Ireland: A Television History

The first major attempt to tell the history of a country on television -- from its first beginnings to the present day. Since the late 1960s we have all grown used to the suffering and violence in Northern Ireland. But these are just the latest events in an old story that began 800 years ago when England first became involved with Ireland -- whose first inhabitants had arrived there 8.000 years before.

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Created By
Status	Ended
Original Name	Ireland: A Television History
First Air Date	December 2, 1980
Last Air Date	February 24, 1981
Seasons	1
Episodes	13
Episode Runtime	0min
Language	English
Original Language	English
Production Countries	United Kingdom, Ireland
Production Companies	BBC TV RTÉ
Networks	RTÉ One BBC Two

S01E13

Prisoners of History

Ireland's past has formed Ireland's and Northern Ireland's present (1981). Eire still seeks the unity of all Ireland; the Protestant North still resists; Catholics in Northern Ireland are still disaffected; Britain is still involved. A decade of violence in which more than 2,000 have been killed has only hardened attitudes, though politicians still work for a union of hearts and minds, or at least agreement to differ and to live in peace. There are few signs of movement. Both in the heartland of the Northern Protestant majority and in the Catholic communities they surround, there are those who see themselves as prisoners of history. Need they always remain so?

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