New book on 1916 Rising by GMIT's Dr Mark McCarthy

A new book titled Ireland’s 1916 Rising: Explorations of History-Making, Commemoration and Heritage in Modern Times, written by GMIT lecturer Dr Mark McCarthy, was launched in GMIT this week (Monday 10 December 2012) by Professor Gearóid Ó Tuaithaigh of NUI Galway.

The book is the culmination of years of fieldwork and archival research in Ireland and overseas by Dr McCarthy who is lecturer and programme chair in Heritage Studies in GMIT’s Galway campus. It breaks new ground by drawing together the interlocking dimensions of history-making, commemoration and heritage to reveal the 1916 Rising’s undeniable influence upon modern Ireland’s evolution, both instantaneous and long-term.

The 532 pages book, with 31 illustrations and one map, furnishes a history of the tumultuous events of Easter 1916. The book mainly concentrates on illuminating the evolving relationship between the Irish past and present. In doing so, it unearths the far-reaching political impacts and deep-seated cultural legacies of the actions taken by the rebels, as evidenced by the most pivotal episodes in the Rising’s commemoration and the myriad varieties of heritage associated with its memory.

In a topical and insightful conclusion, the book examines the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to the Garden of Remembrance and furnishes a commentary on the pathway to 2016.

Author and GMIT lecturer, Dr Mark McCarthy, says the book addresses questions not only of historical concern, but of contemporary political and cultural importance. “It looks to the Rising’s 100th anniversary by identifying the common ground that can be found in pluralist and reconciliatory approaches to remembrance’.”

Speaking at the launch of the book, Professor Gearóid Ó Tuaithaigh of NUI Galway, said: “When an individual monograph of a scholar in the Humanities makes its appearance, there is a collective endorsement of it because there is a close realisation of the work culture and values which inform it and which have gone into its making.”

Sample pages and details on how to order the book (which is available in hardback, ebook ePub and ebook PDF editions) are available to view online at: http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9781409436232