Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Assassination attempt on Prince Alfred 1868

Crime committed by Henry O'Farrell on 12 March 1868, when he shot and injured the visiting prince at the Clontarf picnic grounds during a function.

-33.806612739307, 151.25207976739

Milestone
Date of event
12 Mar 1868
Type

Assassination attempt on Prince Alfred 1868

CC BY-SA 2.0
,
2008

In 1868, Henry O'Farrell tried to shoot the visiting Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Alfred, second son of Queen Victoria. Although the prince was only slightly wounded, the event set off a rash of anti-Irish feeling in Sydney, and O'Farrell was hanged in record time. Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital is a reminder of the event.