Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin have published a Decade of Centenaries Programme for 2022.
Details
According to a statement published on Gov.ie, the Government allocated €5 million to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to support the delivery of the cross-governmental commemorative programme this year, maintaining funding levels on par with last year's allocation, and state partners and other organisations are also contributing funding from their own resources to support initiatives and programming.
The centenaries arising this year include the foundation of the state, the Civil War, the destruction of the Public Record Office of Ireland at the Four Courts and the foundation of various institutions of the Irish Free State.
The programme is comprised of four thematic strands - State Ceremonial, Historical Exploration, Community and Creative Imagination - and aims to create interesting and imaginative opportunities that encourage as many individuals as possible to consider our shared history in a respectful and supportive environment, according to the statement published on Gov.ie, which also stated that programme highlights include:
- a new partnership with the Arts Council (Art: 2023) that will be launched in the coming weeks to support a major new artistic commissioning programme by artists from all genres and backgrounds;
- University College Cork (UCC) will host a national, academic conference to mark the centenary of the civil war from 15 to 18 June 2022;
- the launch of Beyond 2022|Ireland's Virtual Record Treasury in June - an all-island and international collaborative legacy project for the Decade of Centenaries, led by Trinity College Dublin;
- national cultural institutions are curating new programming throughout the year;
- a number of digitisation projects will be progressed in 2022;
- €50,000 has been approved for every local authority under the Community Strand to support their commemorative programming for 2022, with a supplementary fund of €450,000 available to provide further supports to local authorities who have identified additional requirements in relation to specific centenaries of local significance and other larger projects, including cross-border initiatives;
- artist-in-residence exhibitions and outreach programmes will come on stream throughout the year in the NAI, NLI, NMI, Military Archives and Beyond 2022 project;
- and a new bursary scheme will open this year, led by the Royal Irish Academy, with awards to be made in 2022 and in 2023.
The full programme for can be viewed online or downloaded at Gov.ie/en/publication/121ea-decade-of-centenaries-programme/.
Statement By Taoiseach
The statement published on Gov.ie included a statement from Taoiseach Micheál Martin, in which he said, "2022 will be an important, and sensitive year for commemorations as we remember the centenary of the onset of the Civil War in June.
"The objective of the Decade of Centenaries Programme is to provide opportunities for respectful and meaningful engagement from everyone who has an interest in this period, and to provide ways in which citizens of all ages can engage in our shared history.
"The state's approach to commemorating this final period of centenaries will, at all times, be grounded in the guiding principles laid down by the Expert Advisory Group on Centenary Commemorations and the respectful and authentic ethos, which is core to the Decade of Centenaries Programme."
Statement By Tánaiste
The statement published on Gov.ie included a statement from Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, in which he said, "2022 is a crucial year in the decade of centenaries. We will mark 100 years since the foundation of the state, the deaths of Michael Collins, Arthur Griffith and Cathal Brugha, the Treaty Election and the outbreak of the Civil War. We will do this in a way that is sensitive, inclusive and authentic, in a way that will provoke thought and discussion without ever seeking to challenge anyone's loyalties.
"Through a variety of different lenses, for example poetry and podcasts, local research projects and art exhibitions, we are able to look in new ways at the birth of the State and the triumphs as well as the traumas of that period. In this way the state, our cultural and educational institutions, and our communities can share in this act of respectful remembrance and commemoration, making a strong statement about the Ireland of today as well as about our past."
Statement By Tourism Minister
The statement published on Gov.ie included a statement from Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin, in which she said, "This remarkable programme announced today is a collaborative effort right across government, comprising national and local partnerships, and contributions from so many arts and cultural groups and institutions of learning. 2022 presents a timely opportunity for us as a mature people to reflect on some of the challenging centenaries and themes associated with 1922 including a still painful civil war. We can look at these events with fresh eyes, supported by a wealth of scholarship and a rich tapestry of resources - one of the great legacies of the Decade of Centenaries Programme."
Statement By Chair Of The Expert Advisory Group On Centenary Commemorations
The statement published on Gov.ie also included a statement from Chair of the Expert Advisory Group on Centenary Commemorations Dr Maurice Manning, in which he said, "Throughout the Decade of Centenaries, the Irish people have shown us very clearly how they would like these events to be remembered - with honesty, sincerity, respect, and factual analysis. People want to be able to consider the information and evidence for the historical events that occurred and come to their own conclusions. The 2022 programme comprises a wealth of scholarship, new research, and the opening up of national and local archives. These continue to be indispensable supports for everyone as they navigate their own personal commemorative paths. In all that we do, we each have a responsibility to safeguard the open, inclusive, generous, and collaborative spirit of commemorations that has so successfully flourished over the past years."
© 2022 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
