Family histories of the Irish Revolution
Ciara Boylan, Sarah-Anne Buckley and Pat Dolan, editors
Some of the stories from current and retired staff at NUI Galway have been buried for generations, and their publication sheds new light on the complex politics of memory in post-independence Ireland. They tell of the famous – Peadar O’Donnell, Tom Kettle and the Sheehy-Skeffingtons – and the forgotten, including accounts of nationalists and unionists, British army soldiers and Irish Volunteers, members of Cumann na mBan and the RIC.
The contributions discuss how family history and memory was imparted, and aim to explore the legacy of this on succeeding generations. An introduction from the editors, a foreword by President Michael D. Higgins on ethics and memory, and a background chapter from Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh weave together key themes, including gender, memory, violence, reconciliation and family history.
Ciara Boylan is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Child and Family Research Centre, NUI Galway. Sarah-Anne Buckley is lecturer in history at NUI Galway. Pat Dolan holds the UNESCO Chair in Children, Youth and Civic Engagement at NUI Galway.
