IRA film?

[Imposter Marxist]

:thumbup1:Any good documentaries on the PIRA, or RIRA? Specificly, pro-IRA ones?

[Charles Xavier]

Not a documentry but you should really check out, The Wind that Shakes the Barley. A very political film about the IRA struggles up till the formation of the free state and the civil war that followed.

[The Vegan Marxist]

Yes, what Charles said. It's definitely a great political film about IRA struggle.

[bcbm]

patriot games

[Marxach-Léinínach]

The TV mini-series 'Harry's Game' is good

[x359594]

There are more fiction films about the IRA and the Irish Revolution than there are documentaries, but several of the fiction films mentioned above are worth seeing.

[praxis1966]

There's Omagh, but it definitely doesn't cast the RIRA in a positive light. Apart from that, I'd recommend Hunger, which is about the '81 Hunger Strike and has an emphasis (of course) on Bobby Sands. It wasn't the filmmaker's intent to produce something 100% historically accurate, however, not that doing that was even possible given the lack of reliable information in certain areas. It does give a strikingly accurate portrayal of life in the H-Blocks and the struggle of interred volunteers, doing so in a really artistic fashion. Superb movie.

If you can get hold of the DVD, it does have a documentary produced by the BBC about the Hunger Strike as part of the special features. Of course, the "color commentary" provided by the BBC's narrator is decidedly anti-IRA, but there's enough testimony from Shinner politicians and residents of neighborhoods that were Provo strongholds at the time resulting in a fairer treatment than you'd probably get most places.

There are also Michael Collins and Blood Sunday which in terms of storytelling are fine enough, though they leave a bit to be desired in terms of historical accuracy. In Bloody Sunday, for instance, it gets repeated quite frequently that the protest march in question is a civil rights march. Though there were such civil rights marches at the time, this particular march was a protest against the policy of internment if I'm not mistaken.

[Jolly Red Giant]

Not a documentry but you should really check out, The Wind that Shakes the Barley. A very political film about the IRA struggles up till the formation of the free state and the civil war that followed.
The Wind that Shakes the Barley is more a commentary on the left influence during the war of independence than the IRA struggle. It over-emphasised the left influnece in the IRA as most of the left-wing and revolutionary socialist activity occurred outside the sphere of influence of the IRA (and often in direct conflict with it).


There's Omagh, but it definitely doesn't cast the RIRA in a positive light. Apart from that, I'd recommend Hunger, which is about the '81 Hunger Strike and has an emphasis (of course) on Bobby Sands. It wasn't the filmmaker's intent to produce something 100% historically accurate, however, not that doing that was even possible given the lack of reliable information in certain areas. It does give a strikingly accurate portrayal of life in the H-Blocks and the struggle of interred volunteers, doing so in a really artistic fashion. Superb movie.
Both are worth a look


There are also Michael Collins
Michael Collins is riddled with historical innaccuracies and is in reality a work of fiction.


and Blood Sunday which in terms of storytelling are fine enough, though they leave a bit to be desired in terms of historical accuracy. In Bloody Sunday, for instance, it gets repeated quite frequently that the protest march in question is a civil rights march. Though there were such civil rights marches at the time, this particular march was a protest against the policy of internment if I'm not mistaken.
The Bloody Sunday protest was a protest against internment organised by the Civil Rights Movement. The target of the British Military Authorities were the (establishment labelled) Derry Young Hooligans - which in reality was an attempt to target the Derry Young Socialists who had been to the fore in organising for civil rights, socialist politics and in defending communities against sectarian attack.

There are quite a few documentaries on the IRA around - you will find some on youtube if they haven't been removed for breach of copyright.

[praxis1966]

Michael Collins is riddled with historical innaccuracies and is in reality a work of fiction.

Well, yeah, I believe I addressed that, albeit not in detail.



The Bloody Sunday protest was a protest against internment organised by the Civil Rights Movement...

Right, but the movie doesn't make that distinction. In fact, the filmmakers had Ivan Cooper (played by James Nesbitt) saying repeatedly before, during, and after the march in the film that it was a "civil rights" march. You're right in your assertion that it was organized by NICRA, but it wasn't a march for the issues previously associated with that organization: housing and voting reform, jobs, etc. The way the film makes it seem was that it had something to do with those issues; ie it's not made entirely clear to the uninitiated viewer that the objective of the march actually was protesting the internment policy or even what that policy was. Anyway, it's a minor criticism really, considering its value in forcing people to reckon with the brutality of British imperialism.

[coda]

There are pro-PIRA documentaries before the Good Friday Agreement. Sadly, anything after the GFA regarding the current struggle will be anti-IRA documentaries.

some pro-IRA docu:

Behind the Mask
The Blanket Men
Voices of Freedom

more that can be found on youtube...

a side note: The Irish struggle is nothing new-- It is quite old. Some would dispute it is 800 centuries old. Since the GFA signed on 4/10/98; as well as some parts of the Left, see it now as a purely Nationalist struggle. What should be recognized however, is that the IRA is the legitimate military wing of Irish Republicanism and has always been comprised of young working class volunteer solidiers with historical support from Irish Republican working class communities and in solidarity and support of their Irish-American working class allies. The IRA over the many many years, has fallen in and out of favor at different times in history. This time is no different. Until Ireland is free from British rule, the IRA will rise again---that is a given....and the struggle as always continues...

[Jolly Red Giant]

What should be recognized however, is that the IRA is the legitimate military wing of Irish Republicanism and has always been comprised of young working class volunteer solidiers with historical support from Irish Republican working class communities
Ah - no it wasn't during the War of Independence - have a look at the documents of the Provisional Government in the National Archives and you will find that the IRA themselves claim that they were composed mainly from the rural population and 'officered by farmers sons'. The working class offered latent support to the campaign for self-determination, but in political terms were far more attracted to the left-wing radicalised trade union movement of the period. Furthermore, the leadership of the IRA were extremely worried that some of the ranks of the IRA (those for an agricultural labour background) would split from the IRA and fall in behind a potential socialist revolution.