Thomas O'Driscoll

Thomas O'Driscoll (1838–1891) was a New Zealand hotel-keeper and political agitator. He was born in Ash-hill, County Kerry, Ireland in 1838.[1]

Timaru Orange riots

In 1879, Thomas O'Driscoll's Hibernian Hotel was at the centre of sectarian conflict in Timaru. On Boxing Day, an Orange procession was planned to take place alongside the Foresters and the Odd Fellows. Leading up to the march, advertisements were placed around Timaru, and thus seen by Irish Catholics, who immediately opposed the march. They used the Hibernian Hotel as the rallying point before a crowd of 80 men made their way to George Street to cut the parade short.[2] A further crowd left the hotel to counter-protest and riot, with a crowd of over 150 Catholics.[3] The New Zealand Orange Order were advised to sheath their swords. The riot became known as the "Siege of Timaru" or the "Timaru Orange riots".[4]

References

  1. ↑ Greaney, Marie W. "Thomas O'Driscoll". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  2. ↑ "Events on this Day | NZ History". nzhistory.govt.nz. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  3. ↑ "Sectarian violence in Canterbury | NZ History". nzhistory.govt.nz. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "The Timaru Orange Riots, 1879 | Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.