Intercolonial. New South Wales. From the Freeman's Journal, The Irish Harp and Farmers' Herald, Adelaide, 9 December 1871, p 10, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224363156:

Clerical Departures, — The Rev. P. Birch, of Balmain, and the Rev. W.T. Riordon, of Araleun, leave to-day by the Nebraska on a tour through the United States and Ireland. They will be absent from this colony for twelve months. [...]

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Fr T.J. Linane, From Abel to Zundolovich, Vol. 1, 1979, p 26:

Birch, Patrick, Very Rev., Irish
Last Survivor of Government Paid Chaplains
b. Conaghy, Co. Kilkenny; ed. at All Hallows; ord. 1854. Arr. Syd. 4.11.'55, after serving for a year in Sheffield. Served in many places: Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Port Fairy (Vic.), Petersham, Kilmore-Heathcote (Vic.), Keilor, Moruya, Balmain East. Overseas in Europe and Sth. Africa 1872-3. St. Mary's, Syd.; Hartley, Queanbeyan, Bungendore 1886-1914. Retired to his home at 'Birchfield', near Bungendore Church. Died there 7.7.1914, having attained a diamond jubilee, visited many places in Australia and overseas, and coming into conflict with several bishops.
(Footprints, Vol. 1, No. 5.)
Ref.: MDHC File of letters etc. at Brunswick St., Fitzroy; MDHC File, Torquay, collected from several books and from several correspondents, esp. Mrs. S. Tearle, Hurstville, and Errol Lea-Scarlett, Australian Genealogical Society, Syd.

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Denis M. Long, Pioneer and Early Priests, Archdiocese of Brisbane, Deceased or retired by 1929, 2021, p 56:
Fr Patrick Birch

Fr Patrick Birch spent thirteen months in Brisbane as an assistant to Fr Hanly.

Patrick Birch was born at Dunmore in County Kilkenny Ireland on 10 November 1828. He entered All Hallows Missionary College in September 1852 from St Canice's Kilkenny. At All Hallows Patrick was ordained for Sydney by Bishop Moriarty of the diocese of Kerry on 29 June, 1854. He spent one year on the English mission before answering the call of Bishop Polding to minister in Australia.(1)

Fr Patrick Birch arrived in Australia 4 November 1855. He was appointed to assist Fr Hanly arriving in Moreton Bay in January 1856. It is likely that Fr Birch lived in Fr Hanly's home, Castleracket, in Boundary Street. Records indicate that he spent most of his time in the town of Brisbane while Fr Hanly was on the move over his vast parish. Fr Birch left Brisbane on Friday 3 April 1857.(2)

Upon leaving Moreton Bay, in 1857, he was appointed to Petersham. He left there in 1859, when he was appointed to Moruya. He was ministering at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney from 1870. He moved to Harley in 1875 and to Queanbeyan from 1879.

His final appointment was to Bungendore in 1886. He served in that parish until failing health forced his retirement. He retired to his own cottage in Birchfield in Bungendore.

Fr Birch celebrated the diamond jubilee of his ordination to priesthood on 29th June, 1914, welcoming many priests and religious who came to honour him on that occasion. One week later on Tuesday 7th July he died in his own residence. He was 85 years 8 months old at the time of his death.(3)

Footnotes
1. Kevin Condon, CM, The Missionary College of All Hallows 1841-1891, student 259, p. 299.
2. Denis W Martin, The Foundation of the Catholic Church in Queensland, 2018 edition, pp. 151 to 183.
3. Goulburn Evening Penny Post, 18 Jul 1914, p. 7.

Reproduced by permission of Fr Denis Long.