Who is Frank The Poet?
In 1832 a young Irish political agitator was convicted of stealing a piece of cloth and sentenced to seven years transportation. Not three months after landing in Sydney for his term in exile he had once again fallen foul of the law. And so began a life of hard labour, incacerration, laceration, agitation and……poetry.
Before long he had gained a reputation among his fellow prisoners as a composer of uncompromising political verse that shone a light on the hypocrisy and tyranny of the colonial elite.
His name was Francis McNamara.
To his fellow prisoners he was known as Frank the Poet.
The songs on this album are based on 14 poems he wrote during his time in Australia.
The album tracklist.
The following songs have been selected for the initial release of ‘Banished Now From My Native Shore’. From over 30 submissions these 19 songs capture the spirit and legacy of McNamara perfectly. Over the next few weeks you’ll be able to hear these old poems reinvigorated by some of Australia’s finest songwriters and musicians.
1. Moreton Bay – The Yearlings
2. Labouring With The Hoe – Sean McMahon
3. For The Company Underground – Max Savage and The False Idols
4. Jim Jones in Botany Bay – Heath Cullen
5. Bold Jack Donohoe – Matt Walker
6. The Ballad of Martin Cash – Jeb Cardwell
7. A dialogue Between Two Hibernians – Nick Kipridis
8. McQuade’s Curse – Jimmy Dowling
9. Moreton Bay – Mia Dyson
10. A Convict’s Tour To Hell – Tom West
11. The Ballad of Martin Cash – Cal Williams Jr.
12. The Convict’s Arrival – The Tea House Fire
13. A Petition From The Chain Gang at Newcastle – Snooks La Vie.
14. For The Company Underground – Hat Fitz and Cara Robinson
Bonus Disc:
1. Bold Jack Donohoe – A.P. D’Antonio
2. Labouring With The Hoe – The Timbers
3. A Petition From The Chain Gang at Newcastle – Todd Sibbin
4. Moreton Bay – Joe Man Murphy
5. the Seizure of The Cyprus Brig in Recherche Bay – Brillig
My name is Frank MacNamara, A native of cashell, County Tipperary, Sworn to be a tyrant’s foe And while I’ve life I’ll crow.
Epigram of Introduction Hobart Mercury, 1870.
