Ireland’s Rising, a new four-part series starting this Sunday November 29, will feature four household names returning to their ancestral county to explore its connections with 1916.
The series, which marks the start of RTÉ One’s 1916 programming, sees Anne Doyle, Ryan Tubridy, Fiona Shaw and Donegal’s Jim McGuinness travel to Wexford, Galway, Cork and Donegal respectively to learn about their county’s circumstances in 1916 and to discover how each county is planning to commemorate the centenary.
The four will find out what was going on during that fateful week in April, how their own family lived at the time and will meet with people who are commemorating the nation’s turning point in diverse and creative ways.
Their assumptions will be challenged as they find out how the events of Easter week weren’t just limited to Dublin and the GPO, hopefully prompting every county in the country to reflect on their own connections with 1916.
Donegal's Jim McGuinness
In Donegal Jim discovers that his family’s connections with Scotland stretch right back to 1916. He also discovers how a native Irish speaking member of the RIC was one of the first casualties of the Rising in the entire country (Constable Charles McGee) and how the majority of young men in Donegal were fighting in the Somme in April 1916.
The former All-Ireland winning Donegal GAA team manager also discovers that two unsuspecting Donegal fishermen from Gola Island were on board the Asgard in the Howth gunrunning in 1914 when the majority of arms used in the Easter Rising were obtained.
Ireland’s Rising, which will begin this Sunday at 8.30pm and run over four successive Sundays, will also be available to watch on the RTÉ Player.
Ireland’s Rising is part of RTÉ 1916, in partnership with Ireland 2016 www.ireland.ie
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