Remembering the Year of the French: Irish Folk History and Social Memory

489 Pages·6.729 MB·English

by  Guy Beiner

More praise for Remembering the Year of the French
“Basedonmassiveresearch....[Beiner]demonstrateseffectivelyhoworally
transmittedlocalmemorieshavecontributedtohistoricalknowledgeabout
the1798Frenchinvasionof westernIreland,aswellasmuchelseaboutthe
Irishpast.”
Choice
“Histreatmentof howfolkmemorypersistedandwasreshapedbysuccessive
generations in differing localities bristles with insight about the place and
natureof oralevidence...Beinermakesanexcellentcaseforthepotential
utilityof folklore.”
alano’day,AmericanHistoricalReview
“Elegantlyconstructed,lucidlywrittenandinspired,anddisplayinganinex-
haustiblecapacityforresearch,Beiner’sworkisarichstorehouseof informa-
tionbothempiricalandconceptual.”
ciaránbrady,HistoryIreland
“This pioneering study, a major contribution to Irish historiography, chal-
lengesthepositionof theNewIrishHistoryhistorianswhohaveregarded
popularhistoryasoutsidethepaleof theprofessionalhistorian.”
maureenmurphy,IrishLiterarySupplement
“Avaluableandinsightfulcontribution....Thereisnodoubtingtheimpor-
tanceof [Beiner’s]methodologicalapproach.”
jonathangithens-mazor,NationsandNationalism
“Thebreadthof Beiner’sresearchisformidable.”
niallóciosáin,Cultural&SocialHistory
“[This] book challenges folklorist and historian alike. . . . An exemplary
methodologythroughout.”
stiofánócadhla,Journalof BritishStudies
“Beiner’sworkisaninvaluableresourceforstudentsof Irishhistoryandfolk-
life.Itisalsoidealforanyclassesthatfocusmorebroadlyonhistory,cultural
geography,popularculture,oraltradition,materialculture,orfolklore.”
timothyc.correll,Folklore
“Historianswillfindthisbookveryprovocative....[It]makessuchasolidcase
forthesignificanceof folkmaterialsasculturalexpression.”
fernandofischman,Journalof FolkloreResearch
“[T]hereismuchtorecommendRememberingtheYearof theFrenchtoawide
audience...Beinersuccessfullydemonstratestothereaderthewaysinwhich
folklorehasthecapacitytoexpandourhistoricalhorizonsandopenuparange
of narrativewindowsonthepast.”
yvonnewhelan,Journalof HistoricalGeography
“Beiner’sworkistheoreticallyinformedandpresentsanenormousamountof
data...[T]hisbookwillbeof interesttomemoryscholarsbecauseitisacase
studythathighlightsmanyof theexistingtheoreticaldebates.”
taral.tober,MemoryStudies
“AbrilliantandoriginalcontributionnotonlytoIrishhistory,reconstructing
theviewfrombelow,butalsotothestudyof socialmemory.”
peterburke,EmmanuelCollege,Universityof Cambridge
“Apainstakingandpathbreakingstudy....Throughthelensof 1798inthe
Westof Ireland,itfocusesonthedynamicinterfacebetweenvernacularand
officialversionsof history.”
kevinwhelan,Keough–NotreDameCenter,Dublin
“Innovativeandlearned,thefirstmajorexplorationof Irish‘memory’tobe
groundedinrecenttheoreticaldebates.”
ianmcbride,editorof HistoryandMemoryinModernIreland
“An important book that introduces a fresh, exciting, and long-overdue
approachtothestudyof Irishhistory.”
garyowens,HuronUniversityCollege,theUniversityof WesternOntario
Remembering theYear of the French
Irish Folk Historyand Social Memory
guy beiner
the university of wisconsin press
ThisbookwasoriginallypublishedwiththesupportoftheAnonymousFundfortheHumanities
oftheUniversityofWisconsin–Madison.
TheUniversityofWisconsinPress
1930MonroeStreet,3rdFloor
Madison,Wisconsin53711-2059
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Copyright©2007
TheBoardofRegentsoftheUniversityofWisconsinSystem
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,
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articlesandreviews.
5 4 3 2
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Beiner,Guy,1968–
RememberingtheyearoftheFrench:Irishfolkhistoryandsocialmemory/GuyBeiner.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-299-21820-1(cloth:alk.paper)
1.Ireland—History—Rebellionof1798.2.Ireland—History—Rebellionof1798—Historiog-
raphy.3.Ireland—History—Rebellionof1798—Publicopinion.4.FrenchExpeditiontoIre-
land,1796–1797.5.Folkloreandhistory—Ireland.6.Popularculture—Ireland—History.I.
Title.
DA949.B45 2006
941.507—dc22 2006008619
ISBN978-0-299-21824-9(pbk.:alk.paper)
Coverillustration:UnpublishedillustrationbyJackB.Yeatsofthe1798Centennialcelebration
atthebattlefieldofCarricknagatoutsideCollooney,inCountySligo,in1898,duringwhichthe
foundationstonewaslaidforamonumenttotheUnitedIrishmanBartholomewTeeling.Cour-
tesyofMartinNaughton.
Coverdesign:JudyGilats
Thetreasuredfindshavecrumbledaway,thetraceshave
beenobliterated.Thepasthasreceivedbackwhatwas
itsowntokeepandwhatithaslentusforawhile.But
alreadymemoryhasgonetowork,searching,gathering
evidenceintheuncertainstillnessof theno-man’sland.
SiegfriedLenz
TheHeritage(1981)

