RTÉ documentary series The Silent Civil War uncovers never-before-heard testimonies of Irish Civil War revolutionaries
An upcoming documentary series The Silent Civil War will share the epic, poignant and often challenging testimonies of family members of a number of those who were involved in the Civil War in Ireland between 1922 and 1923. The two-part series will begin on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Wednesday 26th April at 9:35pm.
The documentary series also unearths over 30 hours of previously unheard audio recordings of 32 prominent figures involved in those revolutionary years in Ireland. Recorded by a young American researcher, Harlan J. Strauss, as part of his post-graduate work in 1972, the tapes feature original recordings of Frank Aiken, Dan Breen, Peadar O’Donnell, Máire Comerford, John A. Costello, Ernest Blythe, Seán Dowling among many others. Those tapes have remained untouched for fifty years.
At a launch screening in UCD yesterday, over 100 hours of unedited material including the Harlan J. Strauss archive and over 80 interviews recorded for the series was presented to the National Folklore Collection, where it will now permanently reside.
RTÉ Director General, Dee Forbes said: “I am so proud of this important two-part documentary series which we are bringing, with the support of our partners, to RTÉ One and RTÉ Player and which forms part of the latest chapter of RTÉ’s continuing commemoration of the Decade of Centenaries. The inclusion of invaluable memories of the Civil War that were passed on through families and communities throughout Ireland, along with audio recordings of men and women central to this revolutionary period in Irish history bring powerful and significant perspectives to the complicated story which has shaped modern Ireland.”
Dr Sandra Collins, University Librarian at University College Dublin said: “We are delighted to add these voices recounting the impact of the Civil War to the National Folklore Collection in UCD Library. Having the interviews preserved and available in the National Folklore Collection supports research and teaching across the university, and enables us to increase awareness and engagement across Ireland and internationally. This is a very valuable addition to a range of successful activities carried out by UCD throughout the Decade of Centenaries.”
Liam McGrath, Executive Producer of The Silent Civil War said: “It was a great privilege for our team to sit down and record so many people about the stories of the Irish Civil War that were passed down to them. We are delighted that all these interviews will be preserved for future generations to learn from.”
The Silent Civil War is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries Programme, 2012 – 2023. Commissioned by RTÉ, this series was produced by Scratch Films in association with the National Folklore Collection, UCD and RTÉ Archives.
Key members of Silent Civil War Memory Project Historical team include: Dr. Conor Mulvagh, UCD School of History, Dr. Críostóir MacCárthaigh, National Folklore Collection, Dr. Mary McAuliffe, Tomás MacConmara, Liz Gillis, Caitlin White, Dr Síobhra Aiken and Thomas O’Callaghan.
The Silent Civil War will air RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player on Wednesday 26th April, 9.35pm and continues Wednesday 3rd May.
The television series is accompanied by a library of supporting pieces written by those involved in the project. This is available on www.rte.ie/history
IMAGE: Dr Sandra Collins, University Librarian, UCD President-elect Professor Orla Feely, Dee Forbes, Director General, RTÉ and Liam McGrath, Scratch Films at the launch of The Silent Civil War at UCD which will be aired across RTÉ platforms, presenting over 100 hours of unedited material and testimonies of Irish Civil War revolutionaries and their families to the National Folklore Collection in UCD Library