– plus public appeal to identify young woman
The War of Independence on RTÉ.ie/History commemorates the centenaries of key events that followed the Easter Rising in Ireland in 1916.
The site will offer accounts and explainers of crucial events, from the formation of the First Dáil and the Soloheadbeg ambush, to Bloody Sunday and the Burning of Cork and up to the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in December 1921, accompanied by image galleries and interactive maps.
The stories are thoroughly illustrated with images from the archives of the National Library of Ireland, Kilmainham Gaol/OPW, the National Museum of Ireland and RTÉ, among other sources.
While most of the photographs capture well-known people and places, the identity of the young woman in this photograph attached from the National Library of Ireland is still unknown.
Any member of the public who can identify her should contact RTÉ through info@rte.ie.
This project is produced by a partnership between RTÉ, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, University College Cork and The Atlas of the Irish Revolution, edited by John Crowley, Donal Ó Drisceoil, Mike Murphy and John Borgonovo, and published by the Cork University Press.
Josepha Madigan, TD, the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, notes that publication of the site is timely in both marking the centenaries of the significant historical events and providing on-line access to very high quality educational content at a time when other outlets are not fully accessible and so many people based at home.
The Minister added, “I am delighted to see the fruition of this project, building on the great success of The Atlas of the Irish Revolution and I have no doubt the site will be an excellent resource for the very many who have a deep interest in the events of this period.
“I am very pleased that my Department was in a position to financially support the development of the project under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023. It is a great example of what can be achieved through collaboration and partnership invested with creativity, credibility and experience.”
John Crowley, University College Cork said; “Focusing on key events in the struggle for Irish independence, this exciting new collaborative project will add significant layers of information and insight to our understanding of this pivotal period in Irish history.”
Head of RTÉ.ie, Neil Leyden said: “Following on from our highly successful 1916 section, The War of Independence project is a unique opportunity for us to explore the important events that led to the birth of the Irish state, especially now during these centenary years.
“By collaborating with UCC’s highly regarded Atlas of the Irish Revolution and as a compendium to the Cork-commissioned RTÉ series of the same name, we are able to offer an in-depth and interactive exploration of the key dates, events and themes that defined the period – and defined us as a nation.
“This has all been made possible through the support of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. It has also allowed us to create a dedicated RTÉ History section – www.rte.ie/history – which brings together all our historical content from across TV, radio, online and the archives into one place.”
