| Genre: | Documentary drama |
| Director: | Michael Garvey Louis Lentin |
| Narrated: | Ray McAnally |
| Composer: | A. J. Potter |
| Country: | Ireland |
| Language: | English |
| Num Series: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 8 |
| Producer: | Louis Lentin |
| Editor: | Bob Hill Michael Stoffer |
| Camera: | Tony Barry |
| Runtime: | Eight 30-minute episodes |
| Network: | Telefís Éireann |
Insurrection is an Irish documentary drama portraying the 1916 Easter Rising. It was written by Hugh Leonard and directed by Michael Garvey and Louis Lentin. It was first broadcast on Telefís Éireann in Ireland on 10 April 1966, and later on the BBC in the United Kingdom, ABC in Australia, and several other European countries. Only one series of eight episodes was made, with each episode broadcast on consecutive nights. The series was repeated on 1 May 1966 when it was shown in its entirety, and again in 2016 during the centenary of the Rising.
The series portrays the 1916 Easter Rising which was mounted by Irish republicans to end British rule in Ireland and establish an independent Irish Republic. The events were reconstructed as they might have been seen on an Irish television service at the time. Ray McAnally acted as the studio anchor of a news programme that presented daily coverage of the Rising as it unfolded, with Telefís Éireann reporters broadcasting on-the-spot updates of the events and conducting interviews with key participants. Along with the key figures of the insurrection, the series also looked at the action in the General Post Office, Liberty Hall, and events like the Battle of Mount Street Bridge. Incidents outside Dublin such as the arrest of Roger Casement, the sinking of the so-called SS Aud, and the Battle of Ashbourne were introduced into the programmes as filmed news items of the day. McAnally interviewed guests in-studio and also used models and street maps to clarify details for viewers.[1]
Insurrection received critical acclaim from television critics. Described in the RTV Guide as "undoubtedly the most difficult and ambitious project ever attempted by Irish television", the series formed the centrepiece of Telefís Éireann's 1916 golden jubilee commemoration. It was regarded as pioneering in its use of the outside broadcast unit to record drama on location and its presentation of an historical event in the style of modern television war reporting. This technique was borrowed from the 1964 BBC TV film Culloden.[2]
On 8 March 2016, RTÉ announced that Insurrection would be rebroadcast as part of their 1916 centenary commemoration.[3]
In the summer of 1965, the director-general of Telefís Éireann, Kevin McCourt, selected a group of senior production and administrative staff to arrange a programme scