The first Irish convict ship reaches Australia

On 26 September 1791, the Queen sailed into Sydney Cove, the first ship to carry convicts directly from Ireland to Australia. More than 150 Irish prisoners were on board: men, women and some children.

About 167,000 people were transported to Australia from Britain and Ireland up to the 1860s, nearly 40,000 of them from Ireland.

The majority were convicted of petty crimes (pickpocket ‘Bold Jack Donohue‘ from Dublin, transported in 1825, is a strong contender to be the original Wild Colonial Boy); there were also some political activists (the Chartists from England, United Irishmen, agrarian agitators, Fenians…).

After serving their sentences, most integrated successfully into Australian life. Long read here