‘Lisburn 1918-23, Community Conflict and Commemoration after the Great War’ Exhibition

‘Lisburn 1918-23, Community Conflict and Commemoration after the Great War’ is a new exhibition detailing the events in Lisburn from the immediate aftermath of the Great War (1914-18) to the 1920 ‘Swanzy Riots’, through to the unveiling of the town’s war memorial in 1923. This story is told within the broader context of post-war Ireland, including the Irish War of Independence, the foundation of Northern Ireland and the Irish Civil War.

Using photographs, letters, artefacts, books and uniforms, this exhibition documents the rich history of Lisburn and surrounding area during a turbulent period in the history of Ireland.
Highlights of ‘Lisburn 1918-23, Community Conflict and Commemoration after the Great War’ include:

• Armistice, Peace Day Celebrations, and the erection of the Cenotaph in Market Square
• The story of the 1918 election, from the granting of the vote for women, to the Sinn Fein challenge in South Antrim to Charles Curtis Craig, unionist and veteran of the Somme.
• The story of the IRA assassination of Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) District Inspector (DI) Oswald Ross Swanzy in Market Square, and the sectarian ‘burning’ of Lisburn that followed the murder. Includes rarely seen photographs!
• The partition of Ireland, and the founding of Northern Ireland
• The Irish Civil War: Sir Henry Wilson, the ‘B’ Specials and the new Northern Ireland
• Unveiling of the war memorial, 1923 and commemoration of Lisburn’s Great War dead.

‘Lisburn 1918-23, Community Conflict and Commemoration after the Great War’ is the final display in our now complete First World War series, which includes:
1. Lisburn, 1912-1915
2. Rising Voices: Lisburn at Easter, 1916
3. The Somme, Our Story