Monday 30 May 2011

The Story of Ireland - Fergal Keane

Tonight, if you are not doing much, tune into BBC2 for 'The Story of Ireland'.

This is the third of a five part series, by journalist and broadcaster Fergal Keane.

I have not seen either of the other two episodes, but what caught my eye in the Radio Times review, was the period in time that is being looked at this evening - between 1606 and 1798.

It will be interesting to view and note if the programe is balanced, however one note of caution I have picked up instantly from the Radio Times review, is the inclusion of the word sectarianism, lets hope it is used in the correct context.

I listened to a debate recently on BBC Radio Ulster when writer and broadcaster Ruth Dudley-Edwards described Sectarianism as 'a two way street, as common in the Catholic community as in the Protestant community' The panel that day on the radio did not challenge her comments - Ms. Dudley-Edwards is a Dublin born Catholic!

Monday 30 May
7:00pm - 8:00pm
BBC2


The Age of Revolution 3/5.

You need to have your wits about you to keep up with Fergal Keane's excellent sweep through Irish history. His account tonight gallops along, dispatching key events of the 17th and 18th centuries with a few well-turned phrases and choice contributions from historians. It's strikingly done, but there's a lot packed in: blink and you'll miss another turning point, a massacre, a rebellion or a wave of settlement. And it's shot through with tragedy and dispossession, from the seeds of sectarianism in the Ulster plantation, starting in 1606, to the birth of republicanism in the rebellion of Wolfe Tone in 1798. With little fuss, Keane expertly dramatises his tale.

Radio Times reviewer - David Butcher

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