Source: National Archives of Ireland
From the late 1700s to the late 1800s, many Irish and British citizens who were convicted of crimes were sent to the new penal colony established by Great Britain in Australia.
According to the National Archives of Ireland, "the records from which the transportation database was compiled, transportation registers and petitions to government for pardon or commutation of sentence, are incomplete. While the collection of convict petitions dates from the beginning of transportation from Ireland to Australia in 1791, all transportation registers compiled before 1836 were destroyed." Therefore only persons convicted after 1836 appear in the current records.
A computer search of the transportation records on the Website of the National Archives of Ireland provides the following details of seven Murnanes who were sentenced to transportation to Australia between 1836 and 1849. There is no way (at this time) of knowing how many other Murnanes were sent to Australia. This search included various spellings: Murnane, Marnane, Murnan, Mernane and Mernin. Murnane was the only spelling to appear.
| Name: | Murnane, Edmund |
| Age: | 20 |
| Sex: | M |
| Place of Trial: | County Tipperary |
| Trial Date: | March 11, 1847 |
| Crime Description: | Highway Robbery |
| Sentence: | Transportation - 7 years |
| Ship: | Hyderabad |
| Comments: | Convict detained at Spike Island Gaol (jail), Cork |
| Name: | John Murnane |
| Age: | 25 |
| Sex: | M |
| Place of Trial: | County Tipperary |
| Trial Date: | 1836 |
| Crime Description: | Assaulting a habitation |
| Sentence: | Transportation for Life |
| Ship: | |
| Comments: | Convict detained on board hulk, July 30, 1836 |
| Name: | Michael Murnane |
| Age: | 40 |
| Sex: | M |
| Place of Trial: | County Tipperary |
| Trial Date: | July 13, 1849 |
| Crime Description: | Robery from Person |
| Sentence: | Transportation - 7 years |
| Ship: | |
| Comments: |
| Name: | Pat Murnane |
| Age: | 20 |
| Sex: | M |
| Place of Trial: | County Tipperary |
| Trial Date: | July 23, 1847 |
| Crime Description: | House Robbery |
| Sentence: | Transportation - 15 years |
| Ship: | Medway |
| Comments: | Convict ordered to be discharged April 14, 1855 |
| Name: | Patrick Murnane |
| Age: | 25 |
| Sex: | M |
| Place of Trial: | County Tipperary |
| Trial Date: | March 22, 1848 |
| Crime Description: | Felony in dwelling house and putting in fear |
| Sentence: | Transportation - 7 years |
| Ship: | London |
| Comments: |
| Name: | Thomas Murnane |
| Age: | 29 |
| Sex: | M |
| Place of Trial: | County Tipperary |
| Trial Date: | 1836 |
| Crime Description: | Assaulting a habitation |
| Sentence: | Transportation for Life |
| Ship: | |
| Comments: | Convict detained on board hulk, July 30, 1836 |
| Name: | John Murnane |
| Age: | |
| Sex: | M |
| Place of Trial: | Galway |
| Trial Date: | March 23, 1848 |
| Crime Description: | Burglary and robbery |
| Sentence: | Transportation - 7 years |
| Ship: | |
| Comments: |
