Commemorating Britishness during the centennial of the First World War: a comparative analysis of political commemorative speeches in Northern Ireland and in Scotland

Abstract

ABSTRACT Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP MP for Lagan Valley, told Westminster on June 26th, 2014: “The future of Ireland was shaped not on the streets of Dublin in 1916, but on the muddy, blood-soaked battlefields of the Western front.” Two years later, Brexit negotiations started. These two seemingly unrelated events have strong implications for the definition of Britishness in the 21st century since the “Brexit question” provided the backdrop for the centenary of World War One. In Northern Ireland, the memory of the conflict has been deeply sensitive, and the question of the nationalist “amnesia” regarding the Irish soldiers involved alongside the British forces has been only recently addressed. May 1st, 2013 marked the start of the Decade of Commemorations in Ireland. This opportune time was supposed to be marked by inclusiveness and openness. This article aims to explore how discourse on Britishness as an overarching identity can accommodate co-existing nationalist narratives while preserving a common historical heritage. Comparing political commemorative speeches in Northern Ireland and in the rest of the United Kingdom, with a special emphasis on Scotland (where the Great War commemorations coincided with the referendum on independence), should provide an insight into the modern definition of Britishness.