October 2022
 October 2022 NOTICE Some email browsers ‘clip’ the newsletter, making it shorter. If you click ‘View entire message‘ it will open the full newsletter 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) Dublin Festival of History The Dublin Festival of History is an annual free festival, brought to you by Dublin City Council, and organised by Dublin City Libraries, in partnership with the Dublin City Council Culture Company. FULL DETAILS HERE ‘ There is no glory… only the dead’: The Irish Civil War: The Guerilla Campaign, Sept 1922 – May 1923 The Irish Civil War with Dr. Richard McElligott: A two-part talk on the history of the Irish Civil War at a national level taking place in Dundalk Library. Part one, ‘A fine day to die for Ireland’: The Irish Civil War: The Conventional Phase, June – Sept 1922, took place Tuesday 20th September. Part two, ‘There is no glory… only the dead’: The Irish Civil War: The Guerilla Campaign, Sept 1922 – May 1923, takes place Tuesday 4th October at 6pm. Dr. Richard McElligott is Lecturer in Modern and Irish History in the Department of Humanities, Dundalk IT. His work on the Irish Revolutionary Era has appeared in a wide variety of national and and international publications. A native of Kilflynn in North Kerry, growing up learning the local history of the Civil War there is what sparked his love of Irish history. He is currently working on a project to examine the impact and legacy of the Civil War on everyday Irish life and society. Louth County Council Decade of Centenaries Programme 2022 ‘Academic Freedom – Threats Within and Without’ Professor Michael Ignatieff in conversation with Ben Tonra MRIA for ‘Academic Freedom – Threats Within and Without’ in Academy House and online on Friday, 7 October at 12 noon. As former President and Rector of the Central European University in Budapest during the turbulent years 2016-2021, which saw the CEU’s expulsion from Hungary and re-establishment in Vienna, Professor Ignatieff is uniquely placed to lead this conversation on the importance of academic freedom and university autonomy in a functioning democracy. Ben Tonra MRIA is Professor of International Relations at University College Dublin’s School of Politics and International Relations where he teaches, researches, and publishes in European foreign, security and defence policy, Irish foreign, security and defence policy and International Relations theory. REGISTER HERE Mayo Civil War Seminar Mayo County Council is holding a major seminar on the Civil War on Saturday 8th October as part of its Decade of Centenaries Programme. This will be a day-long series of talks on various aspects of the Civil War, held in Castlebar Courthouse. This seminar is part of the Wild Atlantic Words literary festival. There will be talks by historians on various aspect of the war throughout the day – the national picture, the local aspects, the role of women, reconciliation etc. Speakers will include Professor Diarmaid Ferriter, Professor Linda Connolly, historian and author Dominic Price, Éamon Ó Cuív T.D., and former Minister for Justice Nora Owen. The seminar will be moderated by broadcaster, writer, lecturer and former senator Marie Louise O’Donnell, and opened by Vice-Admiral (retd.) Mark Mellett DSM. DETAILS HERE C Clare County Library History Week History Week Programme Exhibitions Art Exhibition: An Alchemy of the Civil War by Marie Connole Clare Museum from Monday 3rd October – Friday 7th October 2022 Art Exhibition: Timeslip by David O’Rourke Clare Museum from Monday 3rd October – Friday 7th October 2022 Exhibition: Garda Síochána in Co Clare 1922-2022 DeValera Public Library, Ennis from Monday 3rd October – Friday 7th October 2022Monday 3 October 2022 Online Lecture: Destruction of the Union Workhouse in Corofin, 25 July 1922 by Paul Minihan Monday 3rd October 2022 Online at Clare Library’s YouTube Channel from 11amOnline Talk: Artefacts of the Revolutionary Period: A Civil War Autograph Book by John Rattigan Monday 3rd October 2022 Online at Clare Library’s YouTube Channel from 2pmTuesday 4 October 2022 Online Lecture: Nan Hogan of Clare Cumann na mBan by Martin Bourke Tuesday 4th October 2022 Online at Clare Library’s YouTube Channel from 11amOnline Booklet: Nan Hogan of Clare Cumann na mBan by Martin Bourke Tuesday 4th October 2022 Available on Clare County Library Decade of