Ómór project to honour Kilkenny’s turbulent past

A memorial that will pay respect to and honour all of those in Kilkenny who were affected by the tumultuous events of the early 20th Century fight for Irish independence is to be created.

The Ómós project is being stewarded by Kilkenny County Council and will involve the whole community in consultation for and creation of the memorial.

What form the memorial will take, and where it will be located, will all be decided as part of the process.

Regina Fitzpatrick, Heritage Officer with Kilkenny County Council, and Arts Officer Mary Butler, set out the project to local councillors recently.

There are memorials to individuals and events from those years scattered around the county, Ms Fitzpatrick said, but no central memorial in honour of everyone who played a part in, or was affected by, the independence movement.

It was decided to call this project Ómós, which means to pay respect, act in honour or consideration of others, Ms Fitzpatrick added.

This memorial will honour the diversity of experiences during that period and will keep the stories alive.

Ms Fitzpatrick said she has spoken to people who feel the burden of responsibility for keeping alive the stories of their parents’ and grandparents’ generation. These are the stories not just of people who wore uniforms, but people who ran safe-houses, children who lost parents, communities that were devastated.

During the Decade of Centenaries a huge amount of new resources came to light that broadened our understanding of that time, Ms Fitzpatrick said. We now have a much clearer understanding of that period of history. Whatever memorial comes from this process it will be an ‘entry’ into that trove of resources.

The Ómór project will encompass an educational element, for locals and visitors, community pride and will be of cultural and historical significance.

It will also have a role in reconciliation and healing. The Decades of Centenary were approached it in a mature way, as a community, and the Ómór project wants to continue that.

It was thought the best way to create the memorial would be through the Kilkenny County Council public art process.
Arts Officer, Mary Butler, said public art is an important part of historic and contemporary art, with local authorities one of its biggest commissioners.

The process is as important as the eventual outcome, she said, sometimes even more impactful, and the community will be at the core of this project.

There used to be a misconception that Kilkenny was quiet during the Rising and War of Independence years, Ms Fitzpatrick said, but after the Decade of Centenaries it was shown the county was very involved.

A committee has been formed to oversee the project, of both internal and external experts. Dr Siobhán Doyle and Dr Tomás Mac Conmara have been invited to take part. Dr Doyle is a historian and researcher at the National Museum of Ireland. Dr Mac Conmara is an oral historian, author and heritage consultant.

The next steps in the project will be to engage in consultation before coming up with a proposal and commissioning the memorial. The project is funded through the Percent for Art scheme.

There was a warm welcome from local councillors for the project.
Cllr Joe Lyons said it is important that period of history is marked.
“This will mean so much to so many people,” Cllr Joe Sheridan agreed.

Cllr Deirdre Cullen said she had been shocked to realise there was no stand-alone memorial “to the people who sacrificed so we could live and vote in a republic when we have lots of statues of hurlers!”
A history teacher, Cllr Cullen said one of the topics now taught for Junior Cert is the importance of memory and commemoration.

When Cllr Lyons asked if a memorial like this had been erected by any other local authority, Ms Fitzpatrick said statues or Peace Parks were opened in 1966.
Cllr Cullen said families didn’t want it; it has taken two or three generations for them to get over the pain and the hurt of the War of Independence and Civil War.

Cllr Cullen said the memorial needs to be central and accessible location.

Those who made sacrifices for what we have today are deserving of commemoration, Cllr Michael Doyle said.

Ms Fitzpatrick predicted the memorial will be pioneering. In the 60s the memorials were very literal. Now that we know more about the experience of those years, “it’s very difficult to have one, single visual representation of all of that. I hope it will capture the emotion and spirit of what happened.”
“We have moved on from raw emotion and now it’s time to contemplate,” Ms Butler added.