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This article contains detailed descriptions of what happened in the Easter Rising.
RTÉ.ie
RTÉ.ie
IT ALL KICKED off in last night’s second episode of RTÉ’s Easter Rising drama Rebellion.
By ‘it’, we are of course talking about the rebellion itself with the rebels turning Dublin into a city of chaos and confusion.
What can you do for your country? Well, Elizabeth (Charlie Murphy) made a pretty big sacrifice by sacking off her Easter Monday wedding to instead go and fight for the republic.
She joined a rather raggle-taggle band of volunteers who marched up to the gates of Dublin Castle and demanded to be let in. When the constabulary man repeatedly refused, he was shot.
Much to the displeasure of some of her comrades, Elizabeth chose to treat the dying policeman rather than fight.
After the rebels begin to get routed by the British troops, Elizabeth heads for a retreat led by Jimmy (Brian Gleeson). It seems they hadn’t signed up for the glorious martyrdom being espoused by their superiors.
They nearly got it though after bumping into Jimmy’s brother, the British soldier fresh back from the fields of France. Fortunately, he lets them live.
RTÉ.ie
RTÉ.ie
Across the Liffey, Padraig Pearse (Marcus Lamb) and James Connolly (Brian McCardie) were busy directing the volunteers around the at the GPO, getting ready to read out their newly printed proclamation.
It appears, however, that Pearse’s socialist republic doesn’t exactly extend to parity among the sexes, with Frances (Ruth Bradley) ordered down to “the kitchen or the medical” with the rest of the Cumann na mBan volunteers.
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The reaction to this portrayal wasn’t to everybody’s liking.
Whoever wrote Rebellion shudda read Pearse's writings.
Frances later dons a Paddy cap and hides her long hair to look like one of the fellas and keep fighting. She even appears to be a more committed rebel than most, threatening to shoot Dublin citizens who are looting.
“We need to show them we’re serious,” she ominously states.
Meanwhile, May (Sarah Greene) is still sleeping with the enemy and some afternoon delight with her aristocratic lover meant the pair missed the start of the rising.
The worst part is that they then have to do a walk of shame through a Dublin convulsed by insurrection and rumours of German invasion.
They never taught us about this in Junior Cert History. RTÉ.ie
RTÉ.ie
And if you thought that was an inconvenience, it turns out she’s also pregnant. Mother of divine jaysus.
So, being the good adulterous English gentleman that he is, Charles (Tom Turner) sends her out to his Dalkey country house for safety. The bad news? His wife is out there having returned early from a trip. Awkward.
So that’s two episodes of five down. After last week’s cautious welcome to RTÉ’s €6 million production, there were a few more people online giving out after this latest episode.
Many were choosing to take issue with historical accuracy of this self-proclaimed fictional programme.
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the provos come across very bad shooting the unarmed officer, the pro-brits come across very good letting two unarmed provos pass them by -this a BBC or RTE production
The acting is terrible, the dress is awful, the story lines atrocious and there is absolutely nothing in the characters for us to even like a little. RTE should be ashamed. The dialogue is laughable, the script unbelievable.
We’re meant to believe they shot the cop at the gate of Dublin Castle even though he was unarmed and the gate was open the whole time – what kind of rubbish is that? Then we’re meant to believe the rebels murdered an unarmed woman in a Dublin slum for looting – more rubbish. And what colour are the uniforms of the rebels? They look like those of leprechauns, nothing like the displays in Kilmainham Jail. Did Pearse really stand outside the GPO with half dozen lads and proclaim the Republic with onlookers saying, “This is shite – let’s go home”? Didn’t anyone take it seriously? Even the taximan couldn’t give a toss. And the volunteers just walking round the city in a uniform with a gun over his shoulder and the Brits not uttering a word.
And what’s with the sex scene? We know yer man is banging yer wan – do they need to show it? Who cares if an Irish girl got pregnant for an Englishman – is it meant to endear us to the couple? Is it meant to split our loyalty or make us think love trumps all?
It seems like the whole cast of Love/Hate turned up at the wrong set and said “fck it – let’s give this a go today” and proceeded to make a balls of it. RTE – you should have called it a day after Bosco
The makers will say they didn’t wish to be a historic version (or it seems even accurate one) – but this is an absolute critical event in Irish history. To re-write this part of crises point Irish history in a clear wrong way, is just indefensible.
