The Irish revolution of 1916-1921 and modern remembrance: a case study of the commemorative heritages of County Tipperary

Abstract

Both in Ireland and internationally, acts of commemoration have garnered much attention in recent time from political organisations and academic writers, as well as from the media and general public. Much of the focus has been on the ability of commemoration to keep open the old wounds which have long-divided certain communities, or, conversely, on the power of these remembrances to unite opposing factions by finding common ground and avenues for reconciliation. This thesis focuses on the commemorative heritages of County Tipperary. In exploring key dates and anniversaries in its militant republican history, the thesis will explore how the mythologies surrounding County Tipperary’s participation in the so-called ‘Irish Revolution’ of 1916-21 have been commemorated in modem times.