Search
07 Sept 2025
Search
07 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
A photo of outlaw Ned Kelly in his teens - his father John 'Red' Kelly was transported from Tipperary to Australia for stealing a pig.
The father of Ned Kelly, Australia's most famous outlaw, was transported from Tipperary to Australia for stealing a pig, new records reveal to mark the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook discovering Australia.
John 'Red' Kelly was born on 20th February 1820 in County Tipperary.
John was single and worked as a labourer in the county.
In 1841 at the age of just 21 he was convicted of stealing a pig. For his crimes he was sentenced to Australia and on 7th August 1841 he set sail on the Prince Regent.
He arrived in Van Diemen's Land and Norfolk Island (later known as Tasmania) on 2nd January 1842.
John remained in Australia upon his release and went on to father one of the country's most famous outlaws, Ned Kelly. John 'Red' Kelly died on 27th December 1866.
Research undertaken to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook leaving the United Kingdom to discover Australia reveals some of the stories of those who followed in the years after.
The records detail the convict's name, their town of origin in Ireland, the crime they have been convicted of and the sentence they received. Some records also mention the ship they were transported to Australia on and the length of the sentence they served.
According to the National Museum of Australia, between 1788 and 1921 about half a million Irish people are believed to have been transported to Australia. This is 12% of all transported convicts to the country. Today, Australia is the most Irish country in the world outside Ireland.
Joe Buggy spokesperson for Ancestry.ie said: "Many Irish took the same journey as Captain James Cook when they were transported to Australia for crimes committed at home. This led to families becoming separated and many starting a new life in the new country. The Australian Convicts Collection allows families to answer some of the unanswered questions about how and why their relatives ended up in Australia.
"Now it is possible to search for a name or county and have the results shown on the Ancestry database. Family history has never been easier."
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
