The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is the lead department for the coordination of the Decade of Centenaries Programme 2012-2023. A key strand of the Programme is Creative Expression. The department has developed and is promoting a number of different elements of this strand in a programme to be delivered over the remaining three years of the Decade 2021-2023.
The following 5 bodies will host an artist-in-residence in 2021 under the Decade of Centenaries programme.
- Beyond 2022-Ireland’s Virtual Record Treasury
- Military Archives
- The National Archives
- National Library of Ireland
- National Museum of Ireland(NMI)
Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Programme
The current objectives laid down for the Decade of Centenaries programme are as follows:
- to focus on themes of reconciliation and on remembrance of all of those who lost their lives during this period
- to promote a deeper understanding of the significant historical events of this period, recognising that the shared historical experiences of those years gave rise to very different narratives and memories
- to encourage reflection about the multiple identities, traditions and perspectives that are part of the overall Irish historical experience
- to respond with sensitivity to the local historical context, acknowledging that there was no uniform experience within counties or across the island of Ireland
- to continue to promote a consultative and open approach to commemorations, which seeks to strengthen peace and reconciliation across the island of Ireland. A core element of reconciliation is acknowledgement of the legitimacy of all of the traditions on the island that draw their identity and collective memory from our shared history
This Artist-in-Residence scheme with the 5 partners above is a new element of the centenaries programme for 2021. The focus of the scheme this year is on the collections these partners hold, with a direct connection to the 1912-1923 period being marked by the Decade of Centenaries and to bring those historical collections to new audiences.
The programme theme for 2021-2023 are as follows;
1. Community-led commemoration and reflection; remembering local legacies, personalities, places, events and themes that have particular significance within counties, parishes and communities.
2. Respectful, sensitive and non-partisan remembrance of all of those who suffered and died during the period from 1921-1923.
3. The Partitioning of Ireland – Exploration of the impact and legacy of the events that occurred during this period on communities living along the newly established border and further afield.
4. Ireland and the Wider World – Exploration of the international dimension, including local connections, emigration, and the role of the Irish Diaspora in the events that occurred during the revolutionary period. Also, exploring the evolution of all-island institutions following partition.
5. Experiences of women – Exploration of the experiences of women during this period and their contribution to the events that occurred, including their changing role in society.
6. Establishing a New Order –
– Exploring the significance of local government reform and the evolution of new political and administrative structures at national and local level;
– Establishment of the various institutions of the Irish Free State (including Civil Service, the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána, judiciary, and courts services);- Development of new infrastructure (transportation, communications, postal services); and
– Continuing the parliamentary tradition – Elections during this period – the prominent personalities and local issues associated with the 1920 local elections and also, the 1922 and 1923 general elections.
7. A Changing Society during this period, including:
– The labour movement and civil disobedience
– Popular social, cultural and civic movements
– Social class and gender
– The Irish language
– The Land Question
– The significance of sport in communities during this period
– The humanitarian response during the Struggle for Independence and the Civil War
– Innovation in the fields of agriculture, industry, science, commerce and medicine
8. Creative thinking and the arts – poetry, literature, music, theatre, and other art forms, 1921 – 1923.
The aim of the State centenary commemoration programme for the years from 2021 – 2023 is to ensure that this complex period in our history, including the Struggle for Independence, the Civil War, the Foundation of the State and Partition, is remembered appropriately, proportionately, respectfully and with sensitivity. A specific key objective of the initiative is to promote a deeper understanding of the significant events that took place during this period and recognize that the shared historical experience of those years gave rise to very different narratives and memories.