August 2018

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Beyond the Trenches is an online resource reflecting a variety of perspectives on arts and humanities research into the First World War.

New posts are published every Tuesday and Thursday.

Click here to visit the website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Chairman of the Leisure & Community Wellbeing Committee Alderman Paul Porter cordially invites you to THE IRISH LINEN CENTRE & LISBURN MUSEUM on Tuesday 9 October 2018 at 7.30pm to view two new exhibitions

• Shuttle & Shafts, showcasing damask designs on glass plates from William Liddell & Co Ltd.
• Linen Lace Concrete, a display of contemporary linen lace concrete surfaces.

RSVP:
by Monday 8 October 2018
to Reception
ilc.reception@lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk
Tel: 028 92 663377
REFRESHMENTS | ADMIT TWO
IRISH LINEN CENTRE & LISBURN MUSEUM, MARKET SQUARE, LISBURN, BT28 1AG

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Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is gearing up to launch an activity-filled public engagement project relating to the ‘Ballykinlar History Hut’, with a special Roadshow and Launch at Down County Museum between 11am and 4pm on Saturday 29^th September. A project supported by the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) a 60ft by 20ft Armstrong Hut will be recreated in every detail in the Museum in the autumn of 2019. Prior to that the Centre for Data Digitisation and Analysis at Queen’s University has been appointed by the Council to involve the local community and record stories about individuals who occupied Ballykinlar Camp during the period 1899-1950, focusing especially on the years 1914-21, now being commemorated as part of the Decade of Centenaries.

The free entry ‘Ballykinlar History Hut’ Roadshow will be a great opportunity for families to explore history, with the chance to handle historic objects and artefacts, and listen to stories about them; also to dress up and have a photograph taken using green-screen technology to transport you back in time, creating a high quality souvenir photo to keep. As well as getting involved in craft activities, visitors will be able to see how cutting-edge 3D and virtual reality technologies are generated, and will be able to try out a 3D walkthrough experience.

Between 1pm and 2pm there will be light refreshments, and at 2pm the Chairman of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Mark Murnin, will officially launch the project, followed by three 20 minute talks about different aspects of the project for those who wish to learn more. The project coordinators are looking for stories relating to soldiers, internees and refugees in particular, who are known to have been in the Camp in the first half of the 20^th century, and hope to make new connections on the day.

The project coordinators are also encouraging people to sign up on the day to join in the project and participate in a whole range of free activities and trips, which will take place between November 2018 and June 2019. These will include visits to Ballykinlar Camp, the Somme Centre, Cavan County Museum, the Curragh and Kilmainham Gaol. It will be possible to get more information and sign up to join in at the Roadshow on 29^th September.

Chairman of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Mark Murnin, explained: ‘The strong community engagement programme to be delivered by our project partners at Queen’s University Belfast, Centre for Data Digitisation and Analysis & Living Legacies 1914-18, Public Engagement Centre, will be key to providing opportunities for sustained, meaningful and purposeful connections between individuals and groups of different backgrounds, on a cross border basis. The activities planned for the participants at the Roadshow and during the coming months are going to be an exciting experience, and who knows what incredible human stories will be unlocked by the ‘History Hut’ project.’

Match-funding for this project has been provided by The Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department for Rural and Community Development in Ireland. 

Enquiries should be forwarded to the Press Office

Telephone: 028 3031 3095/028 4461 0841 

Email: regina.mackin@newryandmourne.gov.uk or marketing@downdc.gov.uk 

A project supported by the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) 

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This August, a number of A Level students from secondary schools across Belfast participated in a unique series of creative writing workshops led by Living Legacies Project Officer, Michelle Young which culminated in a presentation of original work at the Eastside Arts Festival.

The Poetry Slam event, which was held at Campbell College on Friday 3rd August, saw students read and perform a selection of their own poems, written in response to the stories of pupils from the College who lost their lives during WW1. The event was staged as part of the College’s Men Behind the Glass initiative – a major restoration and education heritage project which is supported by HLF funding and involves a cross section of schools and communities throughout East Belfast.

