by Joy Lefroy
Martin Hogan
Having reached America and freedom, Hogan had trouble adjusting to his new life after so many years in prison. In 1895 he attended the ceremony where Captain Anthony was presented with the Catalpa flag in recognition of his part in the rescue. Hogan died in Chicago in 1901.
Michael Harrington
It is not known where Harrington settled after he arrived on Catalpa in August 1876. He died in New York in December 1886.
Thomas Hassett
It is not known where Hassett settled after he arrived on Catalpa in August 1876.He died in New York in December 1893.
James Wilson
While in prison, James Wilson wrote frequently to Irish sympathisers, including John Devoy in New York, appealing for assistance to escape. In 1874 his ‘Letter from the Tomb’ to John Devoy sowed the seeds for the Catalpa rescue mission.
Wilson was the leader of the military Fenians and was mainly responsible for the organisation of the Catalpa rescue from inside the prison.
He was the last survivor of the rescued men and died in Rhode Island, USA, aged eighty-five in 1921.
18.4 STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Activity 1: Chronology
Create a timeline of all the information you have gathered in your research about the Catalpa escape.
19.1 INFORMATION: ‘BALLAD OF THE CATALPA’
Folk songs such as ‘Ballad of the Catalpa’ (sometimes known as ‘The Catalpa’ and ‘The Escape of the Catalpa’) were written to commemorate historical and personal events. Before the 1900s, many workers including sailors could not read and write. They learned songs by memorising them.
The use of folk songs at sea—known as sea shanties—helped set a rhythm and pass the time for sailors doing monotonous physical work such as raising sails or hauling up the anchor. Sailors learning of the Catalpa escape may have sung this song as they worked.
This traditional Australian folk song tells the story of the escape of the Fenians from Fremantle. In the days before mass media, stories were often circulated through song and poetry.
It is rumoured that the ‘Ballad of the Catalpa’ so annoyed the police and the officials that it was banned in Western Australia. Maybe you could still be arrested today for singing it in public!
19.2 ‘BALLAD OF THE CATALPA’ SUNG BY BRENDAN WOODS
Source of this version of the song
Artist: Brendan Woods
Producer: Erik Kowarski
Album title: Cashman’s Diary: The Story of John Boyle O’Reilly
Track title: ‘Ballad of the Catalpa’
Year released: 1998
To listen to this version of the song, click here. Then enter password (case sensitive): Catalpa
19.3 STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Activity 1: Music/Drama
Imagine pulling on ropes to raise sails, haul up a heavy anchor or scrub the deck of a ship. Now do the actions for these chores in rhythm to ‘Ballad of the Catalpa’ as it is sung by Brendan Woods.
Learn the song so you can sing along. In a group, stand in a circle and pass a rope (approximately 20 metres long with the ends tied together) clockwise or anticlockwise around the circle through your hands while singing the ‘Ballad of the Catalpa’ to set the rhythm.
Activity 2: Investigation
Another song about Catalpa is ‘The Fenians’ Escape’. Search the internet (type ‘Fenians escape song’ into your search engine) and see if you can find different versions of the story through song.
Compare the stories told through the lyrics (words); you will notice they vary. There are even different versions of the same song with some minor word changes. For example, in one version of ‘Ballad of the Catalpa’ the Fenians are described as ‘bold’ and in another ‘poor’.
Do these word changes make any difference to the overall message of the song?
How would you explain these word variations?
How do these songs portray the Fenians, Captain Anthony, the British, the Americans and the Irish? Choose examples from the song lyrics to support your observations.