Centenaries page from 11am Online Lecture: The Joseph Barrett Collection by Rene Franklin Tuesday 4th October 2022 Online at Clare Library’s YouTube Channel from 2pm Lecture: Saving Hay and Saving Ireland: More Stories from the War of Independence in West Clare by Eoin Shanahan Tuesday 4th October 2022 Kilrush Public Library at 6.30pm Contact Kilrush Library at (065) 9051504 Discussion: Bringing Stories to Life: Sharing Tales from the Cuimhneamh an Chláir archive 1912 to 1923 Tuesday 4th October 2022 DeValera Public Library at 6.30pm This round table discussion will look at how oral history and storytelling bring history to life. This free event is open to all. Further information from: [email protected] and from DeValera Public Library at 065 6846353.Wednesday 5 October 2022 Online Lecture: Monreal Ambush, 18 December 1920 by Paul Minihan Wednesday 5th October 2022 Online at Clare Library’s YouTube Channel from 11am Online Talk: Artefacts of the Revolutionary Period: An overview of the Georgina Frost Collection by John Rattigan Wednesday 5th October 2022 Online at Clare Library’s YouTube Channel from 2pm Clare Museum has acquired a small collection related to Georgina Frost of Sixmilebridge, the first woman to hold a public office when she was appointed Petty Sessions Clerk. Lecture: RIC Barracks, Huts & Protection Posts of Co Clare 1916-1921 by Ger Browne Wednesday 5th October 2022 DeValera Public Library at 6.30pm Ger Browne is a local historian who has contributed his work on the Clare Revolution 1916-1923 to Clare Library, Contact DeValera Library at 065 6846353Thursday 6 October 2022 Online Lecture: Echoes from a Civil War by Joe Queally Thursday 6th October 2022 Online at Clare Library’s YouTube Channel from 11am Joe’s book Echoes from a Civil War looks at the murders of Garda Thomas Dowling in Fanore in 1925 and of Garda Timothy O’Sullivan in Tullycrine in 1929, both deaths can be connected to events which happened during the Civil War Online Documentary: Safe as Houses: The Journey of Liam Mellows through Clare by Joe Ó Muircheartaigh Thursday 6th October 2022 Online at Clare Library’s Soundcloud from 2pm Joe Ó Muircheartaigh’s documentary looks at the story of Liam Mellows who spent a period of time at a safe house in Tulla following the 1916 Rising. Film Screening and Discussion: The Ballad of the Crimson Warrior: a short film on a cultural revolution 1890-1922’ by Mike Hanrahan Thursday 6th October 2022 glór at 7pm Mike Hanrahan’s film is a musical narrative of original songs and traditional tunes with stunning portraits of the revolutionary years created by acclaimed Irish artist Mick O Dea. The film will be followed by a Q and A session with Mike. Free event but booking required at https://glor.ie or 065 6843103.Friday 7 October 2022 Online Lecture: After disbandment: The Royal Irish Constabulary 1922-1940 by Brian Hughes Friday 7th October 2022 Online at Clare Library’s YouTube Channel from 11am Dr Brian Hughes is a lecturer in Mary Immaculate College in Limerick. His research interests include the impact of the Irish Revolution on individuals and communities and the use of intimidation and coercion by the IRA at a local level. Online Lecture: Irish Agriculture in the 1920s by Cathal O’Donoghue Friday 7th October 2022 Online at Clare Library’s YouTube Channel from 2pm Prof Cathal O’Donoghue is the Established Chair of Social and Publi Policy in the University of Galway. He previously worked as Head of Teagasc’s Rural Economy and Development Programme. Lecture: Visual Representations of Ireland’s Revolutionary Period by Mick O’Dea and Marie Connole glór at 5pm Friday 7th October 2022 Mick O’Dea is a native of Ennis and one of our best known Irish artists. Mick will discuss the art representing the revolutionary period in Ireland. Marie Connole is a recipient of a Clare Decade of Centenaries Arts Project Award, her exhibition on the Civil War is on display in Clare Museum for History Week. Free event but booking required at https://glor.ie or 065 6843103. Art Tour: A tour of the Civil War art exhibitions of Marie Connole and David O’Rourke led by Mick O’Dea and Marie Connole Friday 7th October 2022 Clare Museum at 6pm Following his glór lecture, Mick will lead a tour of the History Week exhibitions at Clare Museum with Marie Connole. Marie is a recipient of a Clare Decade of Centenaries Arts Project Award, her exhibition on the Civil War is on display in Clare Museum for History Week. Free Event. FULL DETAILS Foxrock Local History Club The Graney Ambush of October 1922 The Graney Ambush of October 1922 Saturday 22 October – 3PM Venue: Castledermot Castledermot Local History Group are unveiling an interpretative panel on the Graney Ambush of October 1922, during which three National Army soldiers were killed in an ambush at Graney, County Kildare on the road between Castledermot and Baltinglass. A booklet on the ambush by historian James Durney will be available on the day. Email local [email protected] for further details. 