Ipswich had a large Irish community and the St Patrick’s Day parade on 17 March was once a major event in the city. Many shops closed and the parade was long and colourful, usually ending up with a sports day.

The Queensland Times reported on 19 November 1874 that there had been a riot at the Ipswich School of Arts the week before. The article noted that Brisbane papers referred to the “provocation given by the Orangemen of Ipswich and its vicinity,”. The Queensland Times stated this was incorrect and that in fact “the brutal violence recorded was at all events commenced by illiterate Irish settlers from the country’, at the instigation of their more polished but equally culpable co-religionists in town.”

Irish Associations in Ipswich included the Ipswich Orangemen, Ipswich Irish National Association (held a concert on 7 November 1919 to celebrate the inauguration of the Irish National Association in Ipswich), Ipswich Irish Natives Association and the Queensland Irish Volunteers held at meeting in Ipswich to gauge interest in a local corps.

Irishtown

The Queensland Times reported on 29 February 1928 of the renaming of Irishtown. The story of how the suburb of Eastern Heights secured its name was told in the annual report submitted at last night’s meeting of the Progress Association of that district. The Secretary (Mr. A. H. Whitehead) told how, when members had agreed to form the association, they were at a loss to know what name they should assume. In years past, there had been different names for different blocks, but the name most commonly used was “Irishtown.” “We all felt that, as this area compromised some of the finest residential sites in the city,” the Secretary continued, “the name was not in keeping with the whole area. After many suggestions, the present name was adopted. It seems to have found favour. I think I can safely say that the name of ‘Eastern Heights’ is now well on the map in the city of Ipswich.

• Charles William Pennell was born at Irishtown in 1860
• Martin Callaghan was a well known pioneer of Irishtown
• Anthony Lahane Cotter, funeral left from his residence, Irishtown
• The Degan family arrived in Australia in October 1865 and moved to Ipswich soon after. After the death of her husband, Mrs Degen moved to Irish-town
• Harry Perrett was the first male child born at Newtown
• F. Gehrmann was an old resident of Irishtown

Irish in Ipswich

Irish settlers were the pioneers of the Mount Walker and Rosevale areas.

T. C. (Tom) Beirne was an Irish Man who started a retail business in Brisbane in the late 1880s. He built a store in Ipswich on the corner of Nicholas and Union Streets in 1902. Tom’s younger brother Mick moved to Ipswich to take charge of the store in 1919.