Always in the Human Consciousness: Exploring the Memory of Ireland’s Revolutionary Period

Tomás Mac Conmara

FREE event – registration required

Thursday 1 December 2022

Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland

Society House, 63 Merrion Square, Dublin

Tomás Mac Conmara has been recording memories of the Irish revolutionary period across Ireland since he was a teenager.  His work has focused on the human experience of the War of Independence and Civil War and how this was carried in the memory of some of Ireland’s oldest citizens.  This lecture will explore that memory and its meaning for us, a century on from the end of the Civil War, with unique audio samples from those who experienced the period and who deeply felt its legacy.

Tomás Mac Conmara is an oral historian and author from County Clare.  In 2016, he was commended by President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins, as one of seven recipients who have made outstanding contributions to culture over the last 100 years for a Comhaltas Forógra na Cásca Centenary Award.  He has published six books including his 20-year collection work: The Time of the Tans and in 2021, The Scariff Martyrs, War, Murder and Memory in East Clare.  Tomás runs a heritage consultancy, leading cultural projects for national clients like the Defence Forces, Dublin Port, An Garda Síóchána, Waterways Ireland, and several local authorities.  He is also employed by UCC, as Manager of the Cork Folklore Project.  He is a regular contributor to The TODAY SHOW on RTE on historical and cultural matters.