100 years since the foundation of The Civic Guards Saturday 22 October – AM Venue: Kilcullen Town Hall The County Kildare Federation of Local History Groups are hosting their annual seminar in Kilcullen Town Hall the morning of Saturday 22 October. This event will include an exhibition on the history of policing in Ireland, including memorabilia detailing the history of An Garda Síóchána. Guest speakers will explore the history of An Garda Síochána. Email [email protected] for further details. Cumann Le Seandacht Átha CliathThe Old Dublin Society 2. Exhibitions/Projects New Anglo-Irish Treaty learning resource (from the National Archives and the Dept of Education) A new and exciting learning resource on the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 has just been produced by the National Archives in partnership with the Department of Education. Last month saw the distribution to post-primary schools nationwide of the bilingual “Anglo-Irish Treaty Document Resource Pack” which is intended as a teaching tool and supplementary source for use by post-primary educators and students in parallel with their course work. The resource’s contents are mapped to the Junior Cycle’s history specifications and the Leaving Certificate Later Modern Ireland syllabus (ordinary and higher level) and also include activities for the Transition Year history programme. Image: Key document #7: Notes by Arthur Griffith of two sub conferences held between the British and Irish delegations at 10 Downing Street, 5–6 December 1921. Amongst the holdings of the National Archives is perhaps the most famous document in modern Irish history, the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. On the centenary anniversary of the signing of this seminal record in December 2021, the National Archives hosted in Dublin Castle “The Treaty, 1921: Records from the Archives”, an exhibition marking its role as the official repository of the records of the State, one hundred years since its formation. As part of the legacy of this milestone exhibition, its contents were repurposed to produce the high-quality learning resource, drawing from its Treaty-related holdings, namely the Dáil Éireann record series (DE/2–DE/4) and the papers of Treaty delegate and Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Barton. The DE/2 series consists of the administrative records of the Dáil Éireann Secretariat (1919–1922) relating to the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations while the DE/4 series contains the proceedings of the First and Second Dála (1919–1922) and papers relating to the peace negotiations of 1921. Contents of the learning resource The content of the Treaty learning resource is mapped to the learning outcomes for the history curriculums at Junior, Transition Year and Senior Cycles and is designed to provide students with the opportunity to work with primary source material in the form of reproduction records relating to the negotiations and signing of the Treaty from October to December 1921. It consists of the following elements: Biographies of the Irish and British delegates who negotiated the Treaty Eight key documents relating to the negotiations and signing of the TreatyTimeline of events in 1921 Explanation of the Treaty articles Research activity for Junior Cycle/Transition Year students Glossary of terms Online resources and further reading These elements are self-contained units which can be explored separately or in combination with each other and teachers can decide which units and in what order to engage with them in the classroom. The eight key documents are accompanied by corresponding questions and tasks which are categorised and colour-coded according to Junior