Irish legacy in Caribbean revealed

A series of film screenings at Crawford Art Gallery will uncover the hidden histories of the Irish diaspora in the Caribbean.

In her multi-media installation ‘The Ocean Between’, Marianne Keating will address the complex stories of the Irish indentured labour in the Caribbean between 1835 and 1842 and their resulting legacies in contemporary Jamaica and Barbados.

The installation traces the migration of the Irish from ports including Cork, Limerick and Belfast, with the Crawford Art Gallery itself recalled as a site of departure through its earlier role as the Cork Customs House dating till the 1830s. By analysing the gaps in the official records of the time, Keating’s research allows her to move forwards and backwards in time and between archives, using information in one archive to fill the gaps in another, thus creating a complete account of a previously overlooked story.

Keating’s ongoing research in the Caribbean has enabled her to access records only available in Barbadian and Jamaican national archives.

‘The Ocean Between’, which runs at Crawford Art Gallery until 22 September, is the first project of a new artist-directed programme which aims to support artists to pursue their research interests that explore complex Irish histories and identities.