Celebrating Irish history and culture in Bendigo and surrounding areas.

The Central Victorian Irish Association aims to preserve our Irish history in the region and embrace our culture past, present and future.

Since 1791, Irish people have emigrated to Australia over 300,000 Irish Free Settlers arrived between 1840 and 1914

Major waves of Irish migration commenced during the reconstruction of Irish Agriculture after the 1840 famine and during the gold rushes of the 1850s after the discovery of gold in Victoria.

The gold rushes of the 1850s attracted many Irish to the colony of Victoria, with a high proportion of Irish speakers. An Irish-speaking priest, Fr Stack, was appointed to minister to Irish miners in the gold-rush locality of Bendigo.  Irish immigration was at its height in the 1860s, the main counties of origin being Clare, Tipperary, Limerick and Kilkenny.