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Donegal in 1916

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The following is a summary of programming delivered under the theme of Ireland 2016  

Donegal County Council Programme 

  • Community led events distributed across all 7 strands of the programme and took place throughout the county. One of the most ambitious community projects was a stone map of Ireland erected in Glencolumbcille, involving stone and stone masons from all over Ireland.  
  • Turner prize nominee Willie Doherty video commission led by the RCC, one of only 9 Arts Council funded projects under their call to the Irish imagination. This exhibition was launched at the Earagail Arts Festival and was later exhibited in Dublin and London.   
  • History Table: Elevation by renowned artist Brian Connolly sited at the Diamond in Lifford.  
  • Carnival Ballyshannon Project commemorating the 100th anniversary of both the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme, under the title Army Dreamers. Up to 300 young people and adults participated in its six-week, pre-event workshop programme. The project featured input from professional artists, theatre and carnival companies including LUXe landscape theatre (Inishowen), Workhouse Studios (Sligo), Dark Daughter Productions (Bundoran), Réalta (Galway) and community artist Tom Meskell (Westmeath). The Thiepval Memorial Pipe Band from Convoy, the Crickamore Fife and Drum Band from An Machaire and the Donegal Town Youth Band also featured.  

Donegal County Museum  

  • Major exhibition with the Archives Service entitled “County Donegal in 1916: Our Story”.  The exhibition was part funded by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The Museum also produced an exhibition Activity Booklet for children.   
  • Two small touring exhibitions, “Our Story: Donegal and the Easter Rising”, in Irish and English displayed in over 20 venues throughout Donegal.    
  • Exhibition “Little Stories, Little Prints” in association with the Leinster Printmaking Studio.   
  • A series of interactive history workshops for schools by Dark Daughter productions,   
  • Four interactive drama workshops, on the theme of Donegal 100 years ago delivered in libraries throughout Donegal during National Recreation Week, funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.  
  • A programme of talks which included, “Coláiste Uladh and the Cultural Revolution”, by Dr. Seosaimh O’Ceallaigh; “Mobilising the masses in early Twentieth Century Donegal” by Dr Arlene Crampsie; “County Donegal in 1916”, by Caroline Carr, Donegal County Museum and “Cumann na mBan in Donegal” by Helen Meehan.    

Library Service  

  • A series of workshops on respectful commemoration for all Culture Division staff led by The Junction, Derry.   
  • Five Ethical and Shared Remembering workshops for the public in Central Library.   
  • A conference was held on the theme of Ethical and Global Perspectives.   
  • Purchase of 16 Lives’ written by leading historians on the lives and times of the 1916 leaders  
  • Published two bibliographies: Easter Rising 1916: Adult Bibliography; 1916-2016: East Rising World War I Bibliography.   
  • Public events including, a drop-in session and workshop with the 1916 Letters Project in association with NUI Maynooth; “The Legacy of ‘16”, heritage walks of Letterkenny with local historian, Kieran Kelly and “The 1916 Leaders Connection to Donegal” lecture delivered by Helen Meehan in various venues.  

Archives Service  

  • Development (2015) and distribution of the resource pack County Donegal in 1916: From the Edge to primary and second level schools, to conferences, history and heritage groups and centres, and to interested individuals. The pack was translated into Irish and distributed to Irish language schools.   
  • In cooperation with the Museum, the Archives Service gave illustrated talks on the subject of 1916 in County Donegal in a variety of venues and in primary schools.  
  • Digitisation of the 1916 minutes of meetings of all County Donegal’s local authorities.   

 

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