Irish Gold
A tale of two pioneer families
"A fascinating account of the struggles and successes of his ancestors..."
So wrote Frank O'Shea, in the Irish Echo, of Irish Gold: A tale of two pioneer families (Ginninderra Press 2002). 'It is a story closely tied up with the bushranging era... and the development of towns like Young, Murrumburrah, Boorowa and Yass,' he went on. 'It is a highly readable account of early Irish influence in southern New South Wales'.
The central characters in this book are two Irish immigrants who prospered as innkeepers and graziers during the gold rushes. Their exploits were reported frequently in a lively recorder of the times, the Yass Courier, whose liberal-minded editor also features prominently in the story. News was in plentiful supply: Ben Hall's gang roamed the countryside, free selection was threatening the sway of the squatters, the attempted assassination in Sydney of the Duke of Edinburgh stirred sectarian passions, a great flood devastated Yass...
In the Canberra Historical Journal, Cheryl Mongan described Irish Gold as 'extremely readable', providing 'a good slice of pioneering life with vivid accounts of race meetings, St Patrick's Day celebrations, bushrangers, land feuds, shootings, droughts and flooding rains.' Rev. Brian Maher in the Ancestral Searcher commented: 'The entire book is living local history in plain English, well organised and fearlessly truthful.
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