Cycle, Transition Year and Leaving Certificate levels and can be explored in tandem with for example, the delegate biographies, timeline or Treaty explainer. An online version of the Treaty learning resource can be downloaded from the website of the National Archives at www.nationalarchives.ie/2021commemorationprogramme/anglo-irish-treaty-document-resource-pack where the eight key documents are linked to high resolution images of the documents themselves on their Flickr account. Meanwhile, although the Treaty exhibition closed in Dublin Castle on 27 March last, a virtual tour of same is available on the NA website at www.nationalarchives.ie/2021commemorationprogramme/treaty-virtual-tour An Alchemy of the Civil War A unique exhibition on the Irish Civil War of 1922-23 entitled ‘An Alchemy of the Civil War’ is now on at the Clare Museum. Artist Marie Connole has created a series of intriguing watercolours to represent various incidents from around Ireland. The influence of 16th century alchemical illustrations is the starting point for this original work. MORE DETAILS HERE Timeslip David O’Rourke is an artist based in Co Clare. He is the recipient of a Clare Decade of Centenaries Arts Project Award in 2022 for his current exhibition on the revolutionary period in Clare. His paintings are influenced by extant photos of the period and feature events in Ennis and Ennistymon. ARTIST DETAILS HERE Suffering The Most The life and times of Tomas MacCurtain and Terence MacSwiney Cork Public Museum MORE DETAILS HERE Royal Irish Academy Decade of Centenaries Bursary scheme The Decade of Centenaries bursary scheme which was established this year thanks to funding from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media aims to encourage and support new local research and local history studies in meaningful examination of local, regional, and national events during the Struggle for Independence and Civil War period. In this, its first year funding has been awarded to fourteen projects which address these themes and aspirations such as a study of The Ulster Special Constabulary (USC) in the Central Border Area: From Treaty to Civil War by Patrick Mulroe and The Jackie Clarke Collection Autograph Books: Pages of our Past by Sinéad Brennan. MORE DETAILS HERE 3. Podcasts What if Michael Collins had survived the Civil War? On 22 August 1922, Michael Collins was killed at Béal na Bláth, Co. Cork. But what if he had survived? Would he have become a military dictator?(Was he one already?) Would he have been more or less ruthless than his successors in prosecuting the Civil War?Would he have torn up the Treaty and launched an invasion of the North? What if he and not Eoin O’Duffy had later become leader of the Blueshirts? And if he, rather than Dev, had become Ireland’s dominant statesman, would his economic or social policies have been any different? Join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Paddy Cullivan, Brian Hanley, David McCullagh, Fearghal McGarry and Margaret O’Callaghan. LISTEN HERE Unmanageable Revolutionaries —women in the ‘decade of centenaries’ It is nearly 40 years since Margaret Ward’s pioneering Unmanageable Revolutionaries: Women and Irish NaItionalism, 1880-1980 (1983) first appeared. How has women’s history, and history written by women, fared in the meantime, particularly in this ‘decade of centenaries’?Join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Síobhra Aiken, Leeann Lane, Sarah-Anne Buckley and Margaret Ward. PANELLISTS Síobhra Aiken lectures in History at Queen’s University, Belfast, and is the author of Spiritual Wounds: Trauma, Testimony & the Irish Civil War (2022). Leeann Lane lectures in History at Dublin City University and is the author of Dorothy McArdle (2019). Since 2012 she has been on the Expert Advisory Group on the Decade of Centenaries. Sarah-Anne Buckley lectures in History at NUI, Galway, and is the author of The Cruelty Man: Child Welfare, the NSPCC and the State in Ireland, 1889-1956 (2013). She is currently President of the Women’s History Association of Ireland. Margaret Ward is Senior Lecturer in History at Queen’s University, Belfast, and author of Fearless Woman, Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, feminism and the Irish Revolution (2019). LISTEN HERE Michael Collins—man and myth Michael Collins—man and myth Born in West Cork in 1890, Michael