Thomas Charles Beirne KSG (1860–1949) was an early businessman, politician and philanthropist in

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and federation era

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

.Beirne, Thomas Charles (1860–1949)
–

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

. Retrieved 20 December 2014.

Early life

Thomas Beirne was born on 9 July 1860 in

County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...

at Ballymacurly, near

Ballymoe Ballymoe (historically ''Bellamoe'', from ) is a village in County Galway, Ireland. Ballymoe is situated on the western side of the River Suck that separates counties Galway and Roscommon. The N60 national secondary road meets the R360 reg ...

, the third child of eight to parents considered to be 'the small farmer class'. The young Beirne migrated to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

on the Orient steamer '' SS Lusitania (1871)'' boarding in December 1883 and arriving in February 1884. From Williamstown, seeking out work, he settled with Eyre and Shepherd as a junior salesman in the

manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

department at 30 shillings a week. After being a joint manager of the Richmond branch, but not being accepted for a wage rise to 45 shillings, Beirne left Eyre and Shepherd, and started to work with Foy and Gibson until mid-1885.

Business life

After a letter from Mr. M . D. Pigott, an old employer from

Tuam Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bron ...

, Ireland, and now in

Brisbane, Queensland Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, Beirne left for Brisbane to be an equal partner in a business. He found the shop in Stanley Street disappointing, left, and found a job with Allan and Stark also on Stanley Street. With some opportunity and planning, in 1886, the firm of Pigott and Beirne was opening at Stanley Street opposite Annerley Road. After a fire to the uninsured business, the partnership was dissolved in August 1891, and 'T.C.B.' with £1200 opened a small store in

Fortitude Valley Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestr ...

, frontage and deep, with an overhead dwelling. StateLibQld 1 163635 Advertisement in the Brisbane Telegraph newspaper from T

These series of business ventures saw him establish a successful

drapery Drapery is a general word referring to cloths or textiles (Old French , from Late Latin ). It may refer to cloth used for decorative purposes – such as around windows – or to the trade of retailing cloth, originally mostly for clothin ...

business in Brisbane. A number of years later, T. C. Beirne and Company Proprietary Limited was registered with a nominal capital of £1000000. The

TC Beirne Department Store The TC Beirne Department Store is a heritage-listed former department store at 28 Duncan Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Robin Dods and built in 1902. Further extensions were made through t ...

building is now heritage-listed. In Brisbane Beirne became an active member of the Brisbane Traders' Association, including its president in 1901. He was also a board member of Brisbane Tramway Co,

Australian Mutual Provident Society AMP is a financial services company in Australia and New Zealand providing superannuation and investment products, financial advice, and banking products (through AMP Banking) including home loans and savings accounts. Its headquarters is in Syd ...

, the Atlas Assurance Co and the British Australian Cotton Association. In 2021Thomas Charles Beirne was inducted into the

Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame In 2009 State Library of Queensland The State Library of Queensland is the main reference and research library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Qu ...

Politics

He was also involved in the early stages of the

Australian Labour Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the ...

and from 1905 till 1922 he was a member of the

Queensland Legislative Council The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which to ...

Benefactor

As one of Australia’s first millionaires, T. C. Beirne’s generous philanthropy created lasting community legacies. Beirne was Warden of the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

and in 1935 donated £20,000 to establish the

TC Beirne School of Law The UQ Law School is the law school of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Founded in 1936, the school is the sixth-oldest law school in Australia and the oldest and most prestigious in Queensland. The school is currently t ...

. He was also a benefactor of

Holy Name Cathedral, Brisbane Holy Name Cathedral was a planned but never-built Roman Catholic cathedral for the city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Designed by Hennessy, Hennessy & Co, initially in an English Baroque style inspired by St Paul's in London, it was inten ...

, the Pius XII Regional Seminary at Banyo, Mater Misericordiae Hospital and

Duchesne College There are eleven residential colleges of the University of Queensland. Colleges Cromwell College * On the St Lucia, Queensland, St Lucia campus. Was the first of the Colleges on the St Lucia campus in June 1954, and admitted men only until it b ...

in the

. He was awarded a papal knighthood of the Order of St Gregory by pope

Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City from ...

and was a close associate with politicians William Higgs and Frank McDonnell and was friends with

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

James Duhig Sir James Duhig KCMG (2 September 187110 April 1965) was an Irish-born Australian Roman Catholic religious leader. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane for 48 years from 1917 until his death in 1965. At the time of his death he was the longest-ser ...

Later life

Beirne died in 1949. His funeral, which was presided over by Archbishop James Duhig, was held at St Stephen's Cathedral and proceeded to the

Nudgee Cemetery Nudgee Cemetery & Crematorium is a large Roman Catholic cemetery at 493 St Vincents Road, Nudgee, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The cemetery opened in 1867 and is still operating. Over 31,000 people are buried there. Services The cemetery ...

. Despite his generosity during his lifetime, he left an estate of over £1.24 million which was mainly bequeathed to his five daughters and numerous grandchildren. The State Library of Queensland holds the T.C. Beirne company Records as well as examples of his catalogues.

Legacy

Thomas Beirne is remembered today by: * T C Beirne Park, a park that once formed part of the grounds of his Hendra home, Glengariff *

, now the T C Beirne Centre, a shopping center in

at the

A number of buildings associated with Thomas Beirne are listed on the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As a ...

, including: * his home Glengariff in Hendra * his retail premises

* accommodation built for his staff

Bulolo Flats Bulolo Flats is a heritage-listed apartment block at 9 McLachlan Street, Fortitude Valley, Queensland, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Hennessey, Hennessey & Co and built in 1934 by P H Turner & Co. ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beirne, Thomas 1860 births 1949 deaths Members of the Queensland Legislative Council Burials at Nudgee Cemetery 19th-century Australian businesspeople 20th-century Australian businesspeople People from County Roscommon Irish emigrants to colonial Australia