An Post ashamed of our history?

[red hander]

From the Indo


PAINTINGS depicting the 1916 Easter Rising, which were removed from the General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin five years ago, will not be reinstalled in a decision that has dismayed historians.

The 10 paintings, which show important scenes from the Rising, were removed in 2005 when An Post carried out renovations on the building for the Rising's 90th anniversary in 2006.
But An Post has now decided the GPO is "not suitable" for the paintings and is now looking for "a new home" for them.

Historian Pat Liddy, who gives walking tours in Dublin, said he believes the paintings, which give a good account of the Rising to tourists,  should be reinstalled in the historic building where it took place.

"They were very revolutionary and romantic, and they got the message across," he said.

"They were widely spread around the walls of the GPO, but now there's very little, except photos and a copy of the Proclamation, to say this is the place where it happened. 
"I think it makes sense if An Post were even to only put some of them up. The pictures give a sense of what went on in the office."

The paintings, by Norman Teeling depict scenes such as the signing of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic in Liberty Hall, Padraig Pearse reading the proclamation and James Connolly when he was wounded.

"One of them shows Connolly on a stretcher while the building is coming down in flames," Mr Liddy said.

But even though An Post bought the paintings, it is now looking for somewhere else to install them. A spokesperson for An Post said: "While the possibility of improving the lighting and captioning of the paintings was investigated, this wasn't pursued as the space was not at all suitable for the purpose of displaying art pieces.

"The paintings remain in secure storage pending their display in a more suitable space."

Councillor Larry O'Toole will table a motion in next month's city council meeting calling for a letter to be written to An Post requesting the paintings be returned to display. "I'm calling on An Post to have them put back in the main lobby -- they owe it to the people of Dublin," he said.

[ardmhachaabu]

If they were intending on hiding the paintings away somewhere I would say they were ashamed but they intend displaying them elsewhere.  No biggie

[Ulick]

The paintings are part of our cultual heritage and belong in the GPO. I can't believe they are getting away with this. I suppose we'll find Cuchulainn in a skip one of these days as well.

[ardmhachaabu]

Hang on, who painted these?  When were they painted?

If they truly are part of our cultural heritage we should at least know this much before we get our knickers in a twist, in a collective sense of course

Storm in a teacup

[mylestheslasher]

I was in college in Dublin when Princess Diana died and I remember well someone leaving some sort sacred heart thing in the window of the GPO in remembrance of her which I personally didn't think much of - funny that was never taken down. An post are experts at own goals so I expect we will next hear they have lost the paintings!

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

If they were intending on hiding the paintings away somewhere I would say they were ashamed but they intend displaying them elsewhere.  No biggie

Bollocks, should we just forget the fight our forefathers had to free part of this land, who gives a fcuk who painted the pictures, what relevance has that got anyway!
We should be proud of our heritage!

[Tony Baloney]

If they were intending on hiding the paintings away somewhere I would say they were ashamed but they intend displaying them elsewhere.  No biggie

Bollocks, should we just forget the fight our forefathers had to free part of this land, who gives a fcuk who painted the pictures, what relevance has that got anyway!
We should be proud of our heritage!

They're only paintings. Relax. No-one has suggested demolishing the
GPO. Yet.

[Nally Stand]

"...a more suitable place". Did you ever hear such shite. Where on God's green earth would be more appropriate than the GPO? As for nobody suggesting demolishing the GPO just yet, don't jinx it! 16 Moore St is facing a struggle. And don't forget how on the very week of the Rising's 90th Anniversary, the free state govn allowed priceless artefacts of the Rising, including the tricolour flag flown over the GPO and letters by various executed leaders to be auctioned to off to wealthy private collectors.

[winsamsoon]

To some this may come as a surprise but not i. This is yet another attempt at the free state trying to become more European at the expense of our culture. If these painting depict what the paper article claims then of course they should be at the GPO. This should be a focal point for all within our society and would send out a message to visitors that we are proud of our history. Auschwitz was an absolute atrocity but it is kept as a brutal reminder of the past of the country and era. The paintings illustrate a particular era in Irish history and should be highly valued and placed at the appropriate site. In our society some people need constant reminders of our history they won't read books or acknowledge it for themselves so things like this are crucial.

[delboy]

Bin them and forget about them, you never get anywhere by looking backwards, look what that sort of thing has done to NI.

[SuperMac]

Bin them and forget about them, you never get anywhere by looking backwards, look what that sort of thing has done to NI.

And next he'll be telling by denigning our own history it's a sign of " our maturity as a nation " 

[Hardy]

Leaving aside the particular issue with these ould paintings, do you not think, in a broad sense, delboy has a point? Are we not over-obsessed with history in this country? Is the balance not a smidgin awry when we weigh our efforts to secure our future against our reverence for the past?

Everybody in this country has a position and an irreversible attitude on every event in history since 1169. I might be wrong, but I think other nations take a more dispassionate view of their history, once a century (or in many cases, much less) has elapsed. The French, for instance, can discuss their revolution without falling out with each other over whether the king should or shouldn't have been guillotined. Two of us would be swinging fists at each other over Diarmaid McMurrough. That is if you could find a single person in the country who would have a dissenting view on the said Diarmaid.

Discuss.

[winsamsoon]

To me hardy History and culture go hand in hand. A dillution of one has almost certainly a knock on affect to the other . So asking me to let things like be a distant past as time lapses on is not for me i am afraid. I think we owe it to the men and women of the past events to keep things like the Easter Rising  the Famine and many more incidents in Irish history alive. Ancestors who died in such atrocities should never be forgotten. This doesn't mean that we can't move on. I am from Northern ireland and i am very willing and open minded and want very much so to move forward with a society inclusive of all, but i don't have to sacrifice any of my historical insights to move forward. I may not always agree or have a different take on certain issues but i believe this is healthy in a society. For some folk their history is all they have and is at the crux of their everyday life it would be wrong to put our past on the shelf as it has shaped our modernity. History also serves an educational value and provides a person with a sense of belonging and responsibility as well as being a general interest. I don't think this does any harm in an ever increasing dissillusioned society ie where some of our youth couldn't tell you what the Easter Rising was. IMO without our past and the people that are keeping it together society would be worse than it currently is, so it also has a role to play for our future generations.

[Fiodoir Ard Mhacha]

I'd suggest permanently removing An Post from the GPO instead.

[Nally Stand]

Del Boy/Hardy I would suggest that far from too many people in Ireland being obsessed with history, i think too many people are rather forced to keep our history as something of value and pride and not something for the revisionists and "mature" citizens from hiding. These paintings are not a giant monument or anything, not in anybodys faces. They are small but significant to our past whether "mature" forward thinkers like it or not.