Table of Contents
Listof Illustrations ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgements xiii
Listof Abbreviations xviii
PhoneticNote xix
Introduction---RecyclingtheDustbinof History
ToSpeakof Ninety-Eight 5
Part1---CollectingMemory
1. OralHistoryandSocialMemory 17
2. IrishFolkloreCollections 34
3. RichardHayesandTheLastInvasionof Ireland 62
4. AncillaryFolkHistorySources 69
Part2---FolkHistory
5. History-Telling 81
6. Practitionersof FolkHistory 115
7. TimeandCalendar 124
Part3---DemocraticHistory
8. WhoWeretheMenof theWest? 139
9. MultipleHeroesinFolkHistoriographies 168
10. WhoWeretheWomenof theWest? 185
Part4---CommemoratingHistory
11. SpheresandMediumsof Remembrance 201
12. Topographiesof FolkCommemoration 208
13. Souvenirs 231
14. Ceremonies,Monuments,andNegotiations
of Memory 243
15. Mediationsof Remembrance 276
16. MemoryandOblivion 304
Conclusion---AlternativeHistory
Archaeologiesof SocialMemory 313
Epilogue---CommemorativeHeritage
RemembranceintheLateTwentiethCentury 325
Notes 335
SelectedBibliography 415
Index 445
Illustrations
Photosandlineart
1. 1798bicentennialmonumentinKillala xx
2. JamesHamiltonDelargy 35
3. SeánÓSúilleabháin,CarlWilhelmvonSydow,
andCaoimhínÓDanachair 38
4. Collectingfolklore 39
5. PádraigMacGréine 46
6. MichaelCorduff 49
7. JamesDelaney 50
8. RichardHayes 64
9. RichardRobertMadden 71
10. ThomasCroftonCroker 72
11. HessiandragoonsintheIrishRebellionof 1798
byWilliamSadler 104
12. MichaelTimoney 119
13. 1798memorialinBallinamuck 162
14. 1798monumenttoGeneralBlakeinTubberpatrick 162
15. 1798monumentinBallinamuck 164
16. Plaquemarkingtheexecutionsiteof Fr.Conroy
attheMallinCastlebar 217
17. CelticcrosscarvedfromFr.Conroy’shangingtree 218
18. “Frenchgrave”atDerrylahan,Castlebar 220
19. Lydenfamilygrave,Castlebar 221
20. “TheCannonusedbyGunnerMcGeeattheBattle
of Ballinamuckin1798” 235
21. Humbert’sStoneinKilcummin 237
22. BayonetandcoinfoundonFrenchHill 244
23. Unveilingof the1798centennialmonumentinBallina 247
24. 1798centennialmonumentinBallina 248
( ix )