BY JOHN FITZGERALD
There are celebrations Noreside and “down under” following the election of Colleen Egan, daughter of the late Kilkenny man, Ned Egan, to the parliament of Western Australia.
The Egan clan, and Ned’s cousins the Moroneys, were ecstatic when they learned on Saturday that the Perth-based daughter of the much-loved poet-writer, who died last August, will now serve as an MP in the land that her father called home in his young days.
Ned had emigrated from his native Dunnamaggin in County Kilkenny to England in his youth, and, in addition to joining the army to serve in the Middle East and Cypress, he made his way to Australia in search of a new life. He penned books of poetry, a novel, and hundreds of articles, many of which appeared in the Kilkenny Observer. Ned was a regular caller to the Observer office in Friary Street, and what a story he’d have to tell if he were still “down here!”
When he returned to Ireland in later life, after a long exile, he maintained weekly contact with his family in Australia and was especially proud of Colleen’s stellar achievements.
Among these were the impact she made via her award-winning journalism when she worked with The Australian newspaper and the Sunday Times. She came to national prominence when she campaigned against the wrongful conviction of a man for murder…and succeeded in getting him vindicated and freed from prison.
Her book An Innocent Man Walks Free, received a 2006 Walkley Award for “Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism”, joining other accolades recognizing the value and resilience of her investigative reporting.
After retiring from journalism, she worked, between 2017 and 2023 as chief of staff for the Western Australian Attorney-General.
Ned would be chuffed by her success in Saturday’s election. She won a seat for the Labour Party in the Australian Legislative Assembly for the electoral district of Thornlie in a fiercely fought poll, seeing off a wide range of rivals to become an MP.
Tributes poured in from family and friends in Kilkenny, among them several messages opining that Ned himself must be celebrating too at this wonderful news… on the “Other Side”.
I can imagine a squeezebox playing, and a mighty band of poets and storytellers up there.
Given her past record, one suspects that the multi-talented Colleen Egan will be a most eloquent advocate for justice and fair play in her new role:
She will do Australia proud, but her success will also hearten all of us back here in the “old country” who remain convinced, in the words of the song, that “they’ll never beat the Irish!”
