordinator, Roison Trainor.

With a large and growing Irish community in Sydney, she sees a real need for organisations such as ISA, especially on emotionally significant days such St Patrick’s Day.

“Each year we hold a St Patrick’s Day morning tea with our senior members and a few VIP guests including Irish diplomats and any visiting Ministers from Ireland,” says Trainor. They also hold a commemoration each August in Hyde Park Barracks in honour of the women who came from workhouses in Ireland during the Great Famine of 1848-50.

“Irish traditions are alive in Sydney not just among Irish born but also among those with Irish heritage,” says Trainor.

Ironically, Ireland has been very much in the public eye here because it recently challenged and changed a very strong tradition – marriage.

“I think Australia was watching what happened in Ireland very, very closely in 2015… Ireland was seen as a very conservative country and Catholic country. If they can pass Marriage Equality, why can’t we?” explains Loretta Cosgrove, President of Sydney Queer Irish (SQI).

SQI was established in 2010 to unite people with queer Irish identity. They entered their first float in the Mardi Gras Parade in 2015 and won best float design the following year. Perhaps more significantly, they won best float in their first year in the St Patrick’s Day Parade.

Cosgrove describes being in the St Patrick’s Day Parade as terrifying because it was prior to the marriage equality referendum and she felt exposed and in strange territory.

“We didn’t know what we were opening ourselves up to,” says Cosgrove.

What they opened themselves up to was a warm and positive reception, not only during the parade but within the whole Irish community. Cosgrove believes SQI has earned respect by being visible, active and involved in community events and building strong rapport with other organisations. The marriage equality campaigns in Ireland and Australia created firm common ground between the two countries and many key activists in Ireland also participated in the Australian campaign.

SQI has been invited to host a St Patrick’s Day event at The Imperial, something Cosgrove considers an extraordinary honour – the importance of St Patrick’s Day to the Irish can’t be overstated. Yet, so too is the importance of the diverse historical narrative of this country, which is why SQI has engaged Josie Banks, one of the Miss First Nation Drag Queens, to be part of their event.

“That’s a big thing as well – the Irish Aboriginal ancestry and cross over and the way that the Irish and Indigenous people engaged all those years ago. That’s part of Australian history,” says Cosgrove.

No community is really a community unless it has its own film festival. The Irish Film Festival is now in its fourth year and this year will include a short film competition. According to Festival Director, Enda Murray:

“There’s a lot of people with Irish heritage and a short film competition is a way for them to connect with the festival and to contribute creatively to the kind of ongoing story of Irish Australia.”

Many of the feature films will be Australian premieres. The subject matter is wide and varied, though themes around politics and “the troubles” (the north/south conflict) are prominent. For Murray these themes are still relevant:

“What ‘the troubles’ does for me is it provides a lens to observe present day politics; it shapes my ideas about how I look at the world [especially] when I’ve come from that background…I think it’s important to remember the past so we don’t repeat it.”

It’s something that should resonate with Australians, as Murray points out:

“The reconciliation that has happened in Northern Ireland has got lessons for Australia in terms of the colonising of Australia.”

With regard to St Patrick’s Day, Murray agrees on how important it is, especially “today in our information laden society – unless you become visual you run the risk of disappearing.”

There’s little doubt the Irish community will be visual on St Patrick’s Day.

If you’re looking to celebrate Irish culture this St Patrick’s Day we recommend heading down to The Rocks precinct. Sydney’s oldest Irish pub, The Mercantile Hotel, in particular has festivities beginning with a traditional Irish breakfast at 7am.

The Mercantile Hotel, 25 George St, The Rocks

www.irishassociation.org.au

www.irishsupportagency.org.au 

www.sydneyqueerirish.com

www.irishfilmfestival.com.au

www.sydneystpatricksday.com