Irish Jack Mulholland on Life in Borroloola, Australia 1963
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- čas přidán 25. 08. 2024
- David Attenborough visited Borroloola in 1963 to film what became episode 2 of 'Quest Under Capricorn', the 8th and final series of the BBC's Zoo Quest expedition documentaries.
He interviewed Irishman Jack Mulholland, then owner of the hotel. He described having joined the library having arrived at Borroloola one rainy season some years prior and read many books, including the complete set of works by W. W. Jacobs.
Born in Ireland in 1912, Jack arrived in Borroloola in the 1930s to avoid Europe's wars. He became the publican at the Tattersal's Hotel in 1945 after John O'Shea died. As the town declined so did trade at the Tattersal's Hotel until, by the time he was interviewed by David Attenborough, Jack had only about five patrons a year. Jack took this philosophically, in truth he seemed to welcome it, as it gave him time for reflection.[v]
As the hotel trade dwindled he became a prospector. Whilst he found bits and pieces of various ores they never amounted to anything. This bothered Jack no more than the lack of trade at the hotel. Much of his prospecting involved thinking and he claimed he had found the most precious of all rare resources - contentment. He fiercely guarded his solitude and independence.
Jack married a local Aboriginal woman and together they had five sons and two daughters. Both daughters died in childhood and are buried north of the tamarind trees.[vi]
He had found an old abandoned truck, of 1928 vintage, and fixed it up so it was in working order. It would be an exaggeration to call it a restoration, but it ran and was reasonably reliable, at least for a competent bush mechanic. The truck had no starter motor, and Jack never found the starting handle. When he needed to use it, he'd jack up one rear wheel, switch on the ignition, put the truck into gear and spin the wheel. Most people would find this inconvenient, but the arrangement was perfectly adequate for Jack's purposes.
In time, as Borroloola began to grow again, it seems Jack became disenchanted with life in town and moved to a camp in the bush, about six miles (10km) away. It also seems he was lonely. Perhaps he thought an animal would satisfy his need for company better than people. He decided to find a pet and chose a king brown, a highly venomous snake.
One morning he was found dead.
His grave is marked by a home-made concrete cross. The character of the monument is in total harmony with the man beneath the earth.
It is inscribed with these words;
Age 70
JACK MULHOLLAND
laid to rest 4-4-82
born Ireland
father of
_____
Fred
Patrick
Francis
Kevin
Victor
Life is hard but fair.All the unfairness we experience in life is either of our own doing or caused by other people.
Thanks for that …I wonder what the daughters were named .
I'm thinking that pet brown snake of his had something to do with his death?
@@df289 life is certainly not fair.
As someone that’s been crippled by a king brown bite to the leg.. I don’t recommend taking them as pets
I'm English, but with an Irish name, and living in Australia. I am half way through setting myself up in a small remote outback village (pop. 46), I've already purchased the land, and put a concrete slab down. The days when a man could just build a shack and live in it, are gone unfortunately - but I will sort myself out some kind of dwelling this year, God willing. I understand his contentment in the bush - it is an excellent escape, and you can get down to some real thinking. In Jack's memory, I have purchased "Salthaven" by W. W. Jacobs on eBay (from the UK) - I'll read it on a hammock tied to two eucalyptus trees, I think he would approve.
Absolute best of luck to you
Nice one. Welcome to Australia
I've loved reading this. All the best to you, i think i may buy one also👍🏻
When did you come to Australia?
@@rileysmall4317 1999
60 years David Attenborough was already an established broadcaster and is still doing it today, a truly extradordinary man!!!
A filthy globalist minion is all he is, pushing that climate nonsense and making millions of kids anxious at the same time. Scum of the earth.
A legend ❤
Truly a legend.
We're deleting comments now CR are we? Never knew you for the censorship, you're doing the globalist work so.
damn i had to google that i was sure he died years ago oh well
He reminds me of that Jean Paul Sartre quote, “if you’re lonely on your own, you are in bad company”
Irish heart is pure gold
Oh indeed it is ......
@@maryfox7440 I know a Mary Fox...
More rum than gold.
I was born in January 1963 and I am now 61 yrs old. This is the spirit of Australia I recall from my grandparents and I find it so nostalgic and inspiring
Who really cares mate.
I'm the same age as you and I recently moved to the bush for that nostalgia and inspiration. 1880s home with wood stoves and a tin roof.
