May 2021
 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]. Decade of Centenaries Programme 2021 Minister Catherine Martin was joined by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste in the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, last week to announce the 2021 Programme for the Decade of Centenaries. The full programme can be accessed as a pdf *here*and as a page turner *here* 1. Lectures which require registration Northern Ireland Centenary Talks Programme 2021 NI Centenary Talks Programme 2021 As part of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council’s Centenary Programme, marking 100 years since the foundation of Northern Ireland, the Irish Linen Centre & Lisburn Museumhave announced a new series of talks. The programme reflects on a range of Centenary-related themes, including history, sports, industry, the arts and identity, and features Dr Éamon Phoenix, Dr Cormac Moore, Roy Greer, Professor Steve Royle, Paula McFetridge and Professor Fearghal McGarry. Other speakers or events will be announced. The talks are free to attend, and will be hosted online at 7pm each evening. The line-up includes: 13 May 2021 – Dr Cormac Moore – The Impact of Partition, from Politics to Culture and Society 17 June 2021 – Roy Greer – ‘What’s yours is mine, what’s mine is yours’: Ulster-Scots-Irish 23 June 2021 – Dr Steve Royle – ‘From the clanging of metal to the clinking of coin’: industry in Ulster 16 September 2021 – Paula McFetridge – ‘One Hundred Years of Northern Irish Arts’ 11 October 2021 – Professor Fearghal McGarry – The killing of Sir Henry Wilson: an Irish Tragedy 18 November 2021 – Stephen Watson and guests (tbc) – An evening with Stephen Watson: 100 years of sport in Northern Ireland To Register: You will need to register via Eventbrite to view the talks [see blue button below]. An email with a link to the livestream will be sent out to attendees 24hrs prior to the talks taking place. Alternatively, if you are having difficulties with the booking process, or need assistance, then you can book the talks directly through reception. Please telephone 02892663377 or email [email protected] GDPR: The museum will use your contact details only to communicate with you via email about the talks. REGISTER HERE Dublin Port Company & East Wall History Group Next lecture by Lar Joyce. Thursday 6th May @ 7.00 pm [TOMORROW] Murder by the throat: Crown forces in Dublin (1919 to 1921) REGISTER HERE Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Centre Partition and its legacies Partition and its legacies: Cultural and Literary Legacies & Political and social legacies Friday, 7 May 2021 This special centenary joint symposium will address the cultural, political and social legacies of Irish partition in 1921. The symposium consists of two panels: the first, from Trinity College, Dublin, will discuss the cultural and literary legacies of partition; the second, from Queen’s University, Belfast, will cover the political and social consequences. Each panel consists of three speakers who will present for 10 minutes each, followed by audience Q and A.FULL DETAILS HERE Queen’s University Belfast The Partition of Ireland:Causes and Consequences In order to mark the centenary of the partitioning of Ireland, Queen’s University Belfast is organising and hosting a major series of online public talks. The series is supported by the UK Government and the Irish Government, and by the British Academy and the Royal Irish Academy. The talks are being recorded and produced by the BBC. Image above: A customs post on the border, 1932. TALKS AVAILABLE HERE Burning of the Custom House Centenary Conference 2021 Lectures will continue every Saturday until the final event on Tuesday May 25th. The next speaker is Cathy Scuffil who is currently working as Historian in Residence with Dublin City Council for the South Central Area and is consultant historian for many other projects. “Continuing the fight unhindered –The Ballyfermot Train Ambush” After the burning of the Custom House in May 1921, the IRA continued is attacks against the crown forces. By shifting focus to attacking military supplies and infrastructure, the IRA proved it still had the manpower and was capable of carrying on the conflict. The last major engagement undertaken by the Dublin Brigade of the IRA occurred on 8th July, 1921.A train, carrying troops, military supplies, horses and civilians, was ambushed as it passed under the railway bridge near the then rural hamlet of Ballyfermot. This action was carried out by members of the 4th Battalion ASU, some of whom who had been involved in the Custom House attack.This incident occurred only hours before the formal announcement that the Truce was being called, and marked the end of the War of Independence. Registration is NOT required. The links will be posted on their Facebook page [link below] AVAILABLE HERE Queen’s University BelfastThe History Research Seminars Declan O’Doherty, Queen’s University Belfast, “A study of post traumatic stress disorder in post-revolutionary Ireland: A gendered perspective on trauma during the Irish Revolution.” Friday 7 May 2021, 4pm via MS Teams. To attend the seminar email [email protected] by 4pm on Thursday 6 May 2021. DETAILS HERE 2. Exhibitions Crawford Art Gallery: ‘For those that tell no tales’ Dara McGrath: For Those That Tell No Tales 24 April – 29 August 2021 Crawford Art Gallery announces Dara McGrath’s forthcoming exhibition ‘For Those That Tell No Tales’ as part of the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 programme and will open as an online exhibition 24 April. Through 60 photographic works, McGrath explores the powerful living histories of those who lost their lives directly due to the Irish War of Independence. Launching online on Saturday 24 April, an interactive map will reveal a selection of the artist’s images and simultaneously, across selected billboards in Cork City, audiences will also be able to encounter the compelling stories of a century ago. The full experience of the exhibition will await visitors with the much anticipated reopening of Crawford Art Gallery in due course. The War of Independence was a defining moment in Ireland’s history. Between 1919 and 1921, approximately 1,400 people died