Dáil 100 exhibition to go on display in Kiskeam
THE important role played by the very first members of Dáil Éireann from the ‘Rebel County’ will be highlighted in a thought-provoking exhibition that will go on display in Kiskeam this month.
The ‘Dáil 100’ exhibition will go on display in the village as part of the annual Sean Moylan Commemoration event, which will take place on Sunday, November 17. The exhibition will run in Kiskeam for four days from the previous Thursday.
The village will be one of the first venues outside of the capital to host the exhibition, which offers a fascinating insight into a century of Irish Parliamentary democracy.
Part of a comprehensive programme of events designed to commemorate the first pubic sitting of the Dáil in 1919, it contains a selection of images charting the some of the most important moments in Irish history and explains how they shaped the modern Irish State.
The exhibition, which opened at Leinster house in January and has also been on display at Cork County Hall, is also aimed at educating the public about the role and importance of the Irish Parliament both from a national and international standpoint.
It is perhaps fitting that Cork should have been one of the first locations outside of Dublin to host ‘Dáil 100 given that nine of the first TD’s elected hailed from the Rebel County.
They were James Joseph
Walsh, Liam de Róiste, David Rice Kent, Terence J MacSwiney, Patrick O’Keeffe, Thomas Hunter, Michael Collins, Diarmuid Christopher Lynch and Seán Hayes.
Dáil Éireann held its first public meeting in the Round Room of Dublin’s Mansion House on January 21, 1919, a brave and somewhat defiant move coming just six weeks after the December 1918 general election, where 69 of the 101 successful candidates were pro-independence.
However, while all elected members were entitled to attend due to the complicated political landscape at the time just 27 members were present on the day.
Despite, this they took the courageous step of declaring Irish independence and sought international recognition for Ireland’s freedom, setting in motion a process that would eventually lead to the formation of the Irish Republic.
Cork North West Fianna Fáil TD Michael Moynihan urged the public to come along and view the exhibition.
“The exhibition features iconic photos from the period and outlines the many ways in which the work of Dáil Eireann has developed since its first public meeting in 1921,” he said.