11 March – 1 June 2008

 

Escape! Fremantle to Freedom is a travelling exhibition on the greatest prison break in Australian history.

It showcases the famous story of the Irish Fenian [members of the Irish independence movement] convicts and their bold escape from Fremantle Prison to the United States of America in 1876.  

The Fenians were transported to Fremantle as political prisoners on the Hougoumont, the last convict ship sent to Western Australia in 1868.  Their arrival signalled the end of convict transportation in Australia.  This was followed by the successful escape of their leader, John Boyle O’Reilly a year later on an American whaler to the USA.  He then assisted the Clan na Gael (Fenian Brotherhood) to organise the rescue of the remaining Fenians from incarceration in Fremantle’s Convict Establishment.  The commissioned whaler Catalpa arrived in Western Australia in 1876 and liberated the six Fenians in a daring episode that included Police chases over the high seas.

As well as tracing the story from Ireland to Australia and on to the USA, this captivating exhibition illustrates convict life in Australia’s last convict prison.   It contains some 130 original items from around the world, including artefacts, artworks, film, books, letters, diaries, photographs and uniforms.  Highlights include a replica of John Boyle O’Reilly’s death mask, hand engraved scrimshaws, interactive touchscreens and Fenian material from Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin and the National Museum of Ireland. 

The exhibition leads audiences on a narrative journey through this exciting story and follows the following themes:

• Origins of the Fenians in Ireland
• Their capture and transportation to the Swan River Colony on convict ship Hougoumont in 1868
• Life as a convict in Australia
• Escape of O’Reilly from Bunbury, WA to Boston, USA
• Plotting of the rescue plan for the Fenians remaining in Fremantle by John Devoy and the American Clan na Gael, including purchase of the American whaler Catalpa
• The successful escape of the Fenians in 1876 on board the Catalpa and their arrival in America as heroes
• Aftermath of the escape, the official enquiry and serious repercussions for individuals (e.g. prison staff).

The exhibition content is of international cultural and historical significance as the story is told over four countries, and demonstrates their contrasting legal systems. In Ireland the Fenians were seen as rebels and patriots, in England and Australia they were considered dangerous criminals while in America they were praised as heroes. Although this story remains largely unknown in Australia, the issues surrounding the incarceration and escape of the Fenians remain current. The most recent (and again unsuccessful) request to the English Government for a conditional pardon for John Boyle O’Reilly was made in 1999 by the then WA opposition leader, Geoff Gallop.

A dynamic approach to exhibition interpretation ensures participatory learning opportunities for children, including a treasure chest filled with convict costumes for dress-ups, chains and ball, leg irons, and a large freestanding globe with the sea voyages marked on it.  Two innovative multi-media touchscreens provide an opportunity to closely examine documents that are otherwise inaccessible to the public.