De-inventing Ireland:
Creating a new Republic through theatre and education
The Republic of Ireland has undergone a sobering and painful
decade. Not only have our traditional bastions of government, church and
finance failed, they have readily demonstrated that the Celtic Tiger identity and way of life, was in fact a mythic construction
of seismic proportions. As the country begins to emerge from the grip of the
financial troika, the case for a ‘new’
Republic is now being heard from many quarters. Central to this is a debate
around what it means to be a citizen of that Republic. In aspiring to re-invent
Ireland, this talk will examine the idea that we must first de-invent Ireland
by stripping away some of the baggage of the past two decades, and by returning
to forces that are of us, and speak deeply to us.
It will be argued that these core cultural identifiers were largely
ignored over the boom period, but in bust they can play a pivotal role in helping
redefine our citizenship and reclaim our sovereignty. The theatre, in the
unique way in which it relates to Irishness, is a reliable barometer and
pressure value. The relationship of the Irish education system to the people it
serves, is unique. A refined focus on education and theatre, both individually,
but more potently, in collaboration with each other, can play a significant
role in enabling Irish people to become critical citizens, ready to play their
part in building a new Republic.
Biography
Michael Finneran is a Senior Lecturer in drama at Mary
Immaculate College, University of Limerick, Ireland, where he is also Head of
the Department of Arts Education & Physical Education. He holds a PhD from
the University of Warwick, completed under the supervision of Prof. Jonothan
Neelands. He is a member of the editorial board and conference reviews editor
of RiDE: The Journal of Applied Theatre
& Performance, and he also serves on the advisory board of Applied Theatre Research. Michael was
academic director for the 7th IDiERI (International Drama in
Education Research Institute), held in Limerick in July 2012. He is guest
editor for an edition of RiDE on the
theme of ‘Borders & Translations’, due to appear in early 2014, and is
currently preparing a book on drama and social justice, co-edited with Dr Kelly
Freebody of the University of Sydney. Michael’s research interests lies in the
pedagogy of drama in the primary school, critical theory, social justice and
teacher education in drama. Michael is a practicing theatre artist, with many
direction and design credits to his name in professional and community theatre.
He is a board member of the Lime Tree
Theatre; Limerick’s newest professional venue, which he helped to establish
in 2013.
