Mayo 1916 and its Legacy
Mayo is the birth place of two key figures who took part in the Rising: Major John MacBride of Westport who was second in command in the Jacob’s Garrison and who was executed for his part in the 1916 Rising, and Dr. Kathleen Lynn of Mullafarry, the Chief Medical Officer in the Irish Citizen Army who was stationed at the City Hall Garrison during the fighting. Mayo also has links to PH Pearse, Roger Casement and Éamon de Valera, all of whom studied Irish in Toormakeady.
The Jackie Clarke Collection
Mayo County Council holds the largest collection of artefacts relating to the Rising outside Dublin at the Clarke Collection in Ballina, which opened in 2013. Jackie Clarke (1927 – 2000) was a Ballina businessman and an accomplished collector of Irish material. In 2005, his widow, Mrs. Anne Clarke, in accordance with her late husband’s wishes, gifted his collection to Mayo County Council, on condition that it remain permanently in Ballina. It is now available publicly, for the people of Ballina, Mayo and Ireland, at the former Provincial Bank building – www.clarkecollection.ie
For 2016 there will be a designated 1916 tour of the building with items never seen previously. The tour will focus on the rare and unique items in the collection. Items from the 7 signatories relating to PH Pearse, Thomas Clarke, Eamonn Ceannt, Thomas MacDonagh, Sean MacDiarmada, Joseph Plunkett and James Connolly will be on display and also items relating to Roger Casement.
Included are manuscripts, unpublished poems, rare and previously unknown items, flags, photographs, first– hand accounts, manuscripts, pamphlets, hand-bills, over 350 newspapers relating to the Rising (including one with its censorship sticker on it) government enquiries, first-hand accounts, letters, posters and proclamations (including the 1916 proclamation and the rarer 1917 Proclamation).
The collection also has the Le Roux papers: Louis N Le Roux, a Breton national, was the first biographer of PH Pearse and Tom Clarke. Among the papers is an unpublished manuscript on Seán MacDiarmada and letters from contemporaries and his family collected by Le Roux in the 1920s and 1930s. The library also contains many volumes relating to the Rising in the Irish language.
As a result of the Jackie Clarke Collection’s national significance in relation to the 1916 Easter Rising, a special artist in residence programme will be run in 2016. Mayo County Council Arts Office and the Library Service together with The Jackie Clarke Collection made an open call to artists of all disciplines. The aim of the residency is to enable the artist time to develop new work and dedicate time to research and development of new ideas in response to the events of the 1916 Easter Rising by working with the Jackie Clarke Collection.
Arts and Culture Projects in Mayo
Local people can become involved throughout the process by creative consultation, interviews and collaborations on research and workshops. The residency will be in place for a six-month period and should culminate in a publicly accessible artwork relating to the 1916 Easter Rising and the Jackie Clarke Collection.
Among other significant 2016 projects in Mayo is Collaborative – a collaboration of five County Mayo arts venues to create exhibitions in response to Dr. Kathleen Lynn and her role in the 1916 rising.
As part of the process artists will take a tour of sites relating to Kathleen’s childhood in Mullafarry, Co Mayo, visiting still extant sites relating to her early years as the daughter of a Church of Ireland Rector, including the ruins of her home, the church and school. Artists will be asked to respond having visited these sites and immersing themselves in the documents, images and surviving objects that tell the story of this remarkable woman.
At Custom House Studios in Westport there will be an exhibition in response to Major John MacBride, who was executed for his role in the Rising. MacBride was from Westport Quay, and figured in WB Yeats’ poem Easter 1916.
At Ballinglen Arts Foundation, artist Mick O’Dea RHA will show an exhibition of paintings on the 1916 era, The Foggy Dew. The exhibition will tour to Ballina Civic Offices exhibition spaces in partnership with Mayo County Council and Ballina Arts Centre.
Engaging Our Community
The Government’s programme for Commemorating the Rising contains a major emphasis on community engagement. The Council has worked with many organisations throughout the County to encourage them to carry out events at local level to commemorate the Rising. The highlight of the commemoration programme will be a Military Parade combined with a family fun day which is scheduled to take place on Sunday 1st May 2016. It is hoped that by the end of 2016 everybody in Mayo whether young or old will have a greater knowledge and understanding of the importance of the 1916 Easter Rising.
