Exiles from Erin

In April 1791 the Queen sailed from the Cove of Cork with the first cargo of Irish convicts destined for the new prison colony of New South Wales. In this book, some of the leading authorities on Irish convicts have re-created the Irish and colonial lives of a colourful selection of petty criminals, political rebels, tithe-protesters, eccentric clerics, faction-fighters and poets. How they responded to the challenge of a new life at 'Botany Bay' is an exciting story, rich with Irish pathos and good humour.