A song for Edward Whelan: Commemoration, Catholicism, and Classical Liberalism in the afterlife of a tragic hero

Edward Whelan was one of the popular heroes of Prince Edward Island's Confederation-era "golden age": champion of responsible government, Father of Confederation, brilliant journalist and orator. For over a half-century after his tragic death in 1867, a series of campaigns were launched to erect a public monument to his memory. Despite their pointedly non-partisan, non-sectarian trappings, each ultimately failed to generate broad support. The reasons for that failure hold up a mirror to a post-Confederation Island society in need of heroes but divided by its past, while the story of how the monument was variously justified exposes the fluid and contingent nature of public memory as the real Edward Whelan became a convenient vessel in which to place the values and aspirations of his memory keepers. Edward Whelan etait l'un des heros populaires de <> de la Confederation de l'Ile-du-Prince-Edouard: champion du gouvernement responsable, pere de la Confederation, brillant journaliste et orateur. Pendant plus d'un demi-siecle apres sa mort tragique en 1867, une serie de campagnes ont ete lancees pour eriger un monument public a sa memoire. Malgre leurs pieges ostensiblement non partisans et non sectaires, chacun n 'a finalement pas reussi a generer un large soutien. Les raisons de cet echec offrent un miroir a une societe insulaire post- confederation qui a besoin de heros mais qui est divisee par son passe, tandis que l'histoire de la facon dont le monument a ete diversement justifie expose la nature fluide et contingente de la memoire publique en tant que veritable Edward Whelan est devenu un recipient commode dans lequel placer les valeurs et les aspirations de ses gardiens de la memoire.