Diary - M.P. O'Shea, Shipboard, Liverpool-Melbourne, 1859

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Summary:: Diary kept by male Irish Catholic immigrant M.P. O'Shea, recording his voyage from Castlecomen, Ireland to Melbourne via Liverpool. He departed Castlecomen on 5 May 1859, arriving in Liverpool on 8 May 1859 and departed for Melbourne on 9 May 1859. He arrived at Sandridge Pier on 10 August 1859. The diary also records his first couple of weeks in Melbourne, and lists his fellow passengers listed as: Anne O'Shea, James Ladden and Mrs Ladden.

The diary tells the story of a voyage of adversity, describing illness, drunken passengers, and scarcity of provisions, as well as early struggles in the new colony. It focuses on shipboard conditions, including poor and insufficient food, drunken assaults on female passengers, and subsequent summary justice, as well as attempts by O'Shea to gain compensation after the voyage. O'Shea appears to have ended up in Collingwood desperately seeking work, aided by a local priest.
Description:: Small pocketbook with a marbled cover and a sewn binding. Approximately 60 pages, with closely written entries in pencil.

Tagged with:	immigration, immigrant voyages, settlement, religions roman catholic, immigrant shipping, diaries, travel, irish communities, irish immigration
Themes this item is part of:	Migration Collection, Transport Collection
Primary Classification:	MIGRATION
Secondary Classification:	Travel - Shipboard Life
Tertiary Classification:	diaries
Inscriptions:	Extensive hand written text.
Author:	M. O'Shea, Australia, 1859
Place Named:	Castlecomen, Ireland, 5 May 1858
Place Named:	Liverpool, England, Great Britain, 8 May 1859 - 9 May 1859
Place Named:	Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 Aug 1859
Place Named:	Collingwood, Victoria, Australia, Aug 1859