Jack Donahue

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This article is about the Australian bushranger. For the founder of Federated Investors, see John F. Donahue.

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Jack Donahue (1804 - 1830 was a bushranger in Australia. He had numerous ballads written about him one well known one is Bold Jack Donahue.

He was born in Dublin in 1804. He supported Irish nationalism and at the age of 20 he was sentenced to be transported for life to New South Wales, Australia after being accused of attempted felony.

He arrived in January 1825 with 200 other convicts and was assigned to work as a servant to a settler named John Pagan on a farm at Parramatta. During the day he was supervised but at night he stole from the surrounding farm. Later he was punished and had to work in chains for a road gang. Then he was sent back to work on a pig farm belonging to Major West at Quakers Hill.

He absconded to the bush with two men named Kilroy and Smith. He formed a gang known as ‘The Strippers’. They were given this name because they stripped wealthy land owners of their clothes, money and food. The servants who worked in the farms helped the bushrangers by providing information about their masters and the whereabouts of people. These servants sometimes would give them food and shelter.

In the early years as a bushranger he was taken into custody with his gang, but he managed to escape while his companions were sentenced to death. He was managed again to escape a police shoot out. People called him the ‘Bold Jack Donohue’ but the police thought he was a dangerous criminal. In 1829 a reward of 20 pounds was offered for his capture. It was increased to 200 pounds a year later. In September 1830 he got shot by the police. After his death he was remembered as a bushranger who was a hero of the people.