Performing Irish-American Heritage: the Irish Historic Pageant, 1913

This is the first article to examine the Irish-American Historic pageant of 1913 as a subject of study. It is the first article to draw on primary sources in Belfast and New York libraries and archives to extend knowledge on the pageants’ director, John P. Campbell. The very limited existing scholarship had only considered his career as an artist and theatre designer. As such, this article contributes to knowledge and understanding of the early twentieth century historical pageant movement in the United States and makes a significant and important contribution to the emerging interdisciplinary field of twentieth century pageant scholarship, of which the author is a leading proponent with returns on this subject in the last RAE period. The article also contributes original research on the Celtic Revival, which extends its boundaries of artistic and visual practices, and makes a significant and original contribution to the under-researched area of the Celtic Revival in the north of Ireland. The article combines primary research with an interdisciplinary approach drawn from history of art and design, cultural and historical geography, cultural and social history and Irish studies