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.

Official opening Saturday 13 April, 6pm. All welcome.
A panel discussion will be held on Thursday 16 May, 7pm. More info here.

Bullet Points Catalogue is available for download here.

Main image: VII – Siobhan Hyde

McKenna Gallery
Friday 12 April–Saturday 25 May
Monday-Friday 9:30m-5pm | Saturday 10am-4pm
Admission Free

Curated by Paula Barrett, featuring a selection of artworks supported by Kildare County Council’s Decade of Commemorations Committee and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2013-2023 initiative.