OPINION:CONCERN HAS been expressed recently that the coming decade of centenary celebrations could lead to great controversy and trouble. Certainly, it is true that in the past commemorations and anniversaries have been occasions for discord and confrontation.
Referring to the 1960s, Sir Kenneth Bloomfield has written that “Anniversaries are the curse of Ireland. Like saints’ days, the dates of historically resonant events punctuate the Northern Ireland calendar, calling for an orgy of reminiscence, celebration and demonstration from some section or other of the population”.
He added that it seems to matter little if these annoy or infuriate. For some this is “a principal attraction”.
In recent years, however, commemorations have not had these damaging consequences. Evidence of a new approach can be seen.
Take the 1798 rebellion. In Ireland in 1898 the centenary was commemorated in a divisive and confrontational manner. Generally, the commemorative events were dominated by nationalists and ignored by unionists. A century later there was a concerted effort to avoid this polarised approach. The bicentenary was commemorated widely, North and South, as a shared historical event. Museums in Dublin and Belfast held major exhibitions.
Local historical and community societies organised lectures and publications on the issue. A strong effort was made by politicians, government agencies and the public to ensure that these commemorations were marked in an inclusive manner. Prof George Boyce has commented how in 1998 “memory was directed towards the significance of pluralist thinking in the Irish past, and academics mediated between the state and the citizen, playing a public role”.
Another area where we can see evidence of the new approach lies in the commemoration of those from Ireland who died in the two World Wars. In the early 1920s there was strong public acknowledgment of Armistice Day by nationalist and unionist communities, North and South. Subsequently, this event came largely to be dominated by unionists and ignored by nationalists. The 1990s, however, marked an important change.
In her 1996 study of war commemorations, historian Jane Leonard has written how “in Ireland politicians and local communities have endeavoured to replace the partisan character of existing war commemorations with more inclusive, generous forms of acknowledging the Irish past”. There was now a strong effort to recall the common suffering and shared history of nationalists and unionists in relation to the war dead. In the North, the 1990s were marked by unionist and nationalist councillors together attending Remembrance Sunday (which replaced Armistice Day) events.
In the Republic the President has attended the Remembrance Sunday service in St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin since 1993, and other commemorative events are also held again in the South.
Many people from both sides of the Border attended the dedication of the Island of Ireland Peace Park at Messines in Belgium in 1998, including Queen Elizabeth and President McAleese.
A shared identity has been developed for both these historical events. There are others, however, where it is unlikely that this will happen, events very particular to one community that are likely to remain single-identity occasions.
And yet, in a number of cases there has been an effort to explain their significance and to make them less threatening to others.
Parades are held every year by the Apprentice Boys of Derry clubs to commemorate the 1688-1689 siege of the city. Since 1998 the clubs have also organised events in the city each August to “explain their ethos and culture to Derry’s wider nationalist community”.
The Twelfth of July continues to be an important day for Orangemen, when they commemorate the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. Recently, there have been efforts by some members of the Orange Order to make the “Twelfth” celebrations more of a festival and so they came up with the idea of “Orangefest”. Since July 2006, demonstrations in a number of areas have included Ulster Scots events and historical enactments, and attempts have been made to make the day more family- and tourist- friendly.
In the South, a very important gesture was made by President McAleese in relation to the Boyne. From 1998, every July on a date on or close to the Twelfth, she held an official reception at Áras an Uachtaráin to remember the Boyne, to recall all the “Jacobites and Willliamites” who were involved, and to honour the Protestant community in the South, particularly the Southern Orangemen, many of whom are invited to the occasion.
Commemoration at Easter time of the 1916 Dublin Rising has also witnessed change in the ways in which it has been marked. It is very likely such events will remain single-identity occasions, but there have been efforts to make this commemoration less exclusive and threatening to others.
At the official 90th anniversary of the Rising in 2006 in Dublin, there was an attempt not only to mark the event in an impressive way but to present a more inclusive image than had been the case with the 50th anniversary in 1966.
At the main parade on Easter Sunday on O’Connell Street in Dublin, the British ambassador was an invited guest on the platform outside the GPO. The day before, President McAleese had called for remembrance not only for those who in 1916 died in Dublin but those who died in France.
Such changes are evidence of a new maturity towards remembering and celebrating the past. They show a range of approaches to historical events. When we look at the important historical events that we will mark over the next decade, it is clear some have the potential to be experienced as part of a shared history.
Others, however, will have strong resonances for some communities but not for others. This need not be a problem. We cannot expect agreement on the importance of all such events, given differences between communities and individuals in both their political positions today and people’s historical backgrounds. Still, people can seek to understand other perspectives and to explain their own position.
Events such as these show how commemorations can serve a positive and reconciliatory role and give reason for us to look forward to our major forthcoming decade of commemorations with optimism.
Brian M Walker is professor of Irish studies at Queen's University Belfast. His book, A Political History of the Two Irelands: from Partition to Peace, will be published next month by Palgrave MacMillan