Finding the Irish in newspapers

Newspapers are an amazing source of information. Delving into newspapers can allow you to discover that vital piece of information for your family history. You may also find items that create a picture of the emigration process or provide descriptions of the life that the Irish were leaving behind.

Emigration to Queensland

During the first few years after Queensland separated from New South Wales, the new colony began promoting itself as an emigration destination for those wanting to leave Ireland for a better life. There are advertisements for lectures, commissioned by the Queensland Government and presented by ex-government members, extolling the “New Australian Colony of Queensland as a Field for Emigration, and the future Cotton Field of England”. Articles about these lectures, and what was said, were published the next day.

Advertising columns often included ads promoting the virtues of emigrating to Queensland, and listed when and from where vessels might be travelling. You can find ads like this published throughout the second half of the 1800s. In the 1860s, columns were written enthusing about the opportunities on offer in Queensland, such as land grants for passengers who pay their own way, and promotion of the vessels sailing to Australia.

Letters

Letters published in the newspapers cover a variety of subjects. Early letters sent back home from Queensland were published, often offering opposing points of view. Some were very critical of Queensland and what was on offer, often recommending people not emigrate. Others provided a very positive perspective including descriptions of life, costs of crops, and more. You may even find reference to when someone did well in Australia, for example being elected to parliament. Letters to the editors, and other similar columns, are popular places for descendants of Irish emigrants to Queensland and Australia to publish information as they try to link back to local Irish families. It was particularly common in the 1980s and 1990s as family history evolved into a favourite pastime and people were looking to trace their ancestry. You will often find a potted history of the person who emigrated in the hopes of getting links for a successful reunion.

Social life

Due to the large migration of Irish emigrants to Australia you can often find write-ups in the newspapers of visits back to the homeland. The Irish who emigrated during the 20th century returned often, some even after 20, 30 or 60 years from when they emigrated, bringing children and/or grandchildren back to meet family, to visit childhood haunts or just to reunite with loved ones. There are also those who were born and raised in Australia to Irish migrants following the steps of their ancestors, discovering where they come from and connecting with distant relatives. These news stories often provide insights into the lives lived by Irish emigrants in Australia.

History

For those wanting to add detail to their family’s story, you can find articles covering different aspects of history during the time of migration. Discover articles detailing the progress of the famine in the 1840s, or read more current articles recognising the significance of that time. You can also find information on uprisings, descriptions of life at the time, and much more.

Resources

State Library of Queensland has a few online newspaper databases that can be helpful for locating the Irish in newspapers.

Access from home with State Library membership

• Irish Newspaper Archive – A digitised collection of around 80 historical and current newspapers from Ireland dating back to the 18th century.
• Illustrated London News – The full archive from 1842-2003 in fully searchable digital format. More than 100 years of social, political and cultural history.

Access at State Library

• British Newspaper Archive – Covers more than 200 newspaper titles from every part of the UK and Ireland. Mainly from the 19th century, with some dating back to the first half of the 18th century.