Broadcaster Bryan Dobson will chair the new Commemorations Advisory Committee to support government efforts in commemorating key moments in Irish history established by Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan.
The Committee’s formation respects the legacy of the Decade of Centenaries Programme, with a focus on authenticity, inclusivity, and respectful remembrance.
A new acquisition to the National Archives of Ireland is a signed agreement from February 22, 1922, involving De Valera, Stack, Griffith, and Collins.
The document will contribute to the archives and be accessible for researchers on the National Archives website.
The members of the committee are: Bryan Dobson, Journalist and former broadcaster (Chair), Marie Coleman, Professor of Twentieth Century Irish History, Queen’s University Belfast , Heather Humphreys, Former Government Minister, Orlaith McBride, Director of the National Archives of Ireland, Éamon Ó Cuív, Former Government Minister, Paul Rouse, School of History, University College Dublin, Audrey Whitty, Director of the National Library of Ireland.
Minister O’Donovan “our history belongs to all of us and the Committee will honour the diverse perspectives shaping Ireland’s narrative. As Minister, I am proud of how we, as a nation, commemorated that complex and formative chapter always with respect, sensitivity, and scholarly integrity,” and “I am grateful to each of these members for their willingness to bring their expertise and judgment to this important task.”