The A Level students, from Lagan College, Strathearn School and Campbell College, came together on Monday 30th July to learn about the history of Campbell College and the stories of the men whose images line the walls of the College’s Central Hall. Throughout the week, in a series of creative workshops, they were guided through the writing of poetic responses to the lives of these men as classmates at Campbell College and as comrades in the Great War. The students’ work referenced the heritage of WW1 in the school and reflected some of the individual stories of men such as former Head Boy, Reginald Whiteside who was shot down by the Red Baron at the age of 20. At the end of the week, the students were prepared for the presentation of their work in an intense vocal and performance technique workshop before performing their poetry in front of an appreciative audience in what was a moving and inspiring evening.

The video above shows some students performing at the Eastside Arts Festival Poetry Slam.

Testimonials

Leah Fleming from Strathearn School said, ' I wasn’t sure what to expect but I enjoyed it so much and learnt a lot from it.'

Molly Longstaff from Strathearn School said, 'Thank you very much again for an amazing week which I thoroughly enjoyed'

Ross Taylor from Campbell College said, 'Thank you so much for this unique experience, I really enjoyed last week and the activities you put together for us really helped me to get into the mindset for writing those poems. I couldn’t have imagined at the start that I would be able to write and perform three poems, especially in less than a week’s time! '

For more information click here.

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A fantastic morning sharing stories and discussing archives at our first Archive Open Morning For European Heritage Open Days (#ehodni).  Our A Level History boys did the College proud As they hosted tours for over 300 visitors.  Thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund (NI) and our Partner PRONI and to all our exhibitors History Hub Ulster, The Somme Association & Somme Museum, Military History Association of Ireland, North Down Museum, Living Legacies 1914-18, Turas, the College CCF and The Old Campbellian Society.  Thanks also to Kilkenny College for making the trip to join us!  Some interesting historical connections made And more stories from the day to follow.

 

 

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‌Coinciding with the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, the Womens Work 100 programme, led by the Imperial War Museum, explores the breadth of women’s roles – from factories and hospitals to homes and churches, representing their political activism, front-line service and home front experiences, against the backdrop of the suffrage movement and greater prominence of women in public life.

On Friday 17 August, Living Legacies, in partnership with National Museums NI, held a seminar in collaboration with the Imperial War Museum providing an Irish perspective on the role women played locally and the contribution they made across Ireland to the war effort and the struggle for equality. Kathryn Thompson, Chief Executive of NMNI introduced the day with the opening talk by Dr Myrtle Hill, former Director of the Centre for Women’s Studies at Queens University Belfast, who presented an overview of the period highlighting the suffrage movement in Ireland. Dr Fionnuala Walsh, lecturer in History at UCD spoke about the impact of the war on women’s employment opportunities and the effect the armistice had on working women.‌

Our final speaker was Katie Childs from the Imperial War Museum who spoke about the Womens Work 100 programme and introduced one of the IWM archive films about Nurses in WWI. Our thanks to all of the speakers for an informative and engaging event.

Women Making Shells in Britain, c. 1918. Taken from Women and the War (1918, IWM 479).

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On Saturday 25th August, the Living Legacies team were present at the unveiling of the latest in a series of murals forming ‘The Poppy Trail’ in the Donegall Road area of South Belfast.  The Poppy Trail originated in 2014, as a collaborative effort between the Shared History Workshop, the Greater Village Regeneration Trust, the NI Housing Executive (Community Cohesion Unit) and the Living Legacies 1914-18 Engagement Centre.  The purpose of the trail is to commemorate the legacies of the First World War and the sacrifice of local men from South Belfast, from both sides of the community, whilst also acting as a solution to a rising problem of racist and sectarian graffiti on the walls of the Donegall Road area. Five murals, each representing a year of the 1914-1918 conflict, have been commissioned and displayed along the Donegall Road.  Living Legacies’ Professor Richard Grayson (Goldsmiths, University of London) advised and worked closely with the Shared History Workshop group in researching and delivering the historical narratives featured in the Poppy Trail murals – which include commemorations to the HMS Hawke (1914), Kitchener’s ‘Your Country Needs You’ (1914), The Gallipoli Campaign (1915), the 36th Ulster Division (1916) and The Home Front/Women’s Munitions (1917). 

