Family Histories of the Irish Revolution

This volume presents a unique and engaging selection of stories from current and retired staff at NUI Galway of familial participation during the revolutionary period. It captures the ways in which family history and memory is transmitted and the influence and legacy of these histories. The stories include familial accounts of well-known figures like Peadar O'Donnell, Tom Kettle, and Hanna and Francis Sheehy-Skeffington, alongside accounts of men and women unknown/forgotten by the larger historical narrative. The contributions include accounts of nationalists and unionists; men, women, and young people; British army soldiers and Irish Volunteers; members of Cumann na mBan and the ICA. Through very real human experiences and personal stories, it demonstrates the complex ways in which people engaged with the events of the period and the diversity of contemporary experience. The contributions discuss how family history and memory was imparted and aim to explore the legacy of this on succeeding generations. As such, the volume reflects the impact of the revolutionary period on the present generation from a lifecourse perspective. Some of these family stories and memories have been buried for generations, such as those of family members who served in the British army during the First World War or of RUC men in rural Ireland, or the real and personal impact of the Civil War, thus shedding new light on the complex politics of memory in post-independence Ireland. A framing introductory chapter from the editors, a foreword by President Michael D. Higgins on ethics and memory, and a background chapter from Gearoid O'Tuathaigh weave together the key themes and context for this volume, for example gender, memory, violence, reconciliation, and family history. [Subject: Irish Studies, History, Sociology]