Tuesday 24 April 2012

Do you have any civil war connections?

Do you have any ancestral connections to the Irish Civil War? If so, you might be able to help Professor Gavin Foster to develop an oral history project called The Afterlife of Ireland's Civil War: Memories & Silences at Home and in Exile. He explains:

"I am looking for people in Ireland and among the Irish Diaspora with family connections to the Irish Civil War (1922-23) to be interviewed for an oral history on how families, communities, and later generations remember this important conflict.

"If you had family (perhaps a grandparent) involved in the conflict on either side, I would be very interested in meeting you. What was the impact of the civil war on your family? How is it remembered? Have any stories been passed down? In Ireland, I am especially interested in civil war memories in and about Counties Kerry, Cork, Clare, and Limerick, among other places.

"Beyond Ireland, I am eager to interview Irish-Americans and Irish-Canadians related to IRA veterans who emigrated in the aftermath of the conflict.

"Interviews will be recorded to audio or video or written down, according to your wishes. You will be given a copy of the interview recording. The project has been approved by Concordia University's Human Research Ethics Committee, and all interviewees will be informed in advance about conditions and options of participation."

For more information please contact: Professor Gavin Foster, School of Canadian Irish Studies, Concordia University, 1455 de Maisonneuve W., H-1001, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3G 1M8; tel. 514 848-2424 x 5117; email: gfoster@alcor.concordia.ca