Francis Macnamara
Miner, thief, celebrity poet
Arrived 1832 on Eliza
With their ‘flash’ slang words, convicts could undermine the control of the authorities. The rebellious verse of Macnamara, who clearly had the gift of the gab, must have struck a chord with his fellow convicts.
In 1832, Francis Macnamara, an articulate 21-year-old miner from Wicklow, Ireland, was sentenced to seven years’ transportation for stealing cloth.
In the colony he became a popular poet and balladeer, famous for describing the horrors and injustices of the convict system – and few were more qualified to write about convict life.
For nearly two decades, while ‘Frank the Poet’ entertained colonists with witty writings, the real Macnamara endured punishment in irons, multiple floggings, stints on the treadmill and long periods in solitary cells. His poem ‘A Dialogue between two Hibernians in Botany Bay’, published in The Sydney Gazette, was written at the Hyde Park Barracks.
The defiant Macnamara also wrote about notorious fellow convicts William Swallow and Israel Chapman. Macnamara was finally freed in 1849.
'Up steps bold Jack Muldemon his comrades three more We soon disarmed the sentry and left him in his gore Liberty Oh Liberty it's Liberty we crave Deliver up your arms my boys or the sea shall be your grave 'First we landed the soldiers the captain and his crew We gave three cheers for Liberty and soon bid them adieu William Swallows he was chosen our commander for to be We gave three cheers for Liberty and boldly put to sea 'Play on your golden trumpets boys and sound your cheerful notes The Cyprus Brig's on the ocean boys by justice does she float.'
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Fiona claims her love of history is hereditary – passed on by her mother and grandmother, each interested in Australian history, genealogy and world history, with a passion for visiting and learning about heritage sites around the world. Her interest took root with degrees in historical archaeology and museum studies, and through internships at the Museum of London and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Paris. Work on archaeological digs, with museum collections and on numerous exhibition and site interpretation projects inspired her PhD research into encouraging the private sector to help conserve cultural heritage sites. As curator of the Hyde Park Barracks Museum and The Mint (Macquarie Street Portfolio), Fiona combines her curiosity for colonial and convict history with expertise in managing and interpreting archaeology to help bring the fascinating stories of these sites to life for visitors.
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