15th December, 2014. Owen Smith, whose Great-great-grandfather Patrick Smith emigrated from Raferagh, near Carrickmacross, to Melbourne in 1855, presents two copies of the programme from the second International Rules Football match played at Croke Park, Dublin 26th October, 2013 to Trevor Ruddell, Assistant Librarian at the Melbourne Cricket Club Library. The programme contains an article written by Owen on the origins of Australian Rules Football and Thomas Henry Smith (no relation) who was born and educated in Carrickmacross. Thomas emigrated to Melbourne in 1851, became an educator there, was one of a number of men who began playing a local form of football and who then introduced the game to local schools. Thomas was one of four members of the Melbourne Cricket Club who, in 1859, co-wrote the first rules of the game which eventually developed into Australian Rules Football.
Click here to read about the life of Thomas Henry “Football” Smith, born in Carrick and co-writer of the original rules of the game that became Aussie Rules Football
