The Speaker William Conolly Summer School - Exploring Irish Identity, Diversity, and Reconciliation - has been developed by The Irish Military Heritage Foundation CLG in association with Castletown House and Parklands.
It has been made possible with support from the Department of Culture, Heritage and The Gaeltacht and Kildare County Council. The inaugural Summer School was originally scheduled to take place at Castletown House, Celbridge, Co Kildare on 3 September 2020 but due to ongoing Covid 19 restrictions this did not prove possible.
It is planned that when life returns to normal in 2021 and beyond the Summer School will become an annual not for profit event with Castletown House providing an independent neutral venue within whose precincts the complex issues associated with Irish identity in all its manifestations can be discussed in a safe and secure environment.
It is further envisaged that the deliberations of the Summer School will assist and inform strategic decision makers enabling them to make informed, balanced and appropriate assessments and convert same into coherent policy. This will be assisted by follow-up academic events at Castletown House, Celbridge and Queen’s University, Belfast. A North-South Schools Education Project will be developed and a dedicated website will support these initiatives providing an accessible repository for all lectures, conversations, papers, and publications.
However, for 2020 the Speaker Conolly Summer School has been adapted and recorded, and is now presented virtually online. Professor Brian Walker, Professor Emeritus of Irish Studies at Queens University and Chairman of the Arts Council in Northern Ireland chairs the Summer School.
He is joined by former Senator Ian Marshall and the current Fianna Fail TD, Éamon Ó Cuív.
Supporting commentary is provided by Wesley Bourke, Brendan O’Shea & Sandra Murphy.
Exploring Irish Identify Diversity, and Reconciliation
Sunset on Giants Causeway, Antrim, Northern Ireland. Credit: Antommfoto
The island of Ireland on the west coast of Europe is home to over 6 million people who are steeped in history. Impressive UNESCO world heritage sites are located there with Newgrange, which in fact is older than the Pyramids of Giza, being one of the most notable. Globally, the St. Patrick’s Day Festival has unique recognition as does the world-famous beverage brand leader ‘Guinness’. Ireland has also created cultural spectaculars such as Riverdance and has a vibrant film industry which in recent times has produced the Hollywood blockbusters Saving Private Ryan, Braveheart, and Star Wars, and the iconic international TV series Vikings and Game of Thrones.
Modern Ireland has transformed itself from the historic “Land of Saints and Scholars” into a multi-dimensional, multi-ethnic, key member of both the European Union and the United Nations. Providing a secure and stable home for foreign direct investment Ireland has also become increasingly attractive to international investors and highly qualified professionals. This has resulted in an influx of people from all over the world which in turn has created a cultural and economic melting-pot where all identities, religions, and orientations are accepted and valued - and then forged together to create a new understanding of what it actually means to be Irish.
When this is combined with an Irish Diaspora of over 70 million people worldwide it quickly emerges that modern Ireland has a unique potential to lead and influence policy throughout our increasingly globalised world.
However, and in spite of all that unites the people who inhabit this island and beyond, Ireland today remains geographically and politically divided with the potential for increased complexity in the post Brexit era. For many people this confuses what it means to be ‘Irish’ as our democratic, liberal, multi-ethnic society grapples with the issues presented by one island physically divided between the 26 counties of the Irish Republic in the South and the remaining six counties of Northern Ireland constituting a core component of the United Kingdom.
It has also frequently reduced understanding of identity to little more than selection of a category from a menu of tribal options which include Irish, British, Catholic, Protestant, Nationalist, Republican, Loyalist, Unionist, Anglo-Irish, Ulster Scots, any combination thereof - or indeed none of the above at all. This is compounded within the diaspora where many identify as ‘Irish-American’ or an ‘Australian of Irish Descent’ to name but two possibilities.
All of these groups and sub-groups have their own culture and heritage with corresponding definitions of identity often rooted in centuries of perceived historical injustice then spilling over into conflict and violence. Thankfully, since 1998 The Good Friday Agreement has provided a platform for peaceful co-existence, economic regeneration, and a willingness to begin the journey towards an examination and appreciation of our shared identity – and what that actually means.
In the interim great strides have been made and a period of unprecedented peaceful cooperation has prevailed on the island. Nevertheless, much work remains to be done if long-term peace, security, and reconciliation is to be fully achieved. A key driver in that process will be greater appreciation of all that unites and all that divides the people of Ireland, as we strive to define what it is to be Irish in the 21st century.
Concept and Design
The Speaker William Conolly Summer School aims to explore, discuss and appreciate the complexity of Irish identity in all its manifestations and interpretations. It will focus in the first instance on facilitating discussion on the origins, history, and complexity of Irish identity.
Thereafter it will examine its diverse nature and seek to explore opportunities for reconciliation both on the Island of Ireland and further afield. The Summer School’s niche derives from the fact that this conversation has never been more relevant and important than it is today - and does not take place anywhere else.
The expected outcomes would include an understanding of the complexity of Irish identity; an appreciation of our shared history on this island and identification of several competing historical narratives; promotion of cultural and heritage diversity; identification of specific areas of co-operation; recognition of affiliation complexity; proposal of options for focused co-operation and reconciliation; and publication of all findings and deliberations.
All aspects of the Summer School will adopt a multimedia approach thus ensuring that a wide national and international audience can access the content easily on multiple platforms.
The Future
Due to the scope, scale and diversity of issues currently associated with history, identity, and culture on the island of Ireland it is clear that no singular event could possibly explore this complexity involved. Accordingly, it is envisaged that the William Conolly Summer School will be a long-term undertaking where numerous subjects will require detailed exploration and greater understanding leading in time to development of a roadmap to co-existence, co-operation and reconciliation.
Thereafter, and In the years ahead, the Summer School will broaden its scope and delve into other areas where common interest and identity can be found - art, cuisine, the diaspora, farming, folklore, the environment, Irish landscapes, language, music, the new Irish, and sport.
This iteration of the William Conolly Summer School in 20202 is just the first step on the journey.