Decade of Commemorations
Kildare County Council's, Kildare Decade of Commemorations Committee supported, promoted and organised over 260 projects, including lectures, exhibitions, publications, and seminars, as well as hundreds of talks to children at primary and secondary level, essay and poetry competitions, Proclamation Day ceremonies, plays, and musical performances. It was our intention, not merely to commemorate historic events, but to understand, debate and embrace them; to create a lasting legacy for future generations as only we could, and to celebrate the legacy left to us, with dignity and pride, with thought and creativity.
Some of the diverse range of events were:
1916 Sackville Street Project - an exhibition of houses in 3D form, created by members of the public and artists, commemorating the lives of each civilian that was killed in the 1916 Rising. This project won the Sustaining the Arts, Chambers Ireland, Excellence in Local Government Award, 2016.
John Devoy Statue - A statue to the patriot John Devoy, 'the Greatest of the Fenians,' was unveiled at Poplar Square, Naas, on 25 October 2015, by the Mayor of Co. Kildare and the American Ambassador. It was the first of our flagship commemorative projects of the 1916 programme and was funded mainly by the Kildare Association of New York. A short film about John Devoy was also produced and shown in various venues in Co. Kildare, and published on DVD. The statue featured in the RTE series, Every County Has a Story! A reprint of 'The Greatest of the Fenians - John Devoy', first issued by the John Devoy Memorial Committee in 1964, was published in 2009 and is available via the link below, entitled 'A Forgotten Hero - John Devoy'.
The Road to Rebellion A series of 5 concerts around the county with Kildare Tenor, Philip Scott singing the songs of the Rising, which were recorded to CD.
A Schools Resource Pack was distributed to every school in County Kildare.
Éamonn O’Modhráin: A Revolutionary Journey Exhibition - Discovered by chance inside a large metal container by family member Robert Doyle, Athgarvan, while clearing out an attic, the O’Modhráin family’s documents and personal effects were displayed in this exhibition that gave a unique insight into Irish nationalism at a local level. The exhibition travelled around the library network throughout the year.
Maynooth 1916 Centenary Walk - On 23 April, the walk of the 15 men who left Maynooth for the G.P.O. at Easter 1916, was re-enacted when members of the public walked to Dublin along the Royal Canal following the route undertaken by the Volunteers. At the Garden of Remebrance, Parnell St., the marchers were greeted by the Lord Mayor of Dublin.
A Year in the Making contains the highlights of the year's commemorations in Co. Kildare and can be downloaded below.