Oceans of consolation : personal accounts of Irish migration to Australia

"This volume provides a fascinating glimpse into the lives and attitudes of Irish migrants to the Seven Colonies of Australasia in the 19th century. Fitzpatrick presents a richly textured and nuanced reading of 111 letters between emigrants and "the old country," telling us much not only about the aspirations of emigrants, their successes and disappointments, but also about the culture and style of the correspondence itself. A substantial contribution to both Irish and Australian history."—Virginia Quarterly Review Frontmatter Preface (page vii) Abbreviations (page xiii) INTRODUCTION (page 1) 1 Representations: Letters and Migration (page 3) NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA 2 'Whistling a Jig to a Milestone': Michael Normile, 1854-65 (page 39) 3 'These Golden Shores': Isabella Wyly, 1856-77 (page 96) 4 'Queensland for Ever, augus un Ballybug go Braugh': Biddy Burke, 1882-84 (page 139) VICTORIAN VOICES 5 'A Happy Home for You and Myself': Michael Hogan, 1853-57 (page 161) 6 'Jack Is as Good as His Master': Edward O'Sullivan, 1857-72 (page 174) 7 'We Are Not Living in a Wilderness': the McCance Circle, 1856-63 (page 186) 8 'An Outside Part of the World': Patrick and Edward Comber, 1862-92 (page 230) 9 'A Friendly Chat': Philip Mahony, 1882-90 (page 249) NEWS FROM HOME 10 'Facing the Wild Ocean': William and Eliza Dalton, 1851-59 (page 271) 11 'Always Be Submessive to Your Superiors': The Dunne Circle, 1864-77 (page 296) 12 'It Takes Me Tow Days to Rite a Letter': The Doorley Circle, 1877-1906 (page 334) ULSTER ACCENTS 13 'Comming Down the Hill of Life': The Hammond Circle, 1843-64 (page 361) 14 'We Will Meet in Ireland Yet': The Brennan Circle, 1865-76 (page 390) 15 'Farewell Farewell My Children': William Fife, 1860-81 (page 412) THEMES 16 Correspondence: Ceremonies of Communication (page 467) 17 Reciprocity: The Politics of Kinship (page 503) 18 Negotiation: The Process of Migration (page 516) 19 Origins: Images of Ireland (page 535) 20 Outcomes: Images of Australia (page 561) 21 Reflections: Culture, Identity, Home (page 609) Sources (page 629) Thematic Index (page 643) Includes personal correspondence of fourteen families of Irish emigrants in the Australian colonies, giving equal attention to letters to and from Australia. The book reproduces in full more than one hundred letters dating from 1843 to 1906 and includes a selection of contemporary engravings and photographs. Fitzpatrick's commentaries offer biographical narratives for all of the emigrant correspondents, tracing their Irish backgrounds and Australian careers.-- From publisher's description