Patrick Sullivan was my great grandfather. I know little of his life in Ireland, nor have I been able to track down details of his emigration to Australia. I think he may have first settled in Sydney where he sponsored his brothers Michael, Timothy and Denis passage. A Michael Sullivan lies beside Bridget and Honora in a well-maintained unmarked plot in Carlton cemetery. I haven't been able to confirm that it is Patrick's brother. I ask him when I visit, but he remains stubbornly silent.
He ran pubs and was a licensee of several in Melbourne. After the death of his two daughters, and possibly his twin, he sold up and moved to Goldsborough, West Coast, New Zealand. There is no evidence to support the theory that this was the result of a run-in with the police.
Initially, he ran a pub, but after a few years, he became a miner. He had a reputation for being a bit of a firebrand and standing up for miners' rights. Naturally, he was not unfamiliar with the working of the courts. Hw was buried in Stafford on the West Coast of New Zealand, alongside six of his children.
I'm keen to make contact with anyone who might be able to help me shed more light on his life in Ireland. Please drop a line.
Cheers
Matthew