Children growing up someday will watch this version that thing “What they see, must be true if thats the way they made it!”. Its a bit like reading the Fine Gael daily newsletter (Irish Independent) and meekly accepting that all it says must be true. The truth is that all they see and read by twisted versions, is doing no one any long term favors.
The least the makers of this programme could have done was record to camera facts that were known and detailed. Not lie and make up some crap that falsely portrays real people. Tell the truth about the facts. Sure, add a bit of story telling surrounding it – but still with whats known also.
I’m deeply disappointed in this production and its wandering way off course.
This programme should now come first with a warning: “This series does not represent actual events as they happened. We have let our imagination run wild!”
Was truly awful. Watched first two and wont be watching any more. The Rising saw a small group of people go out and take on the might of the British Empire and the true story provides for great drama, why then introduce weak fictional characters into the story? Its a massive fail for RTE.
Maybe it’s about the society and its reaction to the rising and not just a hagiography of the rebels themselves. In a couple of weeks the leaders might be dead and you’ll get to see the city’s response. That wouldn’t work if it was all just speeches and posturing from the start. I like the Trinity prods – they seem real enough – especially the woman who’s just arrived and just doesn’t get it. Not like the “what this place need is some Belfast efficiency – BOOM” anachronistic carbomb bollocks in Michael Collins
I would say that most Dublin people at that time regarded themselves as British, they couldn’t see what the anti British feeling was about. Shooting unarmed policemen was regarded then as cowardly just the same as it would be regarded cowardly today.
If people actually read and watched some of the background interviews about this drama, they would know that the makers didn’t set out to repeat and rehash the story of the seven signatories and keep the cameras focused on the GPO for five episodes. Instead, they chose to look at the rebellion from the point of view of the ordinary volunteers and the people of Dublin, whatever their religion. We cam see those living in slums out scavenging for food and clothes as looting breaks out, families torn as one brother fought another, confusion all over the city as rumours abounded of a German invasion etc. It actually is fairly accurate. And try to remember that the rising lasted a week, the series is still only at Easter Sunday. As for those of you wanting sexy swagger and heroes galore, it didn’t happen. The rising was a long, energy sapping week that messed with the heads of those volunteers that took part as death raged all around. Don’t judge it until it’s over.
They wasted 6 million of the tax payers money on a basically a rom com. They should have given John Bruton a role running around with a Union Jack, dressed a woman of course but also as a transvestite, bisexual , gay, lesbian, straight man woman , just in case they offended someone by leaving them out.
I think there’s a good bit of truth to your point about representing the Rising from the ground up, the confusion, the looting etc. I actually think that, and the shots of Dublin itself, were done pretty well.
The problem is that some of what was in last night’s show was simply wrong.
To take one example, in the show Seán Connolly shoots an unarmed RIC constable standing before him, no threat to anyone, because he wouldn’t open the gates to Dublin Castle (moments late, gate appears to have been open all along). There is no attempt to take him prisoner or to push him aside without killing him.
In reality, the gates to Dublin Castle were wide open when the volunteers arrived. Constable James O’Brien, very bravely, tried to close the gates on the volunteers to prevent them entering Dublin Castle and attempted to grab for Seán Connolly, who then shot him.
One of those depictions of what happened reflects far worse on the actions of the rebels than the other. It is also inaccurate, but it’s the one that was chosen.
There were a number of other incidents or people left out, a depiction of Dr Kathleen Lynn that is baffling to anyone who has read about her, a caricature of Pearse taken from the mind of Kevin Myers, an omission of the fighting that took place at the GPO on the Monday (presumably because it showed a rebel success, however short-lived) and a number of other problems.
Generally, a series of choices were made about how to depict the Rising in the second episode that were often historically inaccurate and in every case reflected a negative representation of the republican side. I was really disappointed at both the historical accuracy of it and the politics it seems to be pushing.
Hoping to be proven wrong, I had guessed it would only be a matter of time before RTÉ would show their true colours.
Joyce used to describe Ireland as the ‘sow that ate its own farrow’ – I say he was wrong, the Irish state is the farrow that eats its own sow.
What purpose to a supposed ‘national’ broadcaster if it is embarrassed at its own birthright?
