Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland

Terrascotia has taken the trouble in this forum to make a strong argument against this series. I respect that person's point of view but I profoundly disagree with those conclusions.

My wife and I finished watching the series last night and we have both urged our children and others to watch it. We are both 69 years old and lived through the events in Belfast and in Derry.

I never felt that watching this was providing vicarious thrills. Rather I felt that this format presented vividly the experiences of individuals from different traditions in ways which seemed very fresh and honest. There was no attempt to provide a detailed history - this was done very well in the Spotlight series - here it was all about what the Troubles really meant to different people at the time and in retrospect. Some of it was very difficult to listen to but so worthwhile.

Making it about individuals, not just 'sides'. I was grateful for this timely reminder of how awful things were / still are in some ways and especially for giving a voice to victims who tend to be conveniently forgotten in the rush to garner votes.

I was born in the 70s and grew up as a child in the 80s in the United States. I am an American of primarily Northern Irish (and British) ancestry, and when hearing news stories about bombings and violence I remember thinking how horrible these people who could have easily been my family if they had stayed. But I was a kid it was across the pond so whatever so I forgot five minutes after heading the news story.

I thought the approach to the film, a 5 part series of slow interviews, was a snooze fest at first. But as you watch the series, you realize how the Troubles went from isolated events that didn't register to families and communities being torn apart. It really builds and drives home the point that these were just ordinary people.

Really enjoyed this and learned a lot.

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.

This is one of the best documentaries I have seen on just about any subject. However, I know this subject well, so I can confirm the stories are true. They are told from the perspective of those who experienced the events, and told with incredible honesty. Even when I disagreed fundamentally with the perspective, I still found myself convinced of the honesty of the storyteller.

My only niggling concern was the lack of a detailed explanation on how Northern Ireland came about - British imperialism. The UK is to Ireland what Russia is to the Ukraine...400 years after the invasion.

To this day England does not understand Ireland. To this day England has a sense of right to be in a country not made by human maps, but by geography itself - it is a separate island, with a native people. In this documentary the Irish are still being referred to as 'terrorists' by the same people who are currently supplying ammunition to the Ukrainian fight for sovereignty. Contradiction???

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.