Three notable aspects of the ‘Decade of Commemorations’ thus far have been the lack of an all-island commemorative strategy; the underrepresentation or outright exclusion of women scholars/ artists/ writers/ activists / stakeholders from major events (the RIA’s ‘Global Perspectives on the Rising’ series and the Abbey Theatre’s ‘Waking the Rising’ programme are two high profile examples); and its domination by historical discourse and by historians.
These public talks and roundtable events, taking place at Maynooth University on Tuesday 19th January and Wednesday 6th April, aim to diversify approaches to the ‘decade of commemoration’. They focus intentionally on ‘women and the decade of commemorations’ as a corrective to the current national conversation, seeking to showcase the scholarly and creative work of women working in an Irish cultural context, as well as to initiate discussion about women of the period of a century ago. Finally, they aim to consider the ways in which the ‘decade of commemoration’ has in fact limited discussion and debate about commemorations perceived to lie outside of its remit (such as the 20th anniversary of the closing of the last Magdalene laundry).
Scholars, writers, art practitioners, activists and community workers are invited to attend to participate in roundtable discussions, with the longer term goal of establishing an inclusive, all-island commemoration network.
Schedule for Tuesday January 19th
Roundtable discussions with talks by:
Dr Mary McAuliffe, Women’s Studies, University College Dublin
Dr Roísin Higgins, Department of History, Teeside University;
Dr Sinéad Kennedy, Department of English, Maynooth University;
Dr Emilie Pine, School of English and Drama, University College Dublin.
Schedule of events:
9.45-10.15 Coffee/Tea
10.15 Introduction
10.30 The Easter Rising, Commemoration and the Writing of History:
Presentations by Roisín Higgins and Mary McAuliffe
11.30 Commemorative Blindness: Beyond 1916 in 2016:
Presentations by Emilie Pine and Sinéad Kennedy
12.30 – 1.30 lunch
1.30 Open Forum
3.00 End
The meeting will take place in the Iontas Building of Maynooth University’s North Campus. The building is an approximate 10 minute walk from the Maynooth train station. Please note that as long as you do not park in a pay-and-display area, parking is available on Jan. 19th in all car parks: as it is not term time, no parking disc is required. Lunch will be provided for participants who have registered.
Both events are open to the public and free of charge. Registration is required as places are limited. Please email Dr Oona Frawley for further information and to register to attend.
We look forward to welcoming you to Maynooth!