Donohoe, Jack (1806-1830), was an Australian thief and bushranger (robber who hid in the Australian wilderness). His name is sometimes spelled Donahoe, Donahue, or Donohue. Donohoe’s exploits were recorded in the song “Bold Jack Donohoe” and later incorporated in the ballad “The Wild Colonial Boy.”
John Donohoe was born in Dublin, Ireland. In 1823, he was convicted of “intent to commit a felony” and was transported to the British penal (prison) colony at New South Wales, Australia. He worked as an assigned servant and in a road gang. In 1827, Donohoe and two other men committed a series of robberies on the Windsor Road. The three men were caught and sentenced to death, but Donohoe escaped. For two years, he lived as a bushranger with various gangs around Sydney. Mounted troopers finally shot him dead near Campbelltown on Sept. 1, 1830.
See also Bushrangers ; Colonial life in Australia and New Zealand (Law and order) .
