Bullet Points: Who, What, How We Commemorate – Catalogue

Following a Decade of Commemorations in Co. Kildare, it is pertinent to examine how we commemorate; how we connect to events in our past; and what value there is in representation and re-enactment.

The Decade of Commemorations Programme (2013–2023) provided opportunities to imagine the everyday experience of ordinary people living in extraordinary times, alongside the main protagonists in this complex period of Irish history.

While we strive to understand events accurately and to separate fact from myth, as the generations pass there is, in our remembering, also a forgetting.  The absence of scars on the landscape signifies an erasure of physical traces.  Our pursuit of historical knowledge can go beyond the intellect – an ability to use our imaginations is often required to bring to life the stories that persist

From ancient ogham to digital archives, the ways in which our history is recorded and transmitted can shape our understanding of the past. How can we ensure we use sources in a meaningful way?  Representations of the past may not always be wholly authentic but they can still evoke an emotional authenticity.