Catalpa
NLI AA14378_008.
In April 1876, a daring secret mission rescued six members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) from Fremantle Prison, Western Australia.
Their escape on the New England whaling ship, Catalpa followed two years of covert planning in America, coordinated by John Devoy - "the greatest of all Fenians".
View a selection of clandestine planning letters in our forthcoming display, which commemorates the 150th anniversary of this key event in the campaign for Irish independence. Drawn from the John Devoy Papers, as donated to the National Library of Ireland by his executor Alice (Carragher) Cominsky, these items take visitors inside the thoughts and personal stories of both the rescued and the rescuers.
Exhibition opening hours from 19th of November.
Monday, Thursday & Friday | 9.30am - 5pm (last admission 4.30pm)
Tuesday - Wednesday | 9.30am - 7pm (last admission 6.30pm)
Saturday - Sunday | 9.30am - 5pm (last admission 4.30pm)
Public Holiday Mondays | 12pm - 5pm (last admission 4.30pm)
