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T.J. Kiernan, The Irish Exiles in Australia (1954)

Thomas Joseph Kiernan was the first Ambassador of the Republic of Ireland to Australia.

Born in Dublin in 1897 as the son of a clerk, Keirnan emulated his father by becoming a civil service clerk in 1916. Although he initially worked in tax collection, in 1924 Keirnan transferred to the Department of External Affairs, being appointed secretary to the Irish High Commissioner’s office in London. By the end of the 1930s Kiernan’s talents looked likely to see him appointed as Minister to Germany, but with the outbreak of the Second World War he was instead appointed as Minister to the Holy See where he served from 1941-46. This was a difficult posting considering Italy’s involvement in the war, and Kiernan became active in helping with relief works in the war-torn city of Rome. He became quite close to Pope Pius XII, so much so that Kiernan would later author a biography of the pontiff.

Kiernan was first sent to Australia in 1946, as Ireland’s first minister plenipotentiary, and his title would be upgraded to Ambassador in 1950 in light of Ireland’s new status as a fully-fledged republic. There was some controversy surrounding Australia’s diplomatic relationship with Ireland during the early Menzies era, as the Irish insisted that any Australian Ambassador send their credentials to the ‘President of Ireland’, but the Australians preferred to address them as ‘The President of the Republic of Ireland’ out of respect for Northern Ireland. The conservative press likewise referred to Kiernan as the Ambassador of ‘Eire’ or southern Ireland, as opposed to simply ‘Ireland’. The stand off attracted considerable attention, and ultimately resulted in the Commonwealth Government cancelling the appointment of Paul Maguire as Ambassador-designate.

Despite this impasse, Menzies had a level of respect for Irish republican Éamon de Valera whom he had met during the war, and he soon warmed to Kiernan. Their most significant public exchange was in 1952 when Kiernan gifted the Australian Government a detailed reconstruction of the Book of Kells – an ornate and historic 9th century rendering of the Gospel in Latin. The book could be traced back to the followers of Saint Columba and spoke to Ireland’s role in helping to convert much of Britain to Christianity – a religion which had arrived in Britain with the Romans, but was later driven out by the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons. Kiernan presented the book:

‘From the people of Ireland to the people of Australia, this symbolic gift, written in peace when Europe was ravaged with war and destruction, tells of the indestructibility of the human spirit. The work itself, survivor of hundreds of years of turmoil, and above all the eternal message illuminated into the book, is for Hope, and for Faith, and for Courage, individual and community; an example, is its art form, of the unity of Asia and Europe and Africa, of the free commerce of ideas and of beauty and creative work that one time linked them, that will again, with the Americas and Australia inspiring, and in their turn, being inspired. It is offered as a gift and a challenge to Australia: to find inspiration from it, and herself, as a nation, to inspire her fellow-peoples in the world; to work for unity on the only basis on which unity can be achieved; for it is not by congresses or the like formal gatherings that unity of spirit can be achieved, but only through a free interchange of the ideas of the spirit, of creative beauty, by an exchange of reverences, a deep and mutual respect for reverences. Such is the new language, the daring and commanding language that this work audaciously speaks, to be heard, and made in its time to fructify, by audacious, free individuals everywhere. It is an indestructible message.’

Menzies promised to give the book a special place in the Commonwealth Archives, responding:

‘It will come to us as a reminder of a race of men who have made their mark all over the world and who have placed their thumb print on democratic things all over the world. It will commemorate for us the faith which after 2000 years of trial still remains the hope of mankind.’

Although Kiernan had no direct connection to Australia when he was first appointed to his diplomatic posting, he soon developed a passion for our history, which was reflected in his authorship of The Irish Exiles in Australia. Intensively researched over years, the book tells several Irish convict/migrant stories, including that of Father James Harold, the First Irish Catholic Priest to arrive in Australia. Sent out as a convict for offering shelter to wounded United Irish rebel Felix O’Rourke (who was later hung), Harold was not allowed to officially minister in the new land, but tended to his flock in a clandestine fashion that speaks to the Irish conviction to retain their faith and culture. The book concludes by highlighting Irish involvement in the Eureka Stockade, linking the fight for liberty at home to the fight for liberty here.

A notable endnote to the Kiernan story is that his son Colm later became an Australian academic, receiving the first ever arts PhD from UNSW, authoring the first official biography of Arthur Calwell, and going full circle by being appointed the endowed professor of Australian history, at University College Dublin.