in the struggle for an independent Irish republic. Cork city and county saw the bloodiest of the fighting. In total, 528 people of all backgrounds – including members of the public, Irish Volunteers, and British Forces – lost their lives directly due to the conflict in Cork. Beyond the recognised memorials and major landmarks there are many more sites within the landscape where people lost their lives. The public walk by unaware of the tragedies that took place at these unmarked locations, including that of Norwegian sailor Carl Johannsen whose life was ended by a ricochet bullet while alighting from a boat in the Port of Cork docks or Josephine Scannell who, at nineteen years old, was shot dead by a stray bullet while sitting near a window in her house on French’s Quay. Amongst the death toll, 63 suspected or known informants were executed in the city and county. Some of their bodies were never seen again. The photographs of contemporary artist Dara McGrath elevate these spaces as sites of memory for those individual lost lives. With accompanying texts, over sixty works will be exhibited in which McGrath acknowledges the place and circumstances of their deaths, which bore so heavily on their communities and still resonate today. An online interactive map of the locations will be available for visitors to Crawford website, to further explore a selection of the photographs and stories. City walkers will also have the opportunity to see the images and text at a selection of locations around the City. McGrath’s work is based on research by Dr. Andy Bielenberg of the Department of History at University College Cork, who has researched the lives, circumstances and sites of death of the War of Independence victims. The exhibition is kindly supported by The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 initiative and Cork Public Museum. Crawford Art Gallery Director, Mary McCarthy says “We are pleased to be working with artist Dara McGrath to present this new body of work. It provides new insights into our experiences of place and history and acknowledges that places are complex and layered. McGraths images and texts are evocative and mesmerising.”In conjunction with this exhibition, Crawford Art Gallery’s Learn & Explore team will be hosting a programme of events, ranging from guided walking tours around Cork City, ‘In Conversation’ events with McGrath and other artists, and collaborations with schools and educators. Details will be published through the Gallery’s website and social media channels in the coming weeks. DETAILS HERE 3. Podcasts Two recent History Ireland podcasts exploring partition over 100 years. 1. A history of partition from the 1920 Government of Ireland Act to Brexit While the constitutional outcomes of the revolutionary period have evolved over time, one has remained constant over the past century—partition. While a previous Hedge School in December 2020 examined how that came about in 1920/21 this discussion will focus on its effects over the following century, up to and including the uncertainly caused by Brexit and growing calls for a border poll on Irish unity.Tune in to History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Paul Bew, Brian Hanley, Martin Mansergh, and Margaret O’Callaghan. This Hedge School supported by the National Library. 2.The Government of Ireland Act 1920 – 100 years of partition Originally conceived as a ‘temporary’ amendment to the Third Home Rule Act, on the statute book since 1914, the 1920 Government of Ireland Act was presciently derided by the Freeman’s Journal as ‘the Dismemberment of Ireland Bill’—partition was the only element of it to endure. How did it come about and what were its effects over the following century? Listen to History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, discuss these questions with Dr Martin Mansergh, Cormac Moore, Dr Margaret O’Callaghan and Professor Brian Walker. This Hedge School is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 initiative. HISTORY IRELAND PODCASTS AVAILABLE HERE 4. Teaching Resources Historical Sources on the history of county Kerry during the period 1919 – 1923 Under the Decade of Centenaries programme, Kerry County Council have produced a comprehensive list of sources, focusing in particular on the Irish War of Independence. PART 1 AVAILABLE HERE PART 2 AVAILABLE HERE 5. Publications New History Ireland issue out this month – available in newsagents or by subscription here: Fermanagh: from Plantation to Peace Process This comprehensive history charts the major events that have shaped county Fermanagh from the days of the Ulster Plantation. Recent Irish Times review *here* BUY HERE When women are erased from history, what are we left with? Between 1912 and 1922, Ireland experienced sweeping social and political change, including the Easter Rising, World War I, the Irish Civil War, the fight for Irish women’s suffrage, the founding of the Abbey Theatre, and the passage of the Home Rule Bill. Women and the Decade of Commemorations, edited by Oona Frawley, highlights not only the responsibilities of Irish women, past and present, but it also privileges women’s scholarship in an attempt to redress what has been a long-standing imbalance. Contributors discuss the importance of addressing missing history and curating memory to correct the historical record when it comes to remembering revolution. Together, the essays in Women and the Decade of Commemorations consider the impact of women’s unseen, unsung work, which has been critically important in shaping Ireland, a country that continues to struggle with honoring the full role of women today. BUY HERE Women and the Irish Revolution examines diverse aspects of women’s experiences in the revolution after the Easter Rising. The complex role of women as activists, the detrimental impact of violence and social and political divisions on women, the role of women in the foundation of the new State, and dynamics of remembrance and forgetting are explored in detail by leading scholars in sociology, history, politics, and literary studies. Prof Connolly’s introduction to the volume is available to read *here* BUY HERE Follow us! Twitter: @Centenaries Facebook: @decadeofcentenaries https://www.decadeofcentenaries.com |