Michael Davitt was born in Straide, County Mayo, on March 25th 1846 at the height of the Great Famine. He was the second of five children born to Martin and Catherine Davitt. At the tender age of four Michael and his family were evicted from their home and forced to emigrate to Haslingden, Lancashire, England. At the age of eleven while working in a cotton mill, Davitt had his arm so badly maimed in an accident that it had to be amputated. At sixteen, while working for the local postmaster, he began evening classes in Irish history at the Mechanic's Institute. It was at this time that his thoughts began to turn to politics and he joined the Fenian movement in England. The Fenians Joining the Fenians in 1865 he rose through the ranks to become organising secretary for England and Scotland but was arrested in 1870 for arms smuggling and sentenced to fifteen years penal servitude. After seven years he was released on a ticket of leave.(http://www.museumsofmayo.com/davitt1.htm, accessed 21 January 2014)Images of a bearded man known as Michael Davitt. He is writing at a large table in a large room with chandelier. ballarat irish, davitt, michael davitt

A black and white school photo taken at Sunbury State School in the 1920s.education, schools, sunbury state school, fletcher, l., photographers, shepherd, len, seibler, george, schnedier, max, baylis, charles, syd, dunn, robert, mitchell, ron, mann, keith, gregor, douglas, lewis, jock, bert, noonan, emily, smith, hannah, beryl, ingram, mary, sleeth, marie, watts, marjorie, bowman, grimmet, nellie, munro, grace, roper, jack, chrissie, oats, dorothy, fisher, freda, forbes, margaret, boardman, joan, maud, rodgers, joe, straide, billie, noel, bragg, frank, bayliss, jimmie, staib, oswald, george evans collection