Re: Proclaim – Seven Artists Respond to the 1916 Proclamation

Re: Proclaim – Seven Artists Respond to the 1916 Proclamation

As rebels seized the centre of Dublin on Easter Monday 1916, they declared an Irish Republic via a printed proclamation which was posted up on walls throughout the city. The 1916 Proclamation has become the foundational document of the Irish State and 110 years later it remains a remarkably progressive document. Addressed to both Irishmen and Irishwomen, it guaranteed ‘religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens’. It went on to ‘declare its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all the children of the nation equally’. For over a century, the 1916 Proclamation has been an inspiration and a guiding star for Irish society. It has also held the nation to account when it has fallen short of the promise contained within the words of the Proclamation.

To mark the 110th anniversary of the 1916 Proclamation and the National Print Museum’s 30th anniversary, the Museum has commissioned seven contemporary artists to create new print-based works responding to the Proclamation and its relevance in contemporary Ireland. These works reflect both its history and the ways in which it can help us to shape our future.

An exhibition of artists’ proofs opens at the Museum in November and will tour in 2027.

Artists: Viola Chiang, Lauren Kelly, Ellen Martin-Friel, Shane O’Driscoll, Leila Pedersen, Mary Plunkett, and Sibéal Riordan

Curators: Carla Marrinan Funder, National Print Museum and Brian Crowley, Office of Public Works

Supported by the Commemorations Unit of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport

Opens to the public from 13 November 2026

Free admission