Mayo County Council’s programme is fully inclusive and embraces the cultural, educational, historical, heritage and community life of the County as it is in 2016, reflecting back on a pivotal time 100 years previously.
Maigh Eo 1916 agus a Oidhreacht
Rugadh beirt dhaoine tábhachtacha a ghlac páirt san Éirí Amach i Maigh Eo: an Major John MacBride ó Chathair na Mart a bhí ina leascheannasaí ar Gharastún Jacob agus a cuireadh chun báis mar gheall ar an bpáirt a bhí aige in Éirí Amach 1916, agus an Dr Kathleen Lynn ó Mhullach Faraidh, an Príomhoifigeach Leighis in Arm Cathartha na hÉireann agus a d’oibrigh ag Garastún Halla na Cathrach i rith na troda. Anuas air sin, bhí ceangail ag Maigh Eo, chomh maith, le PH Mac Piarais, Roger Casement agus Éamon de Valera, a ndearna gach duine díobh staidéar ar an nGaeilge i dTuar Mhic Éadaigh.
Bailiúchán Jackie Clarke
Tá an bailiúchán is mó d’iarsmaí a bhaineann leis an Éirí Amach lasmuigh de Bhaile Átha Cliath ag Comhairle Contae Mhaigh Eo, i mBailiúchán Clarke i mBéal an Átha, a osclaíodh in 2013. Fear gnó agus bailitheoir saoithiúil d’ábhar Éireannach a bhí in Jackie Clarke (1927-2000). In 2005 thug a bhaintreach, Anne Clarke, i gcomhréir le mianta a fir chéile, a bhailiúchán do Chomhairle Contae Mhaigh Eo ar an gcoinníoll go bhfanfadh sé i mBéal an Átha go deo. Tá sé ar fáil anois go poiblí do mhuintir Bhéal an Átha, Mhaigh Eo agus na hÉireann, ag iarfhoirgneamh an Bhainc Thuaithe – www.clarkecollection.ie
Don bhliain 2016, beidh turas sainithe 1916 thart ar an bhfoirgneamh ar siúl ina mbeidh earraí nach bhfacthas riamh roimhe seo. Díreoidh an turas seo ar na hearraí annamha agus uathúla atá sa bhailiúchán. Earraí ón seachtar sínitheoirí a bhaineann le PH Mac Piarais, Thomas Clarke, Éamonn Ceannt, Tomás Mac Donnchadha, Seán Mac Diarmada, Joseph Plunkett agus James Connolly, chomh maith le nithe a bhaineann le Roger Casement.Ina measc, tá lámhscríbhinní, dánta nár foilsíodh, earraí annamha agus nach rabhthas ar an eolas orthu roimhe seo, bratacha, grianghraif, cuntais ó thaithí phearsanta, lámhscríbhinní, bileoga, billí láimhe, os cionn 350 nuachtán a bhaineann leis an Éirí Amach (ceann amháin lena ghreamán cinsireachta greamaithe de), fiosrúcháin rialtais, litreacha, póstaeir agus forógraí (Forógra 1916 agus Forógra níos annaimhe 1917).
Chomh maith leis sin, tá sa bhailiúcháin páipéir Le Roux: Ba é Louis N Le Roux, náisiúnach Briotánach, an chéad bheathaisnéisí de chuid PH Mhic Piarais agus Tom Clarke. I measc na bpáipéar, tá lámhscríbhinn neamhfhoilsithe ar Sheán Mac Diarmada agus litreacha ó lucht a chomhaimsire agus óna theaghlach a bhailigh Le Roux sna 1920idí agus na 1930idí. Cuimsítear sa leabharlann, chomh maith, go leor imleabhar a bhaineann leis an Éirí Amach as Gaeilge.
