January 2022

January 2022  News and updates on the programme of commemorations relating to the events in Irish history that took place between 1912 and 1923.  If you would like to inform us of any suitable material for future newsletters – anything related to the Decade of Centenaries – please feel free to email [email protected].

1. Lectures and Events (some require registration)   TONIGHT, 7th JANUARY @ 7pm RTÉ 1 will cover The Anglo Irish Treaty as a ‘live’ broadcast, hosted by David McCullagh and Sinéad O’Carroll.    The Handover of Dublin Castle: an oral history  Ninety-six years ago, on 16 January 1922, an event that The Irish Independent described as ‘certainly the most significant event in Irish history for hundreds of years’, took place on a cold Monday at Dublin Castle. At 1.45 pm that afternoon the machinery of government, and the Castle itself, were formally handed over by the last Lord Lieutenant, or Viceroy, of Ireland to the new Provisional Government. In this presentation from Maurice O’Keeffe of Irish Life and Lore, hear first hand accounts of this momentous occasion from contemporary witnesses. Hosted by Ballyroan Library. This event will take place on Zoom, 13th January 2022, 7-8pm.   DETAILS & REGISTRATION HERE  The Handover of Dublin Castle: A Centenary Conference  The Handover of Dublin Castle: A Centenary Conference On 16 January 1922 the Provisional Government took possession of Dublin Castle. The events of that day were overtaken and perhaps overshadowed by the civil war that soon followed, but this two-day conference, hosted by Trinity College Dublin at Dublin Castle, will retrieve the historical significance of that day.  The conference, which is part of the Decade of Centenaries Programme, will explore the immediate reactions, the expected consequences, and the implications of this dramatic shift in the centre of power.  Speakers will consider the context of the handover, and the response in Ireland, Britain and beyond, to this moment when, as the Irish Times reported, ‘the old regime ceased to exist’.  Contributors will include: Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, T.D., Minister Catherine Martin, T.D., Robin Adams, Laura Cahillane, Catriona Crowe, Ian d’Alton, William Derham, Anne Dolan, Diarmaid Ferriter, Niamh Gallagher, Brian Hanley, Alvin Jackson, Margaret Kelleher, Bill Kissane, David McCullagh, Martin Maguire, Ciara Meehan, Conor Mulvagh, William Murphy, Caoimhe Nic Dháibhéid, Margaret O’Callaghan, Eunan O’Halpin, Elspeth Payne. The conference is free of charge. 14th & 15th January 2022 The conference will be held in the Printworks in Dublin Castle and will also be live-streamed for online attendees. DETAILS & REGISTRATION HERE  Josie Stallard and Liam Clarke: a revolution love story  While fighting in the GPO in the Easter Rising, Volunteer Liam Clarke, a member of ‘E’ Company, 4th Battalion, Patrick Pearse’s Company, was horrifically wounded. He evaded arrest and went to Kilkenny where he was cared for by Josie Stallard, his future wife. The two were inseparable, working together for the cause of Irish freedom. Josie was later the dispensary doctor in Rathcoole, Co. Dublin. South Dublin County Decade of Centenaries Historian in Residence Liz Gillis will talk about this remarkable couple whose love survived war, imprisonment and the legacy of the conflict. This is an online talk via Zoom, 20th January 2022, 7-8.30pm  DETAILS & REGISTRATION HERE

