Was this an accurate portrayal of the events of this time in Irish history?

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Orla C

The film shows the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, which changed the course of history in Ireland, even if it wasn't successful.

Michael Collins is known as 'Ireland's lost leader', and was killed while still a very young man, the legend is that De Valera ordered the hit, but that has never been proven (but would not surprise many people).

De Valera was not executed after 1916 because he was American, so he got off on a technicality. Collins was not well known at that time, and only a few people close to him knew what he looked like. This made it possible for him to carry out guerilla warfare tactics on the British Administration in Dublin, as Ireland was still under British rule at the time, and many Irish - and possibly some English also, even if they never said - wanted their own government. Collins and his small band of freedom fighters brought the British government in Ireland to its knees - this was a world superpower at the time, remember. But he got their attention, he got De Valera out of prison, and forced the British government to listen to their demands. This led to the compromise that became Partition in 1921, when Northern Ireland was divided from the Republic. De Valera, being the stroppy bastard that he was, was jealous of Collins' success and fame, and decided that no, Partition wouldn't do, it had to be a full 32-county Republic. Collins' take was that Partition was a stepping stone to further collaboration .... so they ended up mortal enemies after 1921, with De Valera and his gang of Republicans fighting for a full 32-county Republic; and Michael Collins and his crowd fighting to accept what was called the Free State, the 26 counties of the Republic. In effect, fighting to accept a compromise - because he felt that, what with all the Protestants in Northern Ireland, their situation and opinions should be taken into consideration. De Valera, on the other hand, wanted a Catholic State, and later had this enshrined in the Irish Constitution, but this has since been taken out.

In hindsight, De Valera is shown up to be something of an Catholic fundamentalist, whereas Collins was a tactician, and someone who would work with everyone involved to find a workable solution - only he never got that chance, because he was assassinated. And we were left with our very own little DICTATOR ....

This is historical fact.

SCOTCH M

i remember, believe me i remember the recent
hardship, i love the irish, great people.

JOHNNY B GOODE

Yes it's accurate. Any library will have books on modern irish history. It's bloody, cruel and very unfair. Man's inhumanity to man. It's also a crying shame for all involved.

pollbee

Absolutely correct.

bluebell

The sanitized version - Hollywood style. I'm sure it was a lot more graphic, more violent, more urgent, in 1916.

h r

there are always two sides to the same story

barry g

100%

weewilly will

I suspect it depends on which side of the political spectrum the watcher sits.

Kev

I genuinely wouldn't know.

Not waving but drowning

Dear Plato,

All I can say is, we all know he was ambushed at BÃ©al na mBlÃ¡th in his native West Cork in 1922.

We are independent now (for nae 100 year) so who cares whether or not hollywood fancyfies the facts - makes money for them, bless.

Helen S

A dreadful time of subjugation and then came the 'black and tans', the infamous crew spewed out of British jails in return for fighting. A disgraceful mark on British history.

alan m

Of course not. It was written by a terrorist . Out for the glory, martydom and money.

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