On 16 January 2014, President Higgins set out his approach to the "ethics of memory".
Since his inauguration, President Higgins has spoken numerous times about the "Decade of Centenaries", recalling the events 100 years ago - from the 1913 Lockout and the beginning of World War I to the 1916 Easter Rising, through to the War of Independence and the outbreak of the Civil War - and the importance of an honest and inclusive approach to Remembering.
In his speech the President said commemorations of historical events must not “gloss over differences” in ideology, nor project “the contemporary emotions of the present on the past”.
In January 2014 the Abbey Theatre hosted a three-day symposium to debate the role of theatre in commemoration.
In his speech to the symposium, President Higgins set out his approach to "ethical remembrance", stressing that commemorations of historical events should not “gloss over differences” in ideology, nor project “the contemporary emotions of the present on the past”. He also stressed that remembering should be about more than honouring the past.
You can watch the President's address by clicking on the Video tab above.
"This decade of centenaries is an opportunity to consider how Ireland has been – and must now again be – renewed through memory and imagination."
