The Secret History of the IRA

[faceless]

In the post-war era, a wave of decolonisation swept across the decaying British Empire. British forces became embroiled in a number guerrilla wars. In Palestine, Kenya, Cyprus and Malaya, indigenous forces waged war on their imperial oppressors. However, Britain’s long running struggle with the Irish Republican Army has proved to be the most enduring, and arguably most damaging, conflict of all.

This documentary examines the actions and attitudes of the IRA between 1945 and 1969. Combining a strong narrative and exclusive interviews with eye-witnesses and those who participated at first hand, it offers a fascinating account of subterfuge and counter-intelligence which marked the IRA’s campaign. We also look at gun-running and lightning raids, the bloody events of a six-year border campaign, and the power struggle between the hawks and doves of Republicanism which ultimately led to the formation of the Provisional IRA.

Through a series of exclusive interviews with surviving gunrunners of the Northern Action Committee filmed in New York, we outline the fundraising and gun running operations of Clan na Gael and the Northern Action Committee in the United States of America. Through the words of former IRA activists and archive footage drawn from un-broadcast private collections, the documentary charts the evolution of Irish Republicanism before the Northern ‘Troubles’.

This unique insight into an otherwise hidden chapter of British and Irish history is driven by the words of veterans who survived to tell the tale. It captures a rare chapter of oral history, bridging an important gap in Ireland’s historical record: the missing link between pre-war and post-war Republicanism - the doctrine which gave rise to the Provisional IRA.

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This is about to start in 10 minutes, so I'll be capping it and uploading later... sounds very interesting, though why they have a picture of British soldiers to advertise it seems strange.

[faceless]

here we go - I had no idea about the resurgance in IRA activity in the mid 50s. Well worth watching if you've any interest in the situation there...

http://www.sendspace.com/file/6p4411

[Kezza]

Thanks for this faceless -- sounds very interesting.

[major.tom]

I'll say. It's a conflict I didn't learn much about.

Cheers!

[SpursFan1902]

I took a Conflict in the World class last semester and we had to do a 15 min presentation on a conflict of our choice. I did this one. I learned alot. I had no idea how many parties were involved and on how many layers there were to this conflict. It gave movies like "Michael Collins" and "In the Name of the Father" more impact and depth once I understood more. I had watched them before, but went back after my speech and watched them again (along with some documentaries I found). I also had an easier time keeping all of the "players", so to speak, straight.

[major.tom]

By some coincidence, SpursFan, those are exactly the 2 movies that came to mind as well.

[GingerTruck]

thanks faceless a very interesting subject

[SpursFan1902]

[faceless]

Amazon link

This was pretty good - I was staying in Dublin for a month at the time when I saw this. I went to see it in a cinema on O'Connell street and there was a scene in the film where the characters are on the same street at about the same place, which was a strange thing...

[luke]

thanks for the upload faceless, i don't really know much about the ira, or about the history of the conflict really

[alan1254]

Just watched the show , pretty interesting 2 things I noted one the madness or perhaps bravery of the IRA to try to take on what must have been at the time the most experienced and well trained army in the world in a head on more or less traditional 'war' involving groups of 25 men at a time , and the second point is the astounding arogance of the British in charging people from another country with treason, we certainly were a pompus people back then.

[SpursFan1902]

Hidden Agenda - I will have to check Netflix for this one. It looks interesting.

[major.tom]

Not a bad documentary. Thanks, faceless.

Alan, your point about the charges of treason is an interesting one. I believe that there are still laws of treason on the books here in Canada. So technically, by being born here, my allegiance to a Queen is implied despite my never having sworn it. Somewhat Orwellian, isn't it?

Forget God Save the Queen. God save us all.

[alan1254]

[major.tom]