Irish Famine memorials and the influence of place Cuimhneacháin Ghorta na hÉireann agus tionchar áite : A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Landscape Architecture at Lincoln University

Abstract

The Irish Famine is a defining moment in Ireland’s history. Surprisingly mass commemoration did not take place for this event until the 150th anniversary. This mass commemorative activity was however undertaken on a global scale, with almost 140 memorials being developed across eight countries. The gap between the event and the large global scale of the subsequent commemoration makes it unique. Given this, the role that place plays in the development of the memorial is magnified, as a result of other factors such as raw emotion, direct memory and socio-political factors being muted. To understand the impact of place further, quantitative categorisation is undertaken of each memorial to allow for the entirety of the memorials to be analysed. The use of radar diagrams to assist in this analysis allows for the patterns associated with the memorials to be visualised and compared. This analysis highlights the role that place plays in influencing the representation of the Irish Famine through memorials, whilst also underscoring the cumulative impact of other variables in memorial development. Despite generational distance, the emotions evoked through Irish Famine Memorials are clear. The Place of these memorials contributes and informs the design of the memorial landscapes.