04.02.2016
Hidden Pages of the Rising Brings Large Audience to St George and St Thomas’s Church, Dublin
The intimate setting of the parish church of St George & St Thomas’s in Dublin provided the perfect space for the “Hidden Pages from the 1916 Rising” seminar at which five presentations on little known archival sources were delivered by the archival curators responsible for them on Tuesday eventing (February 2).
After words of welcome from the rector, the Revd Obinna Ulogwara, there were introductions from Dr Raymond Refaussé, chair of the Irish Society for Archives which co–hosted the event with An Post, and Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent of The Irish Times who chaired the seminar.
The fascinated audience, who filled the church, listened first to Colum O’Riordan from the Irish Architectural Archive gave a visual presentation of some ‘Architectural Legacies of 1916’. He was followed by Ellen Murphy from Dublin City Library & Archive who brought to life ‘Reactions to the Easter Rising in the Monica Roberts Collection’ as vividly portrayed in Monica’s diaries – now located in that repository. Moving beyond Dublin, Gráinne Doran, Wexford County Archivist, outlined the experiences of several families involved in the provincial Rising – emphasising that Dublin was not the only arena for events during Easter Week 1916.
Then, dressed in a uniform typical of those worn by volunteers of the St John’s Ambulance Brigade at the time, and referring to the archives of that voluntary organisation, Pádraig Allen, Honorary Archivist, brought to life the medical emergency response to the situation. The final talk was delivered by Stephen Ferguson, Assistant Secretary in An Post, who vividly described what happened to the staff of the GPO during Easter Week. Unlike today, the GPO remained open over the weekend, as it was the main communications centre for the country and there were staff on duty for the duration of rebellion events.
The excellent talks were complimented by a range of frank, good–humoured and illuminated responses from the large and appreciative audience made up of a wide–ranging and interested public – demonstrating the yearning there is for dialogue on important historical events.
Dr Susan Hood from the Representative Church Body Library, who co–ordinated the event, acknowledged the generous support provided by An Post which made the multi–speaker event possible and thanked the rector and parish of St George and St Thomas for making available their beautiful church. Commenting on how positive it had been to work together with all the speakers and interest groups, she said: “when small organisations pull together and collaborate, it widens the audience and deepens the public reach”.
Photo captions:
Top – right to left: The Revd Obinna Ulogwara, Stephen Ferguson, Assistant Secretary An Post, Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent of The Irish Times (who chaired the seminar), Pádraig Allen, Honorary Archivist of the St John’s Ambulance Brigade, Colum O’Riordan General Manager, the Irish Architectural Archive, Ellen Murphy, Senior Archivist, Dublin City Library & Archive and Gráinne Doran, Wexford County Archivist.
Bottom – Audience at hidden pages – There was a full house at St George and St Thomas’s Church for the Hidden Pages of the Rising seminar.