Department of English

Dr Heather Laird

2 November 2022, 3-4 pm

ORB 2.12

Commemoration and decolonisation are separately both topics of interest in present-day Ireland. This talk is being delivered towards the end of a decade of centenaries marking a chain of events in Irish history that commenced with the introduction of the Third Home Rule Bill in the British House of Commons in 1912. 2022 is the centenary of the ratification of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the establishment of the Irish Free State, the outbreak of civil war, and the consolidation of partition. Given the contentious nature of these events, this final year of the commemorative decade has not only given rise to centenary activities; it has sparked discussion about the kinds of occurrences that should be commemorated and the ways in which they can be marked. Internationally, the concept of decolonisation has experienced a significant resurgence of late, though largely restricted to scholarly and cultural institutions. Academics working on Ireland-related topics, in particular a younger generation of historians, have been inspired by this latest manifestation of the decolonial turn, participating in debates, workshops and conferences on such topics as decolonising the university and decolonising the curriculum. The talk first reflects on decolonisation and commemoration individually as concepts, and then considers how they can be brought together in the Irish context. This provides a conceptual framework for a discussion of competing socio-economic visions in Ireland a hundred years ago, and the stemming of some of those visions in the post-revolutionary period. I ground this discussion in concepts and practices of land and property occupancy and usage.