Luigi Micheletti Award

LUIGI MICHELETTI AWARD 2017 goes to the GPO WITNESS HISTORY VISITOR CENTRE, Dublin, Ireland. The General Post was seized by Irish rebels as the seat of the Provisional Irish Government. On Easter Monday 1916 the rebel leader Patrick Pearse read the Proclamation of Independence from its steps. 

The GPO was the centre of the battle between the Irish and the British in that year, and was destroyed by shelling by the British.
This led to a bitter war of independence and a partitioned Ireland. On the centenary of the uprising and as part of the commemorations a Visitor Centre was constructed which is both a cultural venue and a history museum, with personal stories, eyewitness accounts and historical artefacts. The Centre’s aim is to redress the balance of the events of the 1916 Easter Rising, which have been the subject of what it describes as ‘a century of idolisation and demonisation’. The exhibition space is below ground, with a large display showing how political posters overshadowed those advertising cultural and social events. There is a mix of documents and artefacts, together with reproductions of uniforms and weapons. Audio guides are available in six languages and touch screens show an overview of events and their aftermath for every period. A large semi-circular video wall has a 17-minute programme recreating events in central Dublin in 1916. The exhibition has made every effort to show the viewpoints of the Irish and British, Roman Catholics and Protestants, rich and poor.

The judges said : The Centre is a perfect example of 20 th century history in retrospect, dealing in an even-handed way with a very emotive subject, which would have been impossible even a decade ago. It is an extraordinary achievement, an historical challenge with has been transformed into a reconciliation centre which also poses questions for the future. Our warmest congratulations go to the whole team.