William Smith O'Brien was an Irish nationalist Member of Parliament and leader of the Young Irelanders. He was convicted and sentenced to death for his part in the 1848 Irish Rebellion. This sentence was commuted to life transportation and O'Brien arrived in Van Diemen's Land on the convict ship Swift on 27 October 1849.;;He refused the privileged treatment that was given to fellow rebels and was consequently sent to the Maria Island penal settlement. He attempted to escape which led to his transfer to the Port Arthur settlement. There he was allowed to live in his own cottage. In November 1850 he was granted a ticket-of-leave and settled first at New Norfolk and later at Avoca. He returned to New Norfolk where in 1854 he was given a conditional pardon and subsequently left the colony.;;While in Van Diemen's Land, Smith O'Brien documented his time in journals, some of which have been published.;;He died on 18 June 1864.;;