O’Reilly 150th to be commemorated

The 150th anniversary of the arrival of an Irish patriot, poet and political prisoner to Bunbury will be celebrated by the John Boyle O’Reilly Association next week.

The anniversary is marked on Tuesday, February 13, and will include the unveiling of a plaque at the John Boyle O’Reilly Park from 11am and a multimedia event titled Freedom at the Bunbury Museum and Heritage Centre from 7.30pm.

Association vice-president Peter Murphy said the celebrations were an important event on the Bunbury calendar.

“People like O’Reilly helped to shape our culture and heritage with his poetry and put places like Bunbury and Dardanup on the international map,” Mr Murphy said.

“The multimedia event follows O’Reilly’s life from the moment he was arrested, came to Bunbury to serve out his time and his dramatic escape to America where he became a noted scholar.

“It’s a full-on show at the Bunbury Museum and Heritage Centre which is actually the same venue where O’Reilly came to the convict depot so we will literally be walking in his footsteps.”

“Come along for the journey as we pay homage to the Irish-Bunbury legacy.”