The Catalpa escape is a fascinating part of local and international history. The threads of this event
spread across the globe, beginning with Fenian political prisoners being transported to Fremantle
from Britain aboard the Hougoumont in the 1860s, and culminating in the escape of the last six
incarcerated Fenians to the USA, who were successfully rescued by the conspirators aboard the
Catalpa at Rockingham Beach in 1876.
These stories and more will be told by a series of speakers and panels at the ‘Fenians Festival 2026’
History Symposium, hosted by the Fremantle Buffalo Club, Fenians, Fremantle and Freedom, and
Limina: A Journal of Historical and Cultural Studies, and sponsored by the University of Notre
Dame, Australia. Proceedings will run from 11am to 3.30pm on Friday, March 27.
Featuring keynote speaker Professor Jane Lydon, special guests Jim Ryan (great-grandson of
Captain Anthony), and a panel discussion including the contributors of Limina’s upcoming special
edition of the Catalpa Escape: A Transnational History of the Southwest of Australia.
Dive into Fremantle's fascinating Fenian history at The Buffalo Club this March.