Home Institution

Carleton College

Publication Date

Fall 2007

Program Name

Ireland: Peace & Conflict Studies

Abstract

Before traveling to Ireland, I watched the film Michael Collins; aside from the single paragraph of text allocated to the 1916 Easter Rising in The Course of Irish History, the film shaped my understanding of the Irish fight for independence. As the semester progressed, this basic understanding evolved into a solid grasp of Irish history and politics. As a student of history with a specific interest in historiography, I aimed to structure my Independent Research Project (ISP) around Irish history so that I could delve deeper into my preferred field. Throughout the semester my intrigue piqued as I noticed how certain aspects of Ireland’s long history have been remembered, romanticized, and commemorated quite differently than how basic history texts recount these seemingly significant events. With this thought it mind, I selected the Easter Rising of 1916 to study as an example of a historical event which has been greatly commemorated and revisited throughout the near century-long period since it was quelled. I thought the Rising was an appropriate event for my study because it was recent enough to still have the burning embers of popular memory of the actual event but far enough in the past that I would avoid the heavy and intricate politics of the more recent troubles; it was not long until I realized that very little of what has happened in twentieth century Ireland is “immune” to the troubles, the commemoration and historiography of the 1916 Easter Rising being no exception.

Disciplines

European History | History | Peace and Conflict Studies

Download

Share

Article Location

 
COinS