Bust of Archbishop Daniel Mannix, Melrose Ware ceramics produced by Hoffman’s Brickworks of Brunswick, 1934, Pictures Collection, State Library Victoria

Daniel Mannix, Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne for 46 years (1917–63), was one of the most complex and controversial figures in recent Australian history. Born and trained in Ireland, he (like many others) did not support violent republican tactics but was radicalised by the swift executions of the Rising’s leaders in 1916, becoming a fierce advocate of Irish independence.