Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland

Some may argue, that the "troubles" (too trivial a term for the "Horrors" they were) are past history, and to let it rest.

No.

You can learn from history, and hopefully avoid a repeat of it. (sadly due to human nature a faint hope).

This series examined the history of people who were involved in, (and those not directly involved), who suffered as a result, through absolutely riveting interviews interspersed with well selected news items. The interviewees came across as being totally truthful with very little disingenuity. (In a very few areas I caught a whiff of BS)

My background covers both sides involved, so a lot of the material was familiar to me. I do have an opinion on the root causes of the problem which allowed the "Horrors" to escalate, so perhaps at the start was viewing it in a slightly partisan way, but having watched this it's made it even clearer that no side "won". Everyone lost. Bravo to the team who made it.

I was growing up during the time of The Troubles, but I live in America, and I am not Irish, so while I was aware of all of this going on, the immediacy was never there. Also, being an American, there are not a lot of things out there to watch and learn more about The Troubles. Maybe this documentary just barely scratches the surface for some, but for me, it was a very educational experience.

As others have noted, I was also taken aback (but in a good way) at the rawness, authenticity, honesty and the ability to self-reflect of most of the people in this documentary, both Catholics and Protestants alike who discussed their experiences. To me, this was as balanced and down-the-middle as humanly possible, and I also appreciated that very much.

We've all heard the story of how war, then eventually peace, came to Northern Ireland, usually told from the perspective of the major protagonists: the politicians, and the terrorists who became political leaders. Their self-justifications can feel over-familiar and self-serving. But this series interviews a collection of ordinary people, affected by the conflict in various ways, telling their stories with remarkable honesty. Instead of carefully crafted apologies and non-apologies, they tell us how it was to live through "the troubles". I found myself full of respect for many of these people, but understanding even of those who made choices that I hope I would never have done; and impressed by (but also seeing the limits of) the resilience of the human spirit. Even if you think you've had your fill of Northern Ireland documentaries, this one is well worth watching.

I didn't grow up in Northern Ireland, although the news throughout my childhood was dominated by events in Ulster.

This series is one of the best 'oral history' programmes I've seen. It's like a mini 'World at War' for the 70s, 80s and 90s in Northern Ireland. It features primary accounts from those involved in 'The Troubles' on all sides with the benefit of hindsight.

I watched it with my kids who enthralled. They were horrified at the atrocities that took place in a corner of the United Kingdom just a generation ago. It provided a hard hitting context the the lessons they're taught at school which will hopefully prevent this from happening again.

Growing up in 80s in Dublin this was just something that was happening on the news. This brought the reality home to me for the first time. Two hours up the road was so far away back then. This is possibly the most important thing I have ever watched on tv. Mind blowing insight into the ordinary peoples lives at the time. I knew all of these story's but not like this. The emotion of the people talking about the time and the journeys they have been on are incredible. This should be shown to kids all over the world to show how division in a community can bring such hate and murder to the most ordinary of people.