Transforming 1916: Meaning, Memory and the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Easter Rising

The fiftieth anniversary of the Easter Rising has been held responsible for everything from the outbreak of conflict in Northern Ireland to the alienation of an entire generation in the Republic of Ireland.

Transforming 1916 explores the meaning and memory of the Easter Rising anniversary in 1966 and the way in which history operated in Ireland at a moment of rapid change. Looking at the commemorative process through parades, statues, pageants, television programs, exhibitions and documentary film, and considering the tensions present north and south of the border, it argues that the fiftieth anniversary of the Easter Rising was not, in fact, an unrestrained celebration of Ireland’s past but represented instead an attempt by the Irish government to convey a message of modernization and economic progress. Transforming 1916 casts light on what 1916 means in contemporary Ireland and illuminates the politics of commemoration as the centenary of the Rising approaches.