It has been often said that in Ireland history is never forgotten as it is lived every day. And sometimes that history can be painful - and potentially problematic to revisit.

The years 2012-23 have been described as the Decade of Centenaries in Northern Ireland. This period commemorate events which 100 years ago shaped Ireland profoundly, including:

• 1912: the signing of the Ulster Covenant, a protest against Westminster's Third Home Rule Bill
• 1916: the battle of the Somme and Easter Rising
• 1919: the War of Independence
• 1921: the partition of Ireland
• 1922-23: the Civil War

It may seem strange to those without an Irish background, but the First World War falls into this category of ‘difficult heritage’. Nationalist memory of Irish engagement during the war was greatly suppressed and then obscured by the 1916 Rising. While for Unionists the Somme has become more than a battle - making up part of the core identity of Northern Ireland post partition.

Funding difficult heritage

This has been the background to much of the work that HLF has done in Northern Ireland over the last number of years: being prepared to fund heritage that was difficult and disputed. We have been conscious that we could be asked to fund projects which could create further division.  

[quote]“Many people had been concerned that the handling of commemorative events in 2016 could have been toxic. This did not happen, and I’d like to think that HLF has played an important role in this achievement.”[/quote]

I believe we have negotiated the first five years successfully. HLF has supported a number of projects which have shed light on a forgotten period of the past, from On the Brink, where local communities worked with their local museum to uncover their First World War stories to helping republican ex-prisoners explore their own area’s connection to the war. 

Many people had been concerned that the handling of commemorative events in 2016 could have been toxic and impacted negatively on community relations. This did not happen, and I’d like to think that HLF has played an important role in this achievement. 

Our approach

A key part of our approach to the Decade of Centenaries was the development of four key principles:

• start from the historical facts
• recognise the implications and consequences of what happened
• understand that different perceptions and interpretations exist
• show how events and activities can deepen understanding of this period

​The idea behind the principles was to push applicants to look wider than their own narrative of the past. This approach was subsequently picked up by many of Northern Ireland’s local authorities. This was critical to the success to date.

Learning from the past

Wanting to capture the learning from this period, last year I embarked on a PhD which will look critically at the approaches taken in the hope that others, not just in Northern Ireland, could learn from this work.  

[quote]“There is no single narrative about the past...and it is by complicating the past that people can be freed from simplistic notions about heritage which can be dangerous.”[/quote]

Northern Ireland, following the traumatic events of the ‘Troubles’ 1969-98, is often described as a post-conflict society, sitting alongside Columbia, South Africa, the former Yugoslavia and others. Other countries have been eager to learn about the Northern Ireland experience.  

No single narrative

But there is also a relevance across the UK, where there are many different groups and communities that have memories and histories that do not fall neatly into the box of standard ‘Britishness’. All our pasts are more complicated than we think. There is no single narrative about the past, it is much more complicated, and it is by complicating the past that people can be freed from simplistic notions about heritage which can be dangerous.

One thing that is clear is that we can all learn from the past in a way that helps us traverse the challenges that confront us. Northern Ireland is still a much-divided society, and while the guns may be silent there is constant reference to an ongoing cultural war between the communities. It is my contention that if we understand our past better many of the ways that the past is used to divide people can be overcome.  

I will be continuing to write about this topic, which has recently been covered by the Belfast Telegraph.

Please leave your thoughts in the comments below or in our Community thread.