Tarrawarra Irish connection

Frank O’Shea, Melbourne, member of the editorial team of the free online monthly www.tintean.org.au devoted to Irish-Australian matters, recounts his visit to the Mount Mellaray Abbey.

I can’t remember his name, but I recall that he worked as a shoemaker in a local shoe store. All the girls in town were secretly in love with him, which was no wonder because he was tall and handsome and always well-dressed. In a football-mad town, he played at centre halfback on the local team and was in that position the year they were beaten in the championship final. The following week he disappeared.