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9 April 1998 Edition

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Superb, significant exhibition

Up in Arms! The 1798 Rebellion in Ireland
An exhibition at the Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Belfast
From 3 April to 31 August 1998

Officially launched in Belfast's Ulster Museum on Thursday 2 April, the Up in Arms! exhibition dealing with the 1798 Rebellion has to be seen.

Described in the press releases as the ``most comprehensive event of this bicentenary year'', it is hard to see anything on the horizon that will surpass it.

On display are some 300 original objects from the 1798 period, including a number of audio-visual presentations to provide an interactive dimension to the exhibition.

There is also a community outreach programme, funded by the Community Relations Council and the European Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation, which aims to bring the exhibition to as many people as possible.

Also throughout the coming five months there are numerous events - from lectures and talks to discussions about the songs of `98 - organised to allow for a more in-depth look at this crucial historic period in not only Irish history but that of the world. Not only does Up in Arms! look at the Rebellion it sets the period in its historic context given how both the French and American revolutions with their ideals of Fraternité, Equalité and Solidarité influenced the thinking of the United Irishmen.

June is an especially significant month for women as on three consecutive Sundays - 14th, 21st and 28th - there will be talks on the experiences of women, including Betsy Gray.

As for the exhibition itself it is simply magnificent.

One of the most important pieces is the oil painting of the Battle of Ballynahinch by Thomas Robinson. It was lent to the Ulster Museum by the Office of Public Works in Dublin, where it hangs in Aras an Uachtarain, and is the first time it has been shown in public in Belfast since it was painted in 1798.

The figures depicted are real participants of the events of the time and the artist interviewed some of those who fought at the battle as sources before he painted the work. Robinson, however, couldn't get a buyer due to the political sensitivities of the time so ended up raffling the piece which ended up in Phoenix Park.

Another interesting piece is the portrait of Daniel O'Connell. O'Connell opposed the Rebellion and indeed was a member of the lawyers' corps of Yeomanry which was the Protestant militia which fought against the United Irish forces. O'Connell was also a Mason.

Speaking at the opening of the exhibition Marshall McKee, acting director of the museum, said that both major political traditions in Ireland - unionism and republicanism - trace their roots from the 1798 period. Seeing an exhibition of this scope can only give us all insights and a better understanding of the period and therefore a better grasp of the present. That alone makes the exhibition worth viewing.

For further information contact Angela Reid (01232 383111) and for information on the museum's outreach programme contact Jane Leonard (01232 383030).

By Peadar Whelan

An Phoblacht
44 Parnell Sq.
Dublin 1
Ireland