First Irish Convicts to Australia

November 26, 1791

On November 26, 1791, the ship 'Queen' arrived in Sydney, New South Wales, carrying the first convicts transported directly from Ireland to Australia. These individuals, primarily from Cork, were among an estimated 40,000 Irish men and women who would be transported to Australia as convicts until 1868. This marked a significant chapter in Irish diaspora and the penal history of Australia.