An Irish History Tour of Ipswich General Cemetery

Queensland Irish Association, in association with Friends of South Brisbane Cemetery and The Haunts of Brisbane, invites you to An Irish History Tour of Ipswich General Cemetery. One of Queensland’s Oldest Cemeteries.

On level ground just west of the old town, Ipswich General Cemetery spreads out quietly, its rows of headstones marking some of the earliest chapters of Irish life in Queensland. Established in 1843, it is one of the state’s oldest cemeteries and a place where Irish stories sit side by side with colonial ambition, hardship and legend.

On Sunday 22 March 2026 at 10am, the Queensland Irish Association, together with Friends of South Brisbane Cemetery and The Haunts of Brisbane, invites you to walk among those stories on a guided Irish History Tour.

Here are Irish-born men and women who arrived in the colony in its infancy and helped shape Ipswich as a working town. Among those buried here is John Alexander Bell, born in County Kildare, who became a prominent pastoralist and politician, serving on the Queensland Legislative Council during the 19th century. His grave reflects the rise of Irish migrants into positions of influence in the young colony.

Nearby lies Francis North, born in County Westmeath, another early Irish settler who entered Queensland politics and served as a member of the Legislative Assembly before his death in 1864. His burial here places Irish voices firmly within the foundations of Queensland’s parliamentary life.

The cemetery also tells quieter Irish stories — of labourers, families and children — where headstones record lives cut short by disease, accidents and the realities of colonial existence. Names, ages and places of birth etched into stone trace a direct line back to Irish counties, reminding visitors how strong the Irish presence was in Ipswich’s earliest decades.

Then there is the grave that continues to spark debate. Buried here is James Ryan, the man who late in life claimed he was Dan Kelly, brother of bushranger Ned Kelly. Ryan asserted that he survived the siege at Glenrowan in 1880 and lived for decades under an assumed name in Queensland. Authorities never accepted his claim, yet the story was taken seriously enough to be reported widely in the press, and today his grave carries a memorial acknowledging the mystery. It remains one of Queensland’s most curious bushranger footnotes.This tour offers a chance to walk a flat, unassuming landscape that holds anything but ordinary stories — of Irish migration, political influence, everyday survival and enduring legend — all written quietly into the stones of Ipswich General Cemetery.

On 22 March 2026 at 10am. Suggested cash donation of $10 welcome to our tour guides on the day.
RSVP and enquiries to mary@queenslandirish.com.au.

This tour will involved two hours of standing/walking. The cemetery is in a flat location. Bring comfortable, enclosed shoes and hat/umbrella for shade. Address is Cemetery Rd and Warwick Rd, Ipswich QLD 4305. Meeting point at the cemetery is the gates on Cemetery Road – there is parking on Cemetery Road near the gates. Toilets on site. Thank you to Ipswich City Council.