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Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is gearing up to launch an activity-filled public engagement project relating to the ‘Ballykinlar History Hut’, with a special Roadshow and Launch at Down County Museum between 11am and 4pm on Saturday 29^th September. A project supported by the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) a 60ft by 20ft Armstrong Hut will be recreated in every detail in the Museum in the autumn of 2019. Prior to that the Centre for Data Digitisation and Analysis at Queen’s University has been appointed by the Council to involve the local community and record stories about individuals who occupied Ballykinlar Camp during the period 1899-1950, focusing especially on the years 1914-21, now being commemorated as part of the Decade of Centenaries.

The free entry ‘Ballykinlar History Hut’ Roadshow will be a great opportunity for families to explore history, with the chance to handle historic objects and artefacts, and listen to stories about them; also to dress up and have a photograph taken using green-screen technology to transport you back in time, creating a high quality souvenir photo to keep. As well as getting involved in craft activities, visitors will be able to see how cutting-edge 3D and virtual reality technologies are generated, and will be able to try out a 3D walkthrough experience.

Between 1pm and 2pm there will be light refreshments, and at 2pm the Chairman of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Mark Murnin, will officially launch the project, followed by three 20 minute talks about different aspects of the project for those who wish to learn more. The project coordinators are looking for stories relating to soldiers, internees and refugees in particular, who are known to have been in the Camp in the first half of the 20^th century, and hope to make new connections on the day.

The project coordinators are also encouraging people to sign up on the day to join in the project and participate in a whole range of free activities and trips, which will take place between November 2018 and June 2019. These will include visits to Ballykinlar Camp, the Somme Centre, Cavan County Museum, the Curragh and Kilmainham Gaol. It will be possible to get more information and sign up to join in at the Roadshow on 29^th September.‌

Chairman of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Mark Murnin, explained: ‘The strong community engagement programme to be delivered by our project partners at Queen’s University Belfast, Centre for Data Digitisation and Analysis & Living Legacies 1914-18, Public Engagement Centre, will be key to providing opportunities for sustained, meaningful and purposeful connections between individuals and groups of different backgrounds, on a cross border basis. The activities planned for the participants at the Roadshow and during the coming months are going to be an exciting experience, and who knows what incredible human stories will be unlocked by the ‘History Hut’ project.’

Match-funding for this project has been provided by The Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department for Rural and Community Development in Ireland. 

Enquiries should be forwarded to the Press Office

Telephone: 028 3031 3095/028 4461 0841 

Email: regina.mackin@newryandmourne.gov.uk or marketing@downdc.gov.uk 

A project supported by the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) 

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Book - Dublin's Great Wars - The First World War, the Easter Rising and the Irish Revolution By Richard S. Grayson For the first time, Richard S. Grayson tells the story of the Dubliners who served in the British military and in republican forces during the First World War and the Irish Revolution as a series of interconnected 'Great Wars'. He charts the full scope of Dubliners' military service, far beyond the well-known Dublin 'Pals', with at least 35,000 serving and over 6,500 dead, from the Irish Sea to the Middle East and beyond. Linking two conflicts usually narrated as separate stories, he shows how Irish nationalist support for Britain going to war in 1914 can only be understood in the context of the political fight for Home Rule and why so many Dubliners were hostile to the Easter Rising. He examines Dublin loyalism and how the War of Independence and the Civil War would be shaped by the militarisation of Irish society and the earlier experiences of veterans of the British army. Click here to buy the book.

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