Monday 26 January 2015

BBC documentary, Ireland's Great War, starts 1 Feb

A two-part TV documentary, Ireland's Great War, begins on Sunday 1 February at 6pm on BBC One Northern Ireland. It's part of the BBC's World War One Season.

Made by 360 Production, the film charts Ireland's role in the First World War. At the outset of the Great War, Ireland was still part of the British Empire, but was on the verge of a civil war between Nationalists and Unionists. When Britain declared war on Germany, both sides joined up and three Irish Divisions were formed, with the first seeing action during the disastrous Gallipoli campaign. While Irish soldiers fought and died abroad, a little-known Republican minority sparked Dublin's Easter Rising, forcing Britain to allocate much-needed troops to Ireland.

Re-examining the full story of Ireland and the Great War are Diarmaid Ferriter of University College Dublin, Richard Grayson from University of London and Timothy Bowman from the University of Kent.

Following its broadcast, the one-hour episode will be available on the BBC iPlayer. I'm not sure what access limitation will be imposed.