Culture Night to honour women from Carrick-on-Suir area transported to Australia

The stories of women from Carrick-on-Suir and the wider Suir Valley, who were transported to Australia during the 18th and 19th centuries, will be brought back home to where their journey began on Culture Night.

Their extraordinary suffering and experience will be honoured at the Though They Never Returned, Their Story Has Found Its Way Home event in the Long Gallery of Ormond Castle in Carrick on Friday, September 18.

The evening of history, visual art, spoken word and music is being organised by Carrick-on-Suir's Tudor Artisan Hub in collaboration with Waterford’s Transported Convict Women, A Herstory; award-winning writer and poet Shirley O’Shea, and Margaret O’Brien of Writing Changes Lives.

Linda Fahy of the Tudor Artisan Hub collective of artists said Waterford’s Transported Convict Women, A Herstory is at the heart of this project and she was delighted to welcome the organisation to Carrick-on-Suir as special guests and central partners for this Culture Night event.

“The organisation has undertaken extensive research and preservation work around the transported women and will bring the exhibition to Ormond Castle, set up the displays and provide the historical information and research behind the individual stories.

“Their work is fundamental to this project, and we are very grateful to them for sharing it with the people of Carrick-on-Suir and the wider Suir Valley.”

The event will include an exhibition of 34 tribute handcrafted bonnets, which will be displayed in the Long Gallery for several days before Culture Night.

“The bonnets form part of Roses from the Heart, a global public art memorial conceptualised by Dr Christina Henri, honouring the 25,566 women transported from Britain and Ireland to Australia between 1788 and 1853, “ Linda explained.

“The project uses handmade servants' bonnets as a textile metaphor to help ensure these women and their stories are not forgotten.

“Each bonnet is hand-stitched with the convict woman’s name, age, the name of the ship she travelled on, and the year of her transportation to Australia (where known).”

Approximately 400 women, who were either from or convicted in the Waterford area, were transported to Australia between 1788 and 1853. Thirty-four of these women have been identified as having links to Carrick-on-Suir and surrounding areas.

Poverty was a significant factor in the lives of many of those forced to make the journey.

Linda said bonnets have been made by various groups and individuals from across Waterford city and county since 2010 to commemorate the women transported to Australia and Tasmania.

Through a partnership with SETU Library, the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI), and the Roses from the Heart project, the bonnets, together with the research and stories behind them, have been digitally preserved and made accessible to a global audience for the first time.

The Culture Night event in Ormond Castle will also feature an overview of the group’s ongoing work, highlighting its research, community engagement, and plans for the future.

By day, visitors will be able to explore the exhibition through QR codes, allowing them to access the full digital records and learn more about the individual women represented.

They will also be able to watch a short video featuring descendants of the transported women in Australia, hearing directly from families whose connections to these women have continued across generations.

Local artistic response

Linda said for the Tudor Artisan Hub, the project is about creating the space and artistic format in which these historical stories can be experienced by a local audience.

“The Hub is bringing together local spoken-word artists, writers and musicians, with music from Carrick-on-Suir composer Marian Ingoldsby and acclaimed flautist Gerard Dower," she explained.

“Local writers associated with Writing Changes Lives – Writing Community, led by Margaret O’Brien, will give voice to extracts from the women's actual historical records and letters.

“These readings will be anchored by a specially commissioned piece, ‘Seven Years Transportation’ (Taken Women) by award-winning writer and poet Shirley O’Shea.”

The evening will also feature an opening address from Ann Fitzgerald, historian and founding member of the Roses from the Heart Waterford Group.

Linda pointed out the local community has helped to build the exhibition.

“Twenty stands for the bonnets have been specially crafted and painted by Carrick-on-Suir’s Men’s Shed, creating a very tangible connection between the community today and the women whose stories are being remembered.”

Though they Never Returned, Their Story has Found its Way Home will be free to attend but you must book your place in advance as seating will be limited.

Booking opens this Friday, September 4 at 10am.

For further information contact the Tudor Artisan Hub at (086) 2560609

Linda thanked Waterford’s Transported Convict Women, A Herstory group for their generosity in sharing their research, stories and knowledge, and for bringing this important exhibition to Carrick-on-Suir. She also thanked the team Ormond Castle and the OPW for facilitating and supporting this special event.

This Culture Night event is being supported by The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon in partnership with Tipperary Arts Office.