Ned Kelly Touring Route goes back to its Irish beginnings

The raw, bittersweet memory of Ned Kelly will now resonate throughout Ireland, with the inclusion of the Kelly family’s birthplace in County Tipperary, in the Ned Kelly Touring Route.  Covering north east Victoria and southern NSW, where Ned and his Gang lived and roamed, the Touring Route represents the first time that the significant ‘Kelly sites’ have been presented as a complete story.  The Touring Route  which includes storyboards, maps and audio-guide will be completed by June 2006.

By following the Touring Route, Kelly-inspired visitors will gain a deeper understanding of the Kelly narrative through story boards installed at the sites where the historic events occurred – Old Melbourne Gaol, Avenel, Euroa, Stringybark Creek, Glenrowan, Beechworth, Benalla and Jerilderie - geographic markers of a national phenomena.  A storyboard will also be erected on the site of the Kelly family home in Moyglass, County Tipperary, where Ned Kelly’s father ‘Red Kelly’ lived, before being transported to Australia in 1841. 

“Ned Kelly is part of the Australian story -both as one of our best-known historical figures and also as a mythological character.   Through the Ned Kelly Touring Route we are committed to telling the many layers of the story with authenticity and sensitivity,” said Graham Nickless, Chairman of Ned Kelly Touring Route Steering Committee.

“The Irish connection with the Kelly legend is very real.  Extending the Touring Route to Ireland reflects Kelly’s Irish ancestry as well as his iconic status, even outside Australia.  Just as the Kelly legend knows no boundaries across our cultural landscape, it also has a strong grip on the Irish consciousness”, he continued.

Future development of the Ned Kelly Touring Route in Ireland may include the site of Ned Kelly’s mother, Ellen Kelly’s hometown in Northern Ireland and other Kelly gang member’s Irish connections.

Ned Kelly has been an enduring presence in the Australian psyche for more than 125 years.  Ned Kelly, the bushranger, the larrikin, and to some, the hero, is one of Australia's best-known historical figures. He is also part of the nation's mythology, repeatedly re-emerging through Australia's art,
literature, film music and other forms of popular culture.

For further information on the Ned Kelly Touring Route, call Wangaratta 1800 801 065 or go to www.nedkellytouringroute.com.au