The Taoiseach Micheál Martin will address the opening day of the Irish Civil War National Conference - one of the key events in the State’s Decade of Centenaries Programme for 2022. The conference is hosted by University College Cork and supported with funding from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
Over 130 expert speakers will examine all aspects of the Irish Civil War (1922-1923), including international, political, social, cultural, gender, military, and economic dimensions. The conference is open to the public and admission is free.
The objective of this conference is, to quote the Expert Advisory Group on Centenary Commemorations, to accomplish ‘meaningful engagements with a difficult and traumatic time’. It will not seek a sense of closure or a single agreed narrative. It will allow for a diversity of views and perspectives, grounded in scholarship, academic rigour, archival discovery and the factual evidence for the historical events that took place.
Speaking ahead of the conference, the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin said:
"As we look back one hundred years to our civil war, we are conscious that this will be a painful centenary for many. This conference, hosted by University College Cork, offers a fitting and timely forum to illuminate, scrutinise, and debate all aspects of the historical events that took place, grounded in factual analysis and the evidence of primary sources. The impact and legacy of these events have resonated deeply within families and communities over the past one hundred years. Some aspects of this traumatic time are only being properly examined and discussed now. With time and distance, new insights and perspectives are now possible, leading to a more nuanced understanding of the complex events that occurred. Previous, uncritically accepted narratives can be tested and re-examined, bringing the possibility of forgiveness and healing."
