Historian Dr Liz Rushen will take you behind the scenes of our current exhibition, Garryowen’s Melbourne which Liz curated. The exhibition grew out of the research Liz had done for her book, Garryowen Unmasked: The Life of Edmund Finn, which was launched earlier this year and was aided by her deep knowledge of the RHSV collection and its treasures.

The tour will be followed by afternoon tea.

Edmund Finn (1819-98), Irish immigrant, journalist, raconteur and eyewitness to the development of the Port Phillip District, is best known as ‘Garryowen’, author of The Chronicles of Early Melbourne 1835-1852. His lively writing, essential to any appreciation of pre-separation Victoria, brings to life this often-neglected period and place. Yet little has been written about the man himself, his actions or attitudes, or the influences that shaped him.

Finn’s exposure to troubled times in Ireland during his youth was a major influence on his later politics and world view. Migrating to Melbourne in 1841, this well-educated man lived for more than fifty years in colonial Melbourne, passionate about his religion, actively engaged with his community while never forgetting the home he had left behind. This book explores the life of this talented man and the ways in which he contributed to the creation of a new society in Melbourne through his writing, his speeches and his leadership of the St Patrick’s Society.

“An important chronicler of early Melbourne, the Irish journalist Edmund Finn has been unjustly neglected. A detailed study of his life and work is overdue, and therefore Dr Rushen’s book is to be welcomed.” Professor Elizabeth Malcolm, FASSA, FRHistS, University of Melbourne