The whole of Ireland is planning for next year’s centenary of the Easter Rising with events, masses, activities and tributes of all kinds scheduled up and down the country.
One industry that will lead the way is film and television and RTÉ have announced that there are several productions in the pipeline offering different insights on the Rising.
One of the main TV shows scheduled is a five part drama series called Rebellion which is set in the early 20th century as Ireland struggled for independence from Britain.
RTÉ head of drama Jane Grogan said: “Rebellion will tell personal stories which are intertwined with the political events of the time. However, it is a drama, not a history lesson, and our story is told from the perspectives of a group of fictional characters who live through the political events of 1916. Men, women and children from Belfast, Dublin, and London — people whose lives were irrevocably changed by this extraordinary period.”
Several other dramas are planned including Generation, a five-part series which will focus on the three weeks that surrounded the Rising and also the impact it had around the world.
A TG4 production called Wrecking the Rising will see three time travellers go back to 1916 and potentially change the course of history.
The Rising leaders were sentenced to death after appearing before a military court. TV3 production Trial of the Century will investigate what might have happened had the leaders actually faced a full trial before a judge and jury, and given full rights of defence.
Viewers can also look forward to a teen musical in which five youngsters take over an abandoned post office and start a music revolution.
Next year will also see actor Michael Neeson follow in the footsteps of his father Liam, in playing Irish hero Michael Collins on screen. Neeson Jr is set to portray Collins in 1916 drama The Rising.
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