Céad Mile Failte
Welcome to the Shamrock in the Bush - a weekend with a difference!
Now in its twenty-first year (who said it wouldn't last?) it is a gathering for those with a love of history and culture which is unashamedly, although not exclusively, Irish in flavour! This year's program is now available and bookings are open - see the program for details.
Since 1993 when Fr Brian Maher and Dr Richard Reid organised the first gathering, the Shamrock has well and truly taken hold and flourished at Galong. It has proved immensely popular and gone from strength to strength, gaining a following amongst those with an interest in Irish and Irish-Australian history and culture. The range of speakers and their topics presented over the years has been diverse with some of Australia's most eminent scholars taking part in the gatherings. In recent years Fr Maher has been elevated to patron of the Shamrock which is now jointly organised by Richard Reid and Cheryl Mongan.
St Clement's Retreat and
Conference Centre, the setting for the event, is an Australian treasure. Established
on the site of one of the earliest squatterages claimed by transportee Edward
'Ned' Ryan in the late 1820s, it became known through the years as 'a veritable
slice of Tipperary' as Irish immigrants gravitated to the area.
Ned renowned for his generosity, hospitality and paternal guidance of his
fellow countrymen acquired the sobriquets 'Patriarch of the Lachlan' and 'King
of Galong Castle' . Evidence of that early Irish influence is still recogniseable
today through the buildings, the churches and names of the surrounding properties
and features.
The Redemptorist community at St Clement's welcome the participants of the Shamrock in the Bush in the same spirit engendered by the Ryan family who made Galong their home for almost ninety years.
The proceeds of Shamrock in the Bush gatherings will be used to assist in the development and ongoing maintenance of the museum, archive and library complex being established in Galong House, the former Ryan homestead.
You can assist this worthy cause by registering to attend the Shamrock in the Bush.
To ensure you receive the latest information please lodge your contact details.
This page last updated: 11 June 2013
