Exhibition honouring local women transported to Australia on show in Carrick-on-Suir
The Culture Night exhibition of handcrafted bonnets representing transported women and film can be viewed for free at Ormond Castle throughout this week
A special exhibition remembering 34 women from Carrick-on-Suir and the wider Suir Valley, who were transported to Australia and Tasmania in the 18th and 19th centuries, is on show in the Long Gallery at Ormond Castle throughout this week as part of Culture Night 2026.
The exhibition is presented by Carrick-on-Suir’s Tudor Artisan Hub, in association with Waterford’s Transported Convict Women: A Herstory, and hosted by Ormond Castle.
The lives of the women honoured in the exhibition were shaped by poverty, hardship and survival, and whose offences must be understood within the circumstances in which they lived.
Their stories offer a glimpse into the lives of ordinary women who were caught up in a system that transported thousands of people to the other side of the world.
The exhibition in the Long Gallery features 34 beautifully handcrafted Roses from the Heart Tribute Bonnets, created by the Waterford Roses from the Heart groups, each representing one of the women and providing a poignant tribute to their lives.
The Carrick-on-Suir Men’s Shed has also played a part, crafting and painting 24 stands to display the tribute bonnets.
The exhibition also features a remarkable boat made in 2012 by staff and inmates of Arbour Hill Prison and women prisoners at the Dochas Centre, with an embroidered sail representing “Hidden Lives” and “Hidden History.”
The boat was created as a gift for Dr Christina Henri for her Roses from the Heart project.
Visitors can use QR codes throughout the exhibition to discover the individual stories of the women - who they were, the lives they left behind and the journeys they were forced to make.
A specially created 45-minute film will also be screened daily in the AV Room featuring historian Dr Joan Kavanagh, descendants of the women from Australia, Dr Christina Henri, Ann Fitzgerald of Waterford’s Transported Convict Women: A Herstory, local poet Shirley O’Shea, and stories from the Roses from the Heart Tribute Bonnet makers.
As part of Culture Night on Friday, September 18, Carrick-on-Suir’s own creative response to the women’s stories, through spoken word and music, will take place at Ormond Castle.
The two special performances of this cultural event are now fully booked out.
However, the exhibition and film are free to visit throughout the week, giving everyone an opportunity to come along and explore this important part of Carrick-on-Suir’s history.
Learn about the convict story.
Read the names of the 34 women transported.
See the beautiful Tribute Bonnets. Read their stories. Discover their lives. Remember them.
The exhibition and film run until Sunday, September 20. Admission is free.
Film screenings take place daily at 11am and 3pm, with additional screening times available on request for groups.
Pre-booking advised, particularly for groups - contact (051) 640 787.