The Decade of Centenaries timeline was funded by the NI Community Relations Council as part of its Media Grants Scheme 2013. This web resource reflects the objectives of the CRC's Remembering the Future – A Decade of Anniversaries initiative and its exploratory, educational and plural principles.

Decade of Centenaries Timeline

This web resource represents the Decade of Centenaries events in an accessible, interactive timeline that explores the history of the North of Ireland from the Third Reform Act of 1884 to the suspension of the Boundary Commission in 1925. The timeline breaks the key events down into a series of smaller, interrelated incidents and uses artefacts, documents, newspapers and photographs to recount this tumultuous period in Irish history.

Timeline Objectives:

The website aims to show that the events in the Decade of Centenaries did not happen in isolation but as part of a history continuum; that each event is made up of smaller incidents that are inter-connected and have implications and consequences. The timeline explores the broader social and political circumstances of each event and places it in the context of Irish, British and European history. Radical social, geo-political and technical changes over the intervening century makes it necessary to provide information about the historical background to events, such as the Empire, poverty, working conditions, industry, voting rights and the class system of Victorian/Edwardian society.

The timeline uses images to act as a gateway into historical events and topics. Many of the images feature primary evidence, such as contemporary photographs, documents and newspaper articles. This archive material is used to present historical facts in an un-biased way and content is selected and presented in a balanced and informed manner. The content draws from a broad range of authors and titles (see bibliography below). Text has been written by an educationalist with a background in history to make the language accessible to a broad range of viewers.

The website is aimed at a broad range of knowledge and abilities from teenagers upwards. By providing a balanced view of this period of history in a sensitive manner, the timeline is designed to make events inclusive and to allow viewers to understand different perceptions and interpretations of their own history and culture. The timeline aims to introduce and engage people with the Decade of Centenaries rather than to provide a definitive account of each event, therefore the website facilitates onward learning journeys via links and references to educational resources and venues. This timeline is produced to be used on a PC or tablet at home by a single user or in community groups and schools.