Dropping anchor in Rockingham Foreshore, WA, in March and April, the Catalpa Adventure Festival set sail for two exhilarating days, with grandeur reminiscent of its historical counterpart — the daring mission to liberate six Irish political prisoners aboard the American whaling ship Catalpa. 

The Catalpa Escape is a pivotal part of Rockingham’s history and one of the most daring prison breaks of all time. This escape had international repercussions and connected Rockingham to Ireland and the USA for years to come.

The audacious escape that unfolded on 19th April 1876, became immortalised as the tale of the ‘Fremantle Six.’

The story began amid political turmoil in Ireland, where fervent nationalists, Fenians, rose up against British rule. Six men — James Wilson, Thomas Darragh, Martin Hogan, Michael Harrington, Thomas Hassett, and Robert Cranston — found themselves transported across the seas to Fremantle Prison. They were forced to do hard labour, yet their spirits remained unbroken, fueled by the dream of liberty.

Their salvation came in the form of George Anthony, a whaling captain with a heart set on freedom. A scheme had been hatched and funds raised among the Irish-American community to free the prisoners. George Anthony was asked to captain the ship. Leaving New Bedford in Massachusetts in 1875, with a daring plan devised by Irish sympathisers, Anthony sailed the Catalpa across perilous oceans to reach the distant shores of Australia.

Two Irish men had travelled to Australia ahead of time incognito to make plans for the bold escape to take place. They informed the prisoners of the plan and cut telegraph lines on the day of the escape. Perth Regatta Day was chosen for the escape. It was an important social day for the colonists and that meant prominent authority figures would be away in Perth celebrating.

Months of meticulous planning culminated in a fearless rendezvous. The Fenians slipped away from their captors, travelled 30km to Rockingham and boarded the Catalpa under the cover of darkness. After a four-month journey, the Catalpa sailed into New York. There was a huge celebration among the Irish-American community.

After an inaugural event in 2023, this year, the Catalpa Adventure Festival marked 148 years since the prisoners’ escape took place. Festival-goers revelled in Gaelic football matches, Irish music, and historical re-enactments; the legacy of the ‘Fremantle Six’ lived on. There was also the Catalpa Dash, a 30km cycle recreating the 1876 escape of the Irish prisoners from Fremantle Prison. The riders, dressed in period costumes, “escaped” Fremantle and rode to the festival on the Rockingham foreshore.

Rockingham Mayor Deb Hamblin said the Catalpa story was a treasured part of the city’s history. “Not only does it celebrate the strong bonds between Australia and Ireland, it helps illustrate the ties that stretch across the oceans from Rockingham to the United States, which have continued to deepen.”


Pictures: Catalpa Escape Memorial in Rockingham, above, and, above right, recalling the story of the Fremantle Six at the Catalpa Adventure Festival. Credit: Facebook/ City of Rockingham