Just as the Civil War is one of America’s primary reenactment events, Ireland’s largest reenactment gathering is commemorating the 1916 Rising. At 3,600 participants (most being spectators), the Irish Rising staging is more of a government parade aimed for commemoration than a hobby for enthusiastic historians (Richardson). Rather than being an artistical expression of history, it allows the country and its people to remember what is, to them, a tumultuous time in their history but a time that stood for Irish freedom and the great measures they took to regain their original identity.
The government Rising production not only serves as an outlet for reenactment, it memorializes specific sites that were crucial in the rising. For example, the Dublin General Post Office was the site where the Irish Republican Brotherhood marched to, to initiate their revolt. Thus, on the day of the reenactment, a wreath is laid infront of the post office and an Irish military officer recited the rebels’ 1916 Proclamation of Independence (Foley 10). This same type of event happens at Gettysburg when the Emancipation Proclamation is read out by an Abraham Lincoln reenactor. The difference between the two is what is highlighted in the situation. In Ireland, the words of the rebels and the document is emphasized while in America, the material look of the Lincoln reenactor himself is what the focus is (Akca Berk). Reenactment culture in Ireland is geared commemoration while the American counterpart is an industry for historical accuracy in form an exclusive club.
Like a typical Civil War reenactment, the picture above shows how people hold the uniform originality important as well as the acting out of the actual events. However, as most American reenactment venues feature normal people with a passion for history and very few spectators, in Dublin on Easter Sunday, both current and past military veterans dress in accurate replicas of a rebel uniform and many spectator citizens are reminded of what their countrymen did to fight for freedom 100 years ago. While most other country’s reenactment events are viewed by the outside as a weird cult gathering, the Easter Rising display is an event for the entire country with great significance and meaning to each and every citizen, young and old.
The video above shows how the Easter reenactment is an event with many spectators coming together to remember the original Rising and the beliefs it was fought over rather than the material appearance and interpretation of the men and action in modern society.
Connection to the Civil War
Irish Rising reenactors were initially shut down by citizens and the government, just like Civil War reenactors, as the act was seen as too controversial (Mulraney). As laws were passed allowing reenactment however, the resulting ‘art’ was different among the cultures. Though the purpose behind the reenactors is vastly different, they can relate based on their appreciation for history as well as the technology available to the people at the time. Irish Rising reenactors have much more substance behind them as they reenact to serve as national remembrence rather than reenacting for individual joy and commemoration. However different, both cultures pay homage to crucial time periods in their nation’s history.