This website was created by students of ‘History of Australia, 1788-1918′, a fourth year (semester 8 level) History module at the University of Limerick, Ireland, led by Dr Karol Mullaney-Dignam in Spring 2017 and Spring 2018.
The module surveyed the history of Australia between the foundation of a penal colony in New South Wales in 1788 to the end of the First World War in 1918. It addressed a wide range of topics relating to colonial administration and expansion but had a particular focus on the Irish immigrant experience in the Australian colonies in the long nineteenth century.
This site draws on the vast range of online resources for the study of Australian history, from journal articles to contemporary newspapers, pamphlets, and digitised images, which are currently available via the National Library of Australia’s Trove – as well as the websites of a variety of cultural and heritage institutions.
There are 46 posts across 12 sections each with a main theme. Project teams of 3-5 students chose these themes and worked together to create an introductory page that would make their section coherent. Individually, they researched a sub-theme by selecting and analysing primary sources that highlighted their chosen theme, along with secondary sources for context.
Members of indigenous, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Maori communities are advised that this website contains names and images of deceased people.
Users should also be aware that certain historical words, terms or descriptions, may be considered culturally insensitive or inappropriate today but are used here reflect the period in which they were written.
Irish Aussies: historical perspectives 