Topic: Reunion.

In 1806 my 5 X GrandFather Hugh Vesty Byrne (1772-1842) was transported to Australia on the convict ship “Tellicherry” for his part in the Irish rebellion of 1798, along with Michael (Martin) Burke, Michael Dwyer, Arthur Devlin and John Mernagh. The voyage took 168 days. Of 166 prisoners, five men and one woman died on the voyage. And at least one baby was born – my 4x GrandMother Ann “Nanno” Byrne. Her mother lived to be 98 and had 16 children.

The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland had summoned them from Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin and exiled them to Botany Bay as Irish State Prisoners but free men in the Colony of NSW. His directive was that they were NEVER to be allowed back to their beloved Ireland. Most of them were given land grants of 100 acres.

200 years on a Reunion of Tellicherry descendants was held in Campbelltown, NSW, the area where most of the released convicts settled. Two full days were devoted to various presentations, the walls of the meeting hall were covered with family trees, and special visits were made to the local church of St. John and the cemetery where so many of those early settlers and their immediate descendants were buried.

The organisers, principally Dr. Ann Prendergast and Jennifer Killen, did a fantastic job. I met so many Darchy relatives I knew of only vaguely. It was the start of my abiding interest in my Darchy family and my mysterious 4X Grandfather Thomas who married ‘Nanno”.

Thomas Darchy’s story is told elsewhere on this website. I will be adding some photos at a later date.