2. Exhibitions/Projects Gateway to IndependenceDún Laoghaire and the Treaty, 1921 VIEW HERE

Studio and State  The Laverys and the Anglo-Irish Treaty  Studio & State: The Laverys and the Anglo-Irish Treaty, is a co-curated exhibition by Hugh Lane Gallery and the National Museum of Ireland.It marks the centenary of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in December 1921. Studio & State is located at: National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks.  DETAILS HERE  The Treaty, 1921: Records from the Archives Presented by the National Archives in partnership with the Royal Irish Academy, the National Library of Ireland and the Office of Public Works, with records from the collections of the Military Archives, Dublin and University College Dublin Archives. In the Coach House Gallery, Dublin Castle. Exhibition launch: 6 December 2021Exhibition dates: 7 December – 27 March 2022 Opening hours: 10am – 5pm, daily Admission free.   DETAILS HERE                                           3. Podcasts  COMING on 16th January  Dublin Castle has fallen! The handover, 16 January 1922  ‘Dublin Castle has fallen!’—the handover, 16 January 1922 Under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, a Provisional Government, led by Michael Collins, was to oversee the transition of power until the Irish Free State formally came into being in December 1922. What was involved in the ‘handover’ that took place on 16 January 1922? Who was involved and what were their roles? To address these and related questions join Tommy Graham in discussion with John Gibney, Kate O’Malley, Edward Madigan, and Padraig Óg Ó Ruairc.  This Hedge School is supported by the Office of Public Works.  Image: Cover of The Handover: Dublin Castle and the British withdrawal from Ireland, 1922 by John Gibney and Kate O’Malley, published by The Royal Irish Academy, 2021. LISTEN HERE (from 16th Jan)  Robert Barton—forgotten man of the Irish revolution? Of the five plenipotentiaries who signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty on 6 December 1921 most attention has been focused on the motivations and actions of Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith—and on ‘the plenipotentiary who wasn’t’, Eamon de Valera. But what about the other three—Eamon Duggan, George Gavan Duffy and Robert Barton, particularly the latter, the only one who later took an anti-Treaty position. To find out more about this republican Protestant landlord from Wicklow join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with John Dorney, Joan Kavanagh, Chris Lawlor, and Catherine Wright. This Hedge School is supported by Wicklow County Council’s Archives Service and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 initiative.  Image above: Robert Barton with Arthur Griffith (right) and George Gavan Duffy (left) in transit from London following the signing of the Treaty on 6 December 1921. (NLI) LISTEN HERE  HISTORY NOW  Dr Darragh Gannon of University College Dublin, discusses the latest History Ireland special supplement The Split: From Treaty to Civil War 1921–23, with host Barry Sheppard. A wide variety of other interviews available on the new History Now Youtube channel, with the full back catalogue available on NVTV.    WATCH AND LISTEN HERE  Folklore Fragments Podcast 34: The War of Independence | Blúiríní Béaloidis   The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed on the 6th of December 1921, bringing an end to the 1919-1921 Irish War of Independence. To mark 100 years since the signing of the treaty, listen to Ailbe van der Heide of the National Folklore Collection discuss her work in researching, editing and transcribing Urban Folklore Project recordings dealing with this tumultuous period of Irish history. The 1979-1980 Urban Folklore Project originated as a Government employment scheme to provide work for university graduates at a time of severe economic recession in 1979-1980. The project was undertaken by the Department of Irish Folklore, University College Dublin, directed by Dr Séamas Ó Catháin, and consists of over 700 tape recorded interviews which today form part of the National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin. Among the recordings are featured vivid contemporary accounts of the War of Independence as well as material concerning the Easter Rising of 1916 and the Irish Civil War. Listen to the combatants and bystanders who bore witness to the burnings, raids and guerrilla warfare of the War of Independence, and who worked as part of a hidden network operating under the watchful eye of the crown forces and intelligence services. LISTEN HERE  The Treaty—good deal or bad deal?  Was the Treaty ‘Home Rule for slow learners’? Why was Eamon de Valera not part of the Irish delegation? Was the subsequent Civil War inevitable? Was it a good deal or a bad deal? To address these and other questions join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with John Gibney, Brian Hanley, Mary McAuliffe, and David McCullagh.  PANELLISTS John Gibney is Assistant Editor with the Royal Irish Academy’s Documents on Irish Foreign Policy series and author (with Kate O’Malley) of The handover: Dublin Castle and the British withdrawal from Ireland, 1922 (RIA, 2022). Brian Hanley is Assistant Professor in Twentieth-Century Irish History at Trinity College, Dublin. Mary McAuliffe is Assistant Professor in Gender Studies at University College Dublin. David McCullagh is a broadcaster and author of a two-volume biography of Eamon de Valera: DeValera Volume 1: Rise 1882-1932 (Gill Books, 2017) and DeValera Volume 2: Rule 1932-1975 (2018).  This Hedge School is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 initiative. Handbills from National Library of Ireland AVAILABLE HERE

Pandemics then and now—a reassessment of the 1918 flu in the light of Covid  Pandemics then and now—a reassessment of the 1918 flu in the light of Covid As we enter the third year of the Covid crisis, people the world over are now familiar with the concept and the reality of a ‘pandemic’. But how does it compare and with the previous pandemic— the ‘Spanish flu’ of 1918-19? What are the similarities? What are the differences? To address these and other questions join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Patricia Marsh, Ida Milne, Grace Mulcahy, and Luke O’Neill. This Hedge School is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 initiative.  AVAILABLE HERE                                               5. Publications AVAILABLE HERE  Carlow County Council Decade of Centenaries Committee published a commemorative 16 page supplement on the Treaty in The Nationalist. Some limited copies are still available.  Email [email protected] for details.    This book illustrates the 1922 handover of power by the outgoing British administration to the Provisional Government of Ireland led by Michael Collins in early 1922. The handover fell between the Treaty split of January 1922 and the outbreak of the Civil War in June 1922 and is usually overshadowed by both. The book bridges this gap by telling a relatively unfamiliar but hugely important story.  BUY HERE  Ireland 1922 provides a snapshot of a year of turmoil, tragedy and, amidst it all, state-building as the Irish revolution drew to a close. BUY HERE  The fourth volume in the History Ireland commemorative series on aspects of the Irish Revolution.  The Treaty, Civil War and partition profoundly shaped the Ireland in which we live. To mark the centenary of the Treaty and Civil War, History Ireland has produced a special supplement, The Split: From Treaty to Civil War 1921–23, featuring historians and writers. The Split introduces ground-breaking articles on women and the Treaty, the role of Eamon de Valera, the establishment of the Gardaí, the dead of the Civil War, the global reaction to Ireland’s independence, and the violence inside the new Northern Ireland state and along the border. It discusses controversial questions regarding Michael Collins and military dictatorship, why the Free State won the Civil War and how Northern Ireland came into being. It looks at how the war has been remembered and asks whether the era of Civil War politics has ended.  Featuring contributions from:President Michael D. Higgins / David McCullagh / Mary McAuliffe / Rob Delaney / John Gibney / Kate O’Malley / Darragh Gannon / John Borgonovo / Lar Joye / Kieran Glennon / Paddy Mulroe / Charles Townsend / Bill Kissane / John M. Regan / Robert Gerwarth / Elizabeth Malcolm / Niamh Puirséil / Alison Martin / John Dorney / Margaret O’Callaghan / Ciara Chambers / Caitlin White / Frank Barry / Brian Hanley / Theo Dorgan Available in newsagents and bookshops, or online at the link below.  BUY HERE