I see little purpose to a tv channel that overwhelmingly simply relays foreign made programming available on the other channels. Maybe there was a need before satellite and Internet – but not now.
What say, sell off RTÉ as a brand for €500 million, use the 32 acres in Donnybrook for mixed social and affordable housing – and release citizens from the burden of paying the €160 p.a. tv tax?
Now there’s a poll I think many would welcome – if the good people of TheJournal could run one?
Totally agree with Justin here – even though the writers have stated that the show is not intended as a historical documentary and more a drama involving Dublin citizens on the periphery it is no excuse to be completely wrong on key parts such as the shooting of the cop on the WIDE OPEN gate of Dublin castle. The cop even tells the rebel the gate is open, all they had to do was brush past him end of story but in reality the eejit cop tried to lock the gate before getting a bullet to the head without any dialogue.
No excuse for laziness or horrible inaccuracies from West Brits pushing a Westminister agenda.
Yeah, all the heroes of the Republic are out on the cyber barricades with their digital balaclavas as they anonymously put the boot in to someone who (for good or ill) actually put his ass on the line for the republic he believed in…Smug wee Free State gobsheens
Ep 1 set it up well for last night but by Jesus it fell flat on its face. Poor characters, even poorer script & no boobies. Only positive is it cannot get any worse.
We’ll it was not so bad It tries to look at things thought eyes of ordinary people like Sean O’Casey did Still all the characters call it the SF rising Actually was the IRB and Citizen army rising
Pearse’s socialist republic? Whoever wrote this article needs a lesson in Irish history. Connolly and the ICA were the ones in favour of a socialist republic, the Volunteers who were a completely separate organisation were Nationalists and just wanted an independent Gaelic nation.
As for Rebellion, revisionism in healthy doses is fine but this show is trying to hard to give a different take on 1916. End of the day though its a fictional drama so maybe we shouldn’t expect any historical accuracies from it?
Tbh DeV didn’t really play any important part in rising, he hid in the bakery. It was men under his command though over on Mount Street who did some serious damage. The Sherwood Forestor’s suffered circa 240 causalties in the “Battle of Mount Street Bridge”, given how close Boland’s bakery was to action it’s interesting that DeV didn’t bother sending any help.
As for Collins, well what role do you expect? he was Plunkett’s aide de camp, other than been in GPO with Plunkett and other signatories he didn’t have much of a role tbh.
Rebellion is not an apt description of the events of 1916. It was not a rebellion it was more of an insurrection. And Insurrection was the name chosen for the drama depicted on our television screens by RTÉ in 1966.
All the tv critics have given it a good review. I find it boring. A lot of the character actors sound terriibly amateurish. I would give it 3/10. It’s up there with Clean Break another classic from the RTE stable.
Think we should celebrate not just the rising and it’s context this year but all our resistance hero’s who fought throughout Ireland for freedom from a savage foreign occupation from Wolfe tone to Robert emmet to the War of independence. Every man and woman who fought for freedom. It might be fitting to also should invite some French and Spanish representatives as a small number died lending aid to the cause.
Didn’t realise there where so many awkward social moments in the 1916 rising. The slums of Dublin look nice. No one with TB everyone looks well feed. Great unionist propaganda
The makers will say they didn’t wish to be a historic version (or it seems even accurate one) – but this is an absolute critical event in Irish history. To re-write this part of crises point Irish history in a clear wrong way, is just indefensible.
Children growing up someday will watch this version that thing “What they see, must be true if thats the way they made it!”. Its a bit like reading the Fine Gael daily newsletter (Irish Independent) and meekly accepting that all it says must be true. The truth is that all they see and rwad by twisted versions, is doing no one any long term favors.
The least the makers of this programme could have done was record to camera facts that were known and detailed. Not lie and make up some crap that falsely portrays real people. Tell the trust about the facts. Sure, add a bit of story telling surrounding it – but still with thats known also.
I’m deeply disappointed in this production and its wandering way off course.
This programme should now come first with a warning: “This series does not represent actual events as they happened. We have let our imagination run wild!”
The series is FICTION,,,it just happens to take place with a backdrop of 1916. The cast were interviewed and they said it was supposed to be the stories of the three leading females…..it is not supposed to be a minute by minute account of the 1916 Rising!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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