Harp of Erin – Keady Family in Victoria

Harp of Erin Hotel, Queen Street, Melbourne 1892-1900

(This snapshot of Keady history relates to the John and Hanora Keady Family)

Below is a beautiful picture taken in the period 1871-1876 from the corner of Queen Street, Melbourne looking west down Little Bourke Street. On the left corner is the Harp of Erin Hotel and on the right side, the New Excelsior Hotel.

(Source: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales. Holtermann Collection : photographs of goldfield towns in N.S.W. and Victoria; Sydney and Melbourne streets and buildings, 1871-1876.)

Two members of the Keady family, Catherine Keady (nee O’Connell) and her son, John Patrick Keady (1863-1900) were running this Hotel during the period from about 1892 to 1905.

A little background

Catherine’s husband, Thomas Keady (1833-1892) was the first son of John and Hanora Keady. He travelled to Melbourne from Ireland with his parents when he was 8 years old. Thomas married Catherine O’Connell at St Patrick’s Kilmore on 30 April 1857. The couple eventually took up farming at Wahring, a farming district just outside Nagambie, Victoria. Many of the Keady family members established themselves on farming properties in this area.

Thomas passed away in 1892 at which time he was living on his farm, “Woodlands” at Wahring.

Involvement with Harp of Erin Hotel

According to the obituary for Catherine who died in 1910, Catherine left the farm at Wahring on Thomas’s death and moved to Melbourne where she “carried on business in the Harp of Erin Hotel” until about 1905. Catherine did not appear to have been the actual Licensee for the Hotel. No records have been found to indicate why Catherine might have made this major move to Melbourne to take up this role running a pub.

(Sourced from Trove and transcribed using AI. The original article appeared in The Nagambie Times, Victoria, Friday, 4 March 1910.The connection deepens – John Patrick Keady, Catherine’s son becomes Licencee in 1889.)

In 1889, Thomas and Catherine’s only son, John Patrick Keady (1863-1900) became the Licencee of the Harp of Erin Hotel. At this time, if Catherine’s obituary is correct, his mother would have been living at the Harp of Erin.

(Sourced from Trove)

Up till taking over management of the Harp of Erin, John had been a representative of the Massey-Harrris Company which would latter become the well known, Massey-Ferguson Company, supplier of a broad range of Agricultural Machinery.

Who knows why John made this switch from a fairly reputable position of “Traveller” for a well known company to take on the long hours and demanding job of operating a pub. Perhaps he was inspired by his grandfather (John Keady, 1811-1892) and a couple of Uncles who had successful operated Hotels.

John advertised quite extensively once he took over the pub, particularly noting his association with the Massey- Harris Company. The advertisement below gives a feel for the services he was offering.

(Sourced from Trove)

Sadly, John’s new life operating the Harp of Erin was cut short when he tragically dies on 8 July 1900. According to an Obituary published in the Cobram Courier on 12 July, 1900, John died from Tuberculosis, which was commonly referred to as “consumption”. (At the time of John’s death in 1900 Tuberculosis was the leading cause of deaths in Australia).