Collins joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) as a teenager while working as a clerk in London. He fought in the GPO in 1916, and rose to prominence by the War of Independence, combining the positions of Dáil minister for finance and IRA director of intelligence. How can his meteoric rise be explained? Why did he sign the Treaty? Did he intend to tear it up and invade the North? Was he by the outbreak of the Civil War effectively a military dictator? Why are the circumstances of his death at Béal na Bláth, exactly a century ago, still disputed? To address these and related questions, join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with John Borgonovo, Gemma Clark, Dominic Price and John Regan. This Hedge School is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 programme. LISTEN HERE Arthur Griffith, ‘father of us all’ Arthur Griffith, ‘father of us all’So said Michael Collins, yet despite his central role in the development of the Irish nationalism from which the Irish State would emerge, Arthur Griffith has had to settle for a side-line role in the national historical memory.How fair or accurate are accusations of anti-Semitism, misogyny or ‘selling the pass’ at the Treaty negotiations?How stands his reputation today a century on from his untimely death, aged 51, on 12 August 1922?To address these and related questions join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Frank Barry, Brian Hanley, Colum Kenny and Margaret Ward.This Hedge School is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 initiative.LISTEN HERE Dublin’s Housing Crisis in Troubled Times Cathy Scuffil discusses the response to Dublin’s housing crisis after the collapse of tenements in Dublin’s Church Street in 1913. Pembroke Library in association with the Ballsbridge, Donnybrook and Sandymount Historical Society presented a talk by Cathy Scuffil, Historian in Residence, Dublin South City Dublin’s Housing Crisis in Troubled Times. (This online event took place on 18 May 2022) The collapse of tenements in Dublin’s Church Street in 1913 with fatal consequences, increased pressure on authorities to address Dublin’s chronic housing conditions described as the worst in the British Empire at that time. Provision of new and refurbished housing had almost halted by the beginning of World War 1, with any available housing funds later redirected to rebuild the destroyed city centre following the 1916 Rising. Despite this turbulent time in Irish history, Dublin Corporation established a Housing Committee for the provision of new, well-designed housing for low-income citizens. This talk discusses four new estates built at that time, against a backdrop of war, revolution and the emerging Free State. LISTEN HERE The Civil War in Kilkenny Author and Historian Eoin Swithin Walsh in this podcast examines the start of the Civil War in Kilkenny.This podcast examines the first two months of the Civil War in County Kilkenny. Things were happening on a daily, if not hourly basis. Nearly every corner of the county was affected in some way or other. On 2 July 1922, Anti-Treaty leader Dinny Lacey attacked and captured Urlingford Barracks after a fierce battle. A shootout followed at nearby Mary Willies pub. The Pro-Treaty forces also captured Mullinavat and Thomastown barracks from the anti-Treaty side. Graiguenamanagh and Inistioge witnessed the arrival of a huge column of anti-Treaty soldiers arriving down from the fighting in Dublin and Wicklow. Free States forces eventually took control of Callan, following which the bridge in the town was blown up. In the middle of all of this, the Free State commander in Kilkenny, John Thomas Prout, found time to get married (pictured above).Then all eyes turned to the big set piece battles in Waterford and afterwards Carrick on Suir, where Prout faced off against his nemesis, Lacey. Ferrybank and Piltown were at the frontline of the ‘Munster Republic’ and so Kilkenny led the Free State charge in the early days of the Civil War.LISTEN HERE Talking History with Patrick Geoghegan Four Courts Fire Joining Patrick Geoghegan for this episode of Talking History to discuss the newly unveiled Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland and the history of Ireland and the history of the Four Courts is Zoë Reid, Ciarán Wallace, Lynn Kilgannon and Brian Gurrin. LISTEN HERE |