Perth author Lynsey McDonnell joined Doug on Mornings to discuss her debut novel, Bailey Street. Set against a Perth backdrop in the heart of Fremantle, it follows a dual storyline of history and romance.

The Inspiration

Lynsey began by discussing why she chose Fremantle as her setting.

WA’s Convicts

Lynsey read an article in 2018 about the arrival of the Hougoumont. It was the last convict ship to come into Western Australia in 1868.

“For some reason it just grabbed me and I started down a rabbit hole. I just kept researching and finding out more about who was on board that ship.”

A man by the name of John Boyle O’Reilly was among the Fenian soldiers, who were sentenced to death.

“Their sentences commuted to 20 years penal servitude here in the Swan River colony. John Boyle O’Reilly had a pub named after him, so I wanted to find out what was so special about him,” said Lynsey.

In her research, she discovered that John had an affair with the warder’s daughter.

“I’m a sucker for a romance,” quipped Lynsey. She decided that would be the premise for her novel.

A Worker’s Cottage

“At the same time, I had this fascination with this tiny colonial cottage in Fremantle Port, the last house standing of all the workers’ cottages.”

She pondered to herself, “Who were the people that had stubbornly refused to have it demolished?”

From that point she found a way to combine her interest in this historical aspect with a dual timeline connecting past to present.

“It was really clear early that little cottage in Fremantle would be the home that would connect past and present in my story.”

Big Magic

Lynsey has always loved writing, which dates back to her prolific reading from a young age.

“I always knew I would write, so after reading this article, I know this sounds silly, but I am a big believer in magic. If you believe, then you will notice when it comes,” she said.

She referred to a book by Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic, with the line:

“Stories float around the world looking for someone to write them.”

“I felt like that story was floating around and it chose me to tell it. And so that was just the start of taking it seriously, this desire to write a book one day. So, I started the research and learning the craft over a two-year period before I even put pen to paper.”

There was never a question as to whether she should write it. She knew she had found her story.

John Boyle O’Reilly

“The story of O’Reilly and the Fenian soldiers, the audacious feats of adventure and escape… the fact that they happened and hardly anyone knows about it, should be folklore,” said Lynsey.

She explained that the way Irish and West Australian history intertwined only 150 years ago, point to a unique story that almost seems like a myth.

“There are little snippets of it all around Perth. In JB O’Reilly’s pub, there are murals on walls and hotels named after the Hougoumont.”

Exceptional Facts

The facts of this story are exceptional, with Lynsey claiming you could write a story based solely on those events. She used this facts to inspire a love story.

“The facts of John Boyle O’Reilly and the Fenians are there to be read.”

There were several Irish Fenian soldiers who were sentenced to death for treason. They were recruiting fellow Irish soldiers into the British army to rise up against the British rule in Ireland.

“They were caught, jailed and sentenced to death. But over here we needed people to build infrastructure. So when they came over, that was the last convict ship into Western Australia. It was the end of the convict era, if you like.”

A Fenian’s Freedom

Lynsey explained that they had quite a bit of freedom because they were well-respected and highly acclaimed soldiers and officers.

“When they were brought over, John Boyle O’Reilly in particular was selected to lead a road gang building the road from Bunbury to Vasse.”

His freedom led to the story that sparked Lynsey’s interest. A rumoured affair, with plenty of evidence to make a claim.

“He was free to roam around town, to make a connection with a certain warder’s daughter.”

“I built the story from that, which is where the fiction comes from because not much of it is in history books,” she said.

The Joy of Writing

Lynsey said that the joy of writing comes from blending fact and fiction.

“I was able to stay very true to the timeline of events and who John was when he arrived, what he did when he was here, and I don’t want to spoil the book, but what happened later and these adventures that happened later.”

She explained that she took creative liberty when it came to the affair he had with the warder’s daughter, Jessie.

“There was plenty to go on because I didn’t just have a historical record. He was a poet who left his journals and poetry behind.”

Within those journals she got a sense of his heart and soul, who he was as a man and therefore what a man like that would have said and done.

“That’s why I’ve kept his real name,” said Lynsey, “And I’ve kept true to the facts because they’re remarkable on their own. But then fiction comes in with the building out of Jessie. I created a lot of who she was, I changed her surname. The same is true with Bailey Street in the present day.

She explained it is based on real house on Bayly Street in Fremantle.

“The house is real, but I created the story and connected it to John Boyle O’Reilly’s story. I changed the spelling of the word to give me more freedom. Those things helped me have comfort to have the license to do whatever I want because this is a novel and I wanted it to be a great story,” she said.

Lynsey’s Story

Lynsey was born to Irish parents, raised in England and emigrated to Australia at the age of 13.

“It’s funny, I never intended for any of my story to feed its way into my novel, but I think for many debut authors that just happens,” she said.

“It’s a natural thing because it’s the first time writing and you’re not aware of how much of yourself you pour into it.”

Themes of the Book

Once Lynsey pitched the novel to publishers, she had to call out what the themes were and the important elements beneath the story.

“That’s where these themes of immigration, home and identity came through. Feeling uprooted and untethered and learning what and who it takes to feel home again.”

“When I came to Australia, I then had that back and forward feeling of which one is home and not yet home, and I’m no longer home.”

Lynsey wanted her readers to have an experience of reading a really great book.

“One where, you don’t want it to end, but you can’t read it quick enough, you can’t read it slow enough, and the characters stay with you for a very long time.”

Bailey Street

Lynsey’s book Bailey Street is available for purchase on Thursday July 23rd.

Check out the full chat with Doug and Lynsey McDonnell below.