Once Upon A Time In Northern Ireland

[BriceNobeslovesMurielHeslop]

Is anybody watching this beautifully produced OU documentary on the Iplayer?
I started watching after visiting Derry with a friend who grew up there during the Troubles last week.
It is a very moving, human series, with interviews from people of all walks who were there at the time - I’ve found it absolutely fascinating as somebody who grew up in mainland UK at the time.

It’s excellent, isn’t it. What I most like is that there are no talking-head experts or former ministers etc. It is people who were involved, in the IRA, the UDA, the British Army, wives who had to carry everything while their husband carried on the duty protest in jail, sister whose little bothers were shot on Bloody Sunday. They are given space to talk, to remember, no interjections, no judgement. I loved the bloke who owned the record shop who wanted to be able to say to his children in answer to ‘what did you do in the troubles, Dad’. ‘I had fun, took drugs, didn’t kill anyone’.
It’s a tremendously informative, desperately sad, sometimes funny and ultimately hopeful tale.

Terri Hooley! Yes, he was great. There is a film about him on Iplayer currently. I also loved the gorgeous “mixed-marriage” punk couple- those bits were like little flowers peeking through concrete.

Just letting people talk uninterrupted, letting the camera linger on their faces in moments where they grew quiet- sometimes the silences said as much as their words. It felt quite intrusive at times, huge respect for all the participants for allowing themselves to be so vulnerable.

They were very brave weren't they, some even at risk today if their identities were to be revealed. And to see how some had had moments of clarity, realising, I can't do this, be part of this anymore, was very moving. I hope this gets the audience, and all the plaudits, it so richly deserves
And if you weren't angry at how fast and loose the Conservatives were willing to play with the Good Friday Agreement before, you bloody well should be after watching this.

I'm up to episode 5, having binge watched over the past couple of days. It is truly amazing. Although born and brought up in England, my brother was in the army in NI. It is an absolutely amazing series, with so many characters.

Scrolled off the Telly Addicts first pages longer thread here:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/4811904-once-upon-a-time-in-northern-ireland

Yes excellent.

Brilliant show.

Very flawed programme that leaves a lot of important context out.

I've seen all of the episodes and thought it was an excellent watch.

I too thought it was brilliant. I know the producer of it and how much he cared about making it.

Very moving programme that doesn’t set out to answer all the issues but shines a light on the human experience of war.

We didn't have a war - it was terrorism.

As a non-international armed conflict, the Troubles was a civil emergency, i.e., Military Aid To The Civil Power. In other words, aiding the police.

Lebanon was a war - Northern Ireland wasn't. All wars are conflicts, but not all conflicts are wars.

Episodes 1 and 3 in particular had major issues with important context left out. A number of issues in them should have been explored more forcefully given its still a real, persistent threat in Northern Ireland. Especially the question of terrorism - flat out illegal on both sides of the border which easily deprives the Provisionals as well as Loyalists of any imagined legitimacy.

Director failed to challenge it. Rogelio Alonso does an incredible job of doing that in "IRA And Armed Struggle".

It's a flawed programme with some good points, just not enough of them.

With the greatest respect @DownNative, you made your point on the other thread.

I've still to watch 4 and 5, so there will be more critiques to come....🤷‍♂️

For us, terrorism is still a real issue and failure to contest Provisional rhetoric as the director did not do can heal world effects. Especially as the younger generation on both sides of the border largely do not know the wider context. What exists is a state of acceptable level of violence.

Not ab absence of it and eradication of it is the real challenge. Failure to challenge does not help the pacification process aka peace process.

Will look forward to your critques @DownNative

I just finished watching it.

I need to watch it all again... I am ashamed I am one of those who really knew nothing about all of this.

I think it's a very important series and I'm very glad that it may help educate people and documents the madness. However, I wish to God I'd not watched it. I lived through that time in a working class area - was caught up in and still bear the scars and effects on my health of Bloody Friday,recall endlessly being stopped and searched,bomb scares, men in balaclavas, things kicking off, soldiers with guns up and down the street, just always a sense of uneasiness and about to be questioned etc. I moved away in my 20's. I thought I was fine, really old history, but the series kind of triggered something in me and I've felt very disturbed and stressed since watching it. I should have known better - I couldn't read past the second chapter of Milkman last year either. Strange how you can be fine for decades and then as you head into your 60's it can all come back.