@@keepcalmandblametheblackgu9164 Well you obviously do.
What a lovely guy, contented and philosophical along with it. At peace with himself in an extraordinary situation. The world needs more of them.
This man is genuinely at peace with himself. He should be example to us all in these days of excess. Wasn't prepared for how philosophical this was going to be.
What a genuinely intelligent soul. Wonderful person.
He read the library ,God bless him ❤made me smile ❤
I've just watched this three times in a row, I can't stop smiling.
Wow! So many today would be shocked to hear his take on money. He's so right.
Greed has taken over
One pure heart to another ☘️
Check out the documentary "Last stop Larrimah" its about a Limerick man called Paddy Moriarty that went missing there in 2022, another small town in the NT.
Great documentary.
I've seen it, very intriguing & well done doco. Him & his dog... where'd they go? There's nothing out there 😮
Owen from across the road had something to do with it
Watched it a few weeks back, great watch.
Did they ever find Paddy?😢
'To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance' - Oscar Wilde. This is how Jack the wise Irishman lived his life out in the bush, what a legend.
He makes me want to be a better person
same
Outstanding footage....
What a wonderful person . I could only wish for the contentment he had .
At first glance, I was totally mistaken regarding my preconceived notions of Irish Jack as he appears in this video. It just reinforces the old adage "Never judge a book by it's cover". The man is a gem in so many ways. Thank you for sharing this wonderful piece.
He's talking out of his arse for the camera.
@@keef78He seems authentic to me, and so to the many other commenters here. Are you sure you're not talking out of your arse?
I met Jack in 1979 at his bush camp at night. I wanted to talk to him about my great uncle, Charlie Havey who lived in Borroloola until he died in the ‘50’s. He told me he and Charlie drank the last bottle of whisky from the hotel as they watched it burn. It was a privilege to have sat around a fire yarning with Jack.
Due to a clerical error when asked for some books around the turn of the century, the Carnegie library sent 3,ooo books to Borroloola not knowing what the population was. The books were hugely popular and kept at the Police station. White ants and cyclone's every other year have destroyed most.
One or two books may exist on out stations.
Borroloola has a fabulous history.
@@dizzman5546 I used to know, but it would have more to do with the river that runs through. Not named after a man as I recall. The fishing is rather excellent up there. The McArthur River is a mighty waterway running to the Gulf. A 102 carat diamond was found at Merlin mine up there in the 2000s I think it was.
@@dizzman5546 David Attenborough was there before they pushed the road through in 1965, from the Stuart highway. So he travelled on a rough bush track. The graders when knocking over termite mounds found skeletal remains now and then. When the Palmer River Goldfields petered out, miners walked around on the Gulf road/track to get to the Pine Creek Goldfields. Those that passed away along the track would be sat up against a termite mound and covered over in no time. I bet it gave the grader drivers a scare or two.
A 102 carat diamond wow !!@@ronnie7075
" Oi considah meself a remahkabul fella"
So do i Jack, superb outlook on life.
This attempt at phonetic spelling was necessary?
As can the man mor rison says " that was a wonderful re mark"
@@Moowayable Captures the accent nicely.
David Attenborough has certainly been on the go a long time and still is out their filming today well into his 90s
A legend ❤
What a wise and happy man
Now that’s an Irish man true to his own heart in life
Jack is a remarkable fella! If only I were so wise…
Cr,s vault is doing a great service to Ireland giving us great snapshots of our history ❤
Lots of Irish women migrated to South Australia during the potato famine
@user-ds It wasn't just in the famine. About 12-15% of the convicts transported from 1788 to 1868 were Irish. All up about 500,000 Irish people arrived in Oz from 1788 to 1921. Thats why so many of us have Irish ancestry. :)
@@warrenmilford6848 South Australia has zero convicts
@@user-ds2ej3wn8pMy great grandma came to SA in 1895, from Cork...
@@user-ds2ej3wn8pThat's not 100% true mate, some of my rellies came to SA from NSW in 1838, two were ticket of leave men.
Dare say there were others.
Very smart man
Fantastic. Subscribed straight away. This history is gold. Thanks, Canberra. 👍
Both of these men are true treasures
What a legend..
I think Jack just became my hero, we can all learn a lesson from him thats for sure.
Legend 👍
Such a lovely accent! Mostly sounds Australian with a traditional Irish twang still in it. Reminds me a lot of my grandfather’s accent.
theres ZERO Australian in that. ....hes Irish all right!
@@jimw7916 shows how much of rural/ outback australia you’ve lived in. Very much Aussie sounding in a lot of his speech. Only a few words come across as Irish.
@@Nedskiee absolute rubbish. Its like telling an eskimo what ice looks like! you must be joking surely.
Interesting video. To be honest, he sounds just like an Ulsterman to me. As a Native speaker, I'd be 95% confident he came from somewhere in the North of Ireland. In fact, a lot of people in the North talk just like this. Southerners have very different accents.. the the stereotypical "Irish accent" which ironically, is only one of dozens of accents in Ireland. For such a small country Ireland has so many different accents. Even in the North there must be a dozen different accents alone. You have Mid Ulster, Armagh, Antrim Coast sort of Ulster Scots, Ballymena, Derry, Belfast, Upper Class Belfast, Co Down, South Armagh/Border accent.. so many. Then taking into consideration the South.. it's countless. If you compare a Belfast accent to a West Cork one it's like two different languages. This is a long time ago so even here the accents probably have evolved a little but he sounds maybe half way between Belfast and Portstewart accent. It's kind of difficult to place. The one thing I'd be sure of is that he likely originated from some part of Ulster. For example, if you listen the Northern Irish guitarist Henry McCullough who played with Paul McCartney. The guy in the video sounds a little bit like him: czcams.com/video/0au11RrhpQE/video.html He starts talking in the interview around 55 seconds into the video. Best wishes.
@@Sinnerboy88 exactly ........ thank you.
A great spiritual message
absolutely brilliant. so glad you shared, just wish we could see the entire video.
This is wonderful 👌🏼
"David Attenborough visited Borroloola in 1963 to film what became episode 2 of 'Quest Under Capricorn', the 8th and final series of the BBC's Zoo Quest expedition documentaries.[9] He interviewed Irishman Jack Mulholland, then owner of the hotel." (Wikipedia)
True wealth...😊
It would be nice if David A. could see this footage, wonder if he remembers meeting Jack.
Old jack had his own "bush" around the corner. No wonder he was so content.
Going back out there next month it’s so weird to be in place knowing there won’t be another humans for 70-80km away when your out there.
Yes I understand you Mr Mulholland.
Happy days, lucky man ☘👍,
Visited Borroloola in the 90s, pretty amazing.
Not many 'humans'can say they have been interviewed by the great David Attenborough! Plenty of animals though.
That is excellent what youi said, if only those animals who chatted with David would tell us the full story
Excellent Presentation,
Today McArthur River mine - mines silver lead and zinc nearby. The area is also rich in copper and kimberlite and natural gas.
He became the pinnacle Australian. RIP.
And so do I. You've got the best!
it would break a man’s heart 3:11 😔
He's a hermit
Jack had more than most! Good onya mate.
i have never been lonely myself,many cant take being alone,to this day i prefer to on my own,also enjoyed many years roaming the territory and kimberly
As vezes, pessoas solitárias se tornam exímios filósofos.
Outstanding CR 🥇
Anyone have more information on this extraordinary man ?
He's mentioned in the Northern Territory Dictionary of Biography
which can be downloaded.
Also more of this interview in Quest Under Capricorn series on CZcams.
You could listen to him for hours
Attenborough was a dish back in the day.
Brilliant irishman
Aw, good for him at the end there
When he said he read the medical journal, I couldn’t stop laughing because the same thing happens to me when I google
0:19: Loving Attenborough's Converse , groovy ....
Good man Jack
is that David Attenbourogh Interviewing ?
I think it is
100% it is.
Yes, for his Zoo Quest series.
its his son
D legend himself
A remarkable fella you are my good man, humble and contrite. Seeking not more than the Gods as you put it would apply to you. I once met a fellow in Daly Waters such as you, a grand old man he was and hopefully still is, administration for the simplicity of life away from gain and profit, yes, a decent fella.
The fella has the level of peacefulness that Buddhist monks strive to achieve.
This video is a treasure. The phrase public house in Australian English must mean the same thing as a rooming (or boarding) house here in Canada. In the U.S. and elsewhere I am not aware of what that phrase would be elswherre. Speaking of how confusing the English language can be sometimes - Has anyone else besides me ever wondered why according to some entreprenuers in only one research paper there can be claims instead of only one claim?
"Public House" in the UK & Ireland usually refers to a Pub/Bar. A Public House licensed to sell Alcohol.
I consider him a remarkable fellow as well. Anyone know his fate ?
This is epic
Is there a full version of the interview anywhere?
I do too ❤🎉
I hope Attenborough managed to interview Roger Jose while there. Another interesting character of Borroloola.
Yes he did
The series is Quest Under Capricorn
@@SamStone1964 Thank you for that. And Borroloola is in the path of another cyclone due Monday or Tuesday 18 th/19 th of March 2024.
Looks like Jack found a big mine, full of contentment.
Find his story,
another truly strange Territory tale.
Yeah he was a contended bloke, no wonder though, he was is paradise that far out, there's heaps of Jack's around the inland/northern even today, there was another old beauty, Paddy, outside Paynes Find another older reclusive bloke who loved a visit if your were passing and could find him.
Jeez , what is Columbo ( Peter Falk ) doing there ?
Be Careful what you wish for !...You just might get it!
I'm willingly to bet he read Epicuris in that library because he's certainly living the philosophy. They don't make them like this any more.
Mulholland is a name you would only find in south county Derry
I was thinking his accent was from Derry alright.
He's from County Kerry according to an online history.
Another comment said he could only be from Ulster.
@@SamStone1964 Derry or some northern part definitely. No trace of Kerry there, Ulster mixed with a lot of Australian.
Aussie accents have changed so much since the 60s
This is an Irish man speaking to an English man. 😊
He didn't come from poverty, well spoken middle class from ireland. Nice man ☘️✊
Where’s the rest
Is it only me, or were others seeing a past trauma behind his lifestyle? Can't help but feel something fucked up happened to him.
Yeah he a gay!!!.!!, praise gjeuss and God! 💯 🔥
An online history says that when he was 14 he and his brother were involved in political activity that led to the execution of his brother.
Jack ended up in Australia with no further contact with his family.
@@SamStone1964 Are they fat positive and inclusive or is this about weight loss?
Not just you. And by the sounds what that other comment says there sounds like it. Irish radicals ?
@@princephilip-v5t yes sometimes I feel like towels are just there to watch me and I will be in the matrix I reckon if you want to do it
why would he not be happy. Hes away from the total madness of society.
Id like to be more like Jack .
Life without the razzle dazzle .
I also love the trees and the birds
but am always drawn to town
David Attenborough would of been in his late 30s pushing 40 here. Dude looked very young for someone nearly pushing 40.
wasn't he so handsome.!
May he rest in the peace of Christ Our Lord, Amen🙏🏼✝️
A true Lacanian
A salvar a la Bronca y a Divaza!
poor ol bugga
When your happy your happy , no need to look for things of no importance
0:59
Interesting,
Apparently Boorooloola has a 2024 Population of about 900.
Apparently Australia had a Population of about 11 Million 1963.
Young Attenborough does Not Really get to the Bottom of Why He is Really at Boorooloola, Why for So Long and Why So Very Few Stayed.
But this is/was One of the Common Outcomes across Regional Australia.
This Story was a Typical Story Amongst Australian Men.
GO OUT BUSH DO WHATEVER YOU LIKE, GET DRUNK WHEN YOUR SAD.
Further, The Ratio of Pubs to People in Regional Australia 1963 was High, it is Lower Now. This was a Lot to do with a Very Very Poor Socio-Economic Structure in Regional Australia. Owning a Pub, Selling Grog was One of the Few Money Success Possibilities.
I Would Say He is there More because of Dislike for Other Locations than Liking Boorooloola.
But it's Very Good He Found Some Peace and Apparently Left Behind Some DNA.
RIP JACK.
Interesting Story.
the guys just cooked lmfao
Typical Aussie bushy of the day . 😊
Is this michael palin putting on an irish accent?
Not palin
@@noelfleming3567 iam joking Noel ffs
Must be hot for a Irishman. Hot enough for Aussies
Jack... what an awesome human being and he avoids mass humanity, a VERY smart man! Do not let society convince you that ya need lots of shiny things to be happy.. AND..... when will that idiot Attenborough realize GOD is real..
I'm Aussie with Scots heritage. Guess what mate. What have you ever done besides insult Sir David Attenborough and babble on about YOUR god being real. The picture of some fat cunt who was your president implies that your dumber than dog shit.
Enlightened Australian
Far from ayr' rock?
is that a white man
Sounds like a weirdo to me. More to that story than meets the eye.
See a doctor pal