Description

Whose Past Is It Anyway? The Ulster Covenant, the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme is a thought-provoking work by journalist and author Jude Collins, published by The History Press Ireland. The book forms part of the wider “Decade of Centenaries” discussion, examining how Ireland commemorates some of the most defining and contested events of the early twentieth century.

Rather than offering a traditional chronological history, the book is structured around a series of interviews with politicians, writers, historians, and public figures. Each contributor reflects on the significance of three pivotal events: the signing of the Ulster Covenant (1912), the Easter Rising (1916), and the Battle of the Somme (1916). The conversations reveal a wide spectrum of perspectives—Unionist, Nationalist, academic, and cultural—highlighting how interpretation of history often depends on identity, memory, and political context.

Participants include figures such as Enda Kenny, Mary Lou McDonald, Ian Paisley Jr, Gregory Campbell, Roddy Doyle, Robert Ballagh, Bernadette McAliskey, and others, each offering personal insight into how these historical moments are remembered, commemorated, and sometimes contested in contemporary Ireland. The result is a nuanced dialogue about identity and reconciliation, rather than a fixed historical narrative.

Through these interviews, Collins explores a central question: who owns history, and how should it be remembered in a divided society? The book encourages readers to consider how collective memory is shaped, challenged, and reinterpreted over time, especially in the context of Northern Ireland’s political landscape.

Accessible, reflective, and politically insightful, Whose Past Is It Anyway? is an important contribution to modern Irish historical discourse and an essential read for anyone interested in memory studies, Irish politics, and the ongoing legacy of the island’s most significant historical events.