Mary Jane Carleton
Irish Immigrants to South Africa has been a neglected sector of the South Africa population and for many years I have had an immense interest in Irish Immigration to South Africa. There have been many historical books and thesis that have been written but there is no one entire collection or database of Irish people who came to South Africa. The Irish in South Africa plays a huge part our culture and history and we need to facilitate the social contact between Irish people, people of Irish descent and anyone who has any interest whatsoever in the Irish and in Ireland
In the quest to find my illusive great-great grandmother Mary Jane Carleton, I have created a database on Irish Immigrants to South Africa. I hope others will find their missing links to their Irish Ancestry. Although the database is still in its infancy, my collection of Irish families is substantial. If you need any research to be done, you can contact me here and I will gladly give you a quotation.
Please note that the information from these databases are not for any Wiki type websites, paid for websites or Geni public databases but remain my intellectual copyright. Permission for any publication whether it be internet based, paper publication, email, or verbal needs to be obtained from me.
This is not a social media webpage and reserve the right to reject or refuse to publish material sent to me which I deem not relevant to any person or place
My aim is to research and propose a future publications on the Irish Diaspora of the Western Cape, specifically those from mixed unions i.e. between Irish-born settlers from 1800’s until present and Afrikaners/slaves/Khoi-San. As far as we are aware there is no published information on this subject.
I am looking towards the community who can prove in some way or other that they are of Irish descent and who can provide family trees, interesting biographies, stories, documents, letters, photographs, graves or anything that shows your Irish Ancestry.
Submissions can be sent to Heather MacAlister
Further Reading
A Minority of a Minority of a Minority: the Irish in South Africa by Donal P. McCracken
Irish settlers to the Cape by Graham Dickason
Irish Missionaries in South Africa by Rev. John Colgan, D.D.
Green are the hills of Natal: Early Irish settlers in Natal, 1824-1862 by Shelagh O’Byrne Spencer
The Irish abroad by E. O’Donnell
The Effects of Irish versus German Immigration on the Eastern Frontier, 1857-1858 by Keith Tankard
Aided Irish immigration to the Cape by Esme Bull
Orangeism in South Africa by Rev. Brown
The Rand at war, 1899-1902 by D. Cammack
Disputed territory: The Irish presence in the marchlands of the Zulu Kingdom,1838-1888 by G Dominey
