RTÉ to broadcast The Irish Question

Through a wide range of perspectives, this documentary looks at how Ireland might navigate one of the defining political questions of the future

Wednesday, July 29, 9:35pm, RTÉ One and RTÉ Player 

RTÉ will broadcast The Irish Question on Tuesday, July 29, a feature documentary from filmmaker Alan Gilsenan and journalist John Walsh that explores one of the most consequential questions facing the future of the island of Ireland.

The documentary examines the growing debate around Irish unity through the voices of political leaders, historians, writers and campaigners from across Ireland, Northern Ireland, Britain and the United States. Rather than advocating a particular outcome, The Irish Question asks whether public discussion has kept pace with the scale of the issues involved, and whether the lessons of Brexit demonstrate the impacts of entering profound constitutional change without fully understanding its implications.

The film combines political analysis with personal reflection, exploring the legacy of conflict, the achievements of the Good Friday Agreement, competing visions of identity and sovereignty and the opportunities and challenges that could shape Ireland’s future.

Speaking on the documentary, director Alan Gilsenan said, “For too long, some of us on this island have dreamt of a United Ireland without ever really giving it any real thought or consideration. That time is now over. Either we begin to imagine a real future for all the people on this island, or we rush on stumbling, unthinking, into the Irish equivalent of Brexit.”

Among those featured are Bill Clinton, Bertie Ahern, Mary Lou McDonald, John Major, former Leo Varadkar, Mike Nesbitt, Monica McWilliams, Gerry Adams, Susan McKay, Fintan O’Toole, Linda Irvine among others.

Reflecting on the choices facing societies divided by identity, former US President Bill Clinton says:
“The real question, the biggest question in the world today is, are we gonna be inclusive tribalists or divisive tribalists?”

Other contributors reflect on the compromises that made the Good Friday Agreement possible and what may be required if constitutional change is to be considered in the future. Bertie Ahern argues that lasting peace was only possible through compromise, while Mary Lou McDonald says that although “the past cannot be unwritten or undone”, it should not prevent people from building a shared future.

Through a wide range of perspectives, The Irish Question offers a timely and thought-provoking examination of how Ireland might navigate one of the defining political questions of the coming decades.

Watch The Irish Question on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, Wednesday July 29 at 9:35pm.

ENDS 

Sharon Sorohan, RTÉ Senior Communications Lead