'Eoin MacNeill. Fear Dearmadta 1916', BBC2 NI TV Documentary

Description

Eoin Mac Néill – Fear Dearmadta 1916 (Eoin MacNeill: The Forgotten Man of 1916) BBC Two Northern Ireland A new Irish language documentary on the life of Ulsterman Eoin MacNeill is to be broadcast on BBC Two NI on Easter Sunday, 27 March at 10pm. It is a compelling story that gives an insight to one of the most controversial circumstances of the Easter Rising – MacNeill’s attempt to prevent it from happening. Eoin MacNeill was a scholar, revolutionary and politician from Glenarm in County Antrim. This documentary examines the influence that growing up in that Gaelic enclave had on his life and work. MacNeill founded the Gaelic League in 1893, and it was in the League’s newspaper, An Claidheamh Soluis, that he wrote the infamous article that led to the founding of the Irish Volunteers in 1913. MacNeill was then appointed Chief of Staff of the defence force. Through dramatic reconstruction, access to MacNeill’s unpublished memoir, interviews with key historians and experts, and through the personal account of MacNeill’s grandson, former Tánaiste Michael McDowell, pivotal moments in history are brought to life. The documentary also examines MacNeill’s reasons for making his most controversial decision – when he attempted to stop the Easter Rising of 1916 by issuing a countermanding order. According to the director of the documentary, Damian McCann, that much maligned decision is one of the most interesting aspects of MacNeill’s story: “MacNeill has a complicated legacy, and that is always interesting for a director – it presents a unique challenge. There is a deep divide in opinion about MacNeill, but his story cannot be told simply, by portraying him as a hero or a hate-figure. It is not black and white, and in fact, MacNeill’s dramatic life reflects the complex history of this period. The great themes of life are examined in this documentary – conflict, friendship and betrayal.” Irish historian, Professor Diarmaid Ferriter said: “We cannot reduce the options or the choices that were facing people like MacNeill in such crude terms, that they had either to be on one side of a debate or another side. There was a hell of a lot in between.” ‘Eoin Mac Néill – Fear Dearmadta 1916’ was produced by DoubleBand Films for BBC Northern Ireland and TG4, with funding from Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund.