Join us to commemorate one of convict history’s boldest escapes, as the Fenian story is told in the free exhibition Flight of the Fenians: 150thanniversary of the Catalpa rescue.
Join an expert guide for a specially curated commemorative tour marking 150 years since the daring Fenian escape. Available on select date.
150 years ago, six Irish political prisoners risked everything for liberty. As members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, they dreamed of an independent Ireland, free from British rule—a dream that resulted in their transportation to Fremantle Prison in 1868.
In April 1876, under the watchful eyes of their captors, they slipped away from their convict work parties and raced south to Rockingham, pursued by the authorities. Their goal was to reach the American whaling ship Catalpa, waiting offshore. This was a daring, international rescue that defied the odds and continues to capture the public’s imagination 150 years later.
