Ireland's 1916 Rising ─ Explorations of History-Making, Commemoration & Heritage in Modern Times

Ireland's recent bailout by the EU and IMF has led to much lamenting over the loss of the sovereignty struggled for by earlier generations, in particular by the revolutionaries who rose against the unpopular political authorities in 1916. In light of the upcoming centenary in 2016, the time now seems ripe, therefore, to ask: why, how and in what ways has memory of the 1916 Rising persisted over the decades? This book uncovers the evolving relationship between past and present in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, as evidenced by the most pivotal episodes in the Rising's commemoration and the myriad varieties of heritages associated with its enduring memory. In doing so, it raises issues not only from a uniquely Irish perspective, but also offers a wider perspective on how the concepts of heritage, culture and identity in Westernised societies are moulded by both continuity and change in politics, society and economy. It also shows how acts of commemoration illuminate political ideologies/tensions, how memory persists in heritage objects/cultural landscapes and how the legacy of the past impinges upon cultural/economic activity in areas ranging from museums to tourism.

Mark McCarthy is Lecturer & Programme Chair in Heritage Studies, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Republic of Ireland