Dublin: one hundred objects turn sport into collective memory

A ball, a jersey or a ticket can become a record of a community. Ahead of Dublin Book Festival, Siobhán Doyle has introduced Irish Sport in 100 Objects, a book using one hundred objects to move through Ireland’s social and cultural sporting history. The historian and curator looks beyond scores and champions: material things preserve habits, local identities, achievements and shifts in how a country sees itself. The interview, published on 24 October, forms part of the build-up to the festival’s twentieth edition in Dublin from 4 to 8 November. Doyle’s book will anchor an event bringing together research, material memory and storytelling, demonstrating how sport can also be read as a popular archive.