THIS YEAR is the first of a busy decade or so that will be marked by a number of significant commemorations of a key period in our history.

On Saturday, the Royal Hospital Kilmainham was the venue for a packed conference on the topic; the first of many such events planned for the next 10 years.

Reflecting on a decade of War and Revolution in Ireland 1912-1923: Historians and Public History was the name of the conference, organised by Universities Ireland. This network of academics from north and south of the Border is supported by The Irish Times. The conference, attended by 320 academics, was opened by Lord Mayor of Dublin Andrew Montague.

The first speaker, Prof Diarmaid Ferriter of University College Dublin, said commemorations over the years had been consistently political....