This path was created by Ellen Rethwisch.  The last update was by Ben Deetz.

Star of the Sea : A Postcolonial/Postmodern Voyage into the Irish Famine Main Menu About This Project Star of the Sea Overview Joseph O'Connor In this section, you will learn more about Joseph O'Connor and the other works he produced Postcolonial Theory Postmodernism The Gothic in Star of the Sea Historical Figures Language and Music in Irish Culture Biology of the Famine Landlords, Tenants, and Evictions In the following pages, you'll learn about landlords, tenants, and evictions during the Irish Potato Famine Government Policies and Emigration Media Memorials Contributors Brief biographies of the people who made this book.

Physical Memorials Across the World

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The history of the Irish Famine, while devastating and brutal to visit, needs to be expressed in the present time if the experiences and hardships the Irish faced are to be honored, and voices that were silenced are to be given a voice. Dr. Emily Mark-Fitzgerald described the role memorials can play by saying: “It is unquestionable that the intent of most memorials to the Famine is to elicit a deep, personal emotional response to an experience perceived as ‘dormant’ and unacknowledged: a breaking of the ‘silence’ of Famine by the ‘speaking’ of the monument” (UCD News, “Tracing the Representation”). The past needs to constantly be in conversation with the future to better understand ourselves as societies interacting in a global context. For the effect of these memorials to be global, it requires as one might guess cooperation on a global scale with multiple memorials spanning multiple locations throughout different regions. While the memorials are constructed differently and occupy different areas of the world, the perception should still be focused on the unity and cohesion of a global effort extending forward into the future rather than looking into the past and focusing on distinctions from nation to nation. Dr. Mark-Fitzgerald described memorials' global impact looking into the future by saying, ““The legacy of the Famine in Ireland and abroad will never be resolved and neatly compartmentalized; nor should it. In an age of globalization and the reduction of complex historical realities into a consumable ‘heritage’, the Famine remains a dislocation whose contradictions outnumber its certainties” (UCD News, “Tracing the Representation”).  The examples provided in this path of the website focus on memorials within six countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, Northern Ireland, The United Kingdom, and The United States. The focus is on the global cohesion of remembrance as a result of the collective identity of the memorials while also keying in on the different styles of opportunity the monuments provide to empathize with the experiences of those who experienced the Irish Famine. As a result, the ideal function of a memorial is emphasized and epitomized by these selections, proving the importance of them as well. 

Works Cited
Mark-Fitzgerald, Emily. "Irish Famine Memorials." Irish Famine Memorials. Wordpress, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2016.

"UCD News." Tracing the Representation of ‘The Great Famine’ through Memory and Monument. UCD University Relations, 30 Jan. 2014. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.
Researcher/Writer: Ben Deetz
Technical Designers: Abbey Benson and Ellen Rethwisch

This page has paths:

  1. Memorials Ellen Rethwisch

Contents of this path:

  1. Australia
  2. Canada
  3. Ireland
  4. Northern Ireland
  5. United Kingdom
  6. United States