Mar thoradh ar an tábhacht náisiúnta a bhaineann le Bailiúchán Jackie Clarke i dtaobh Éirí Amach na Cásca 1916, reáchtálfar clár speisialta ealaíontóra cónaithe in 2016. Rinne Oifig Ealaíon Chomhairle Contae Mhaigh Eo agus an tSeirbhís Leabharlainne mar aon le Bailiúchán Jackie Clarke, gairm oscailte ar ealaíontóirí de gach disciplín. Is é cuspóir na cónaitheachta a chur ar chumas an ealaíontóra an t-am a chaitheamh chun saothar nua a fhorbairt agus chun am a chaitheamh le taighde agus forbairt a dhéanamh ar smaointe nua mar fhreagairt ar imeachtaí Éirí Amach na Cásca 1916 trí oibriú le Bailiúchán Jackie Clarke.
Tionscadail Ealaíon agus Chultúir i Maigh Eo
Féadfaidh daoine áitiúla páirt a ghlacadh ar fud an phróisis trí chomhairliúchán cruthaitheach, agallaimh agus comhoibriú ar thaighde agus ceardlanna. Mairfidh an chónaitheacht sé mhí agus ba cheart go gcruthófar saothar ealaíne atá inrochtana don phobal agus a bhaineann le hÉirí Amach na Cásca 1916 agus le Bailiúchán Jackie Clarke mar thoradh uirthi.
I measc tionscadail eile thábhachtacha 2016 i Maigh Eo, tá Collaborative – cúig ionad ealaíon i gContae Mhaigh Eo ag oibriú as lámha a chéile chun taispeántais a chruthú mar fhreagairt ar an Dr Kathleen Lynn agus an ról a bhí aici in Éirí Amach 1916.
Mar chuid den phróiseas, rachaidh ealaíontóirí ar turas timpeall na háiteanna a bhaineann le hóige Kathleen i Mullach Faraidh, Contae Mhaigh Eo, agus cuairt á tabhairt ar láithreacha atá fós ann a bhaineann lena blianta luatha agus í ina hiníon le Reachtaire Eaglais na hÉireann, agus fothracha a tí, an séipéal agus scoil ina measc. Iarrfar ar ealaíontóirí freagairt dó seo, tar éis cuairt a thabhairt ar an háiteanna seo agus grinnstaidéar a dhéanamh ar na cáipéisí, na híomhánna agus na hearraí atá fós againn inniu a insíonn scéal na mná ar leith seo.
Beidh taispeántas ar siúl i Stiúideonna Custom House i gCathair na Mart mar fhreagairt don Major John McBride, a cuireadh chun báis mar gheall ar an bpáirt a bhí aige san Éirí Amach. Ó Ché Chathair na Mart ba ea MacBride, agus bhí sé faoi chaibidil i ndán le WB Yeats, Easter 1916.
Ag Fondúireacht Ealaíon Bhaile an Ghleanna, cuirfidh an t-ealaíontóir, Mick O’Dea, RHA, taispeántas de phéintéireacht ar siúl ar ré 1916, The Foggy Dew. Rachaidh an taispeántas ar camchuairt go dtí spásanna taispeántais Oifigí Cathartha Bhéal an Átha i gcomhpháirtíocht le Comhairle Contae Mhaigh Eo agus Ionad Ealaíon Bhéal an Átha.
An Pobal a Mhealladh chun Rannpháirtíochta
Cuimsítear i gclár an Rialtais chun an tÉirí Amach a Chomóradh béim mhór ar rannpháirtíocht an phobail. D’oibrigh an Chomhairle le go leor eagraíochtaí ar fud an Chontae chun iad a spreagadh le tabhairt faoi imeachtaí ar leibhéal áitiúil chun an tÉirí Amach a chomóradh. Mórshiúl Míleata a bheidh i gceist le buaicphointe an chláir chomórtha, mar aon le lá spraoi don teaghlach, atá le bheith ar siúl Dé Domhnaigh, an 1 Bealtaine 2016. Táthar ag súil leis, faoi dheireadh 2016, go mbeidh níos mó eolais agus tuiscint níos fearr ag gach duine i Maigh Eo, idir óg agus aosta, ar an tábhacht a bhaineann le hÉirí Amach 1916.
Tá clár Chomhairle Contae Mhaigh Eo go hiomlán cuimsitheach agus cothaíonn sé beatha chultúrtha, stairiúil, oidhreachta agus pobail an Chontae faoi mar atá sí in 2016 agus machnamh á dhéanamh ar thréimhse chinniúnach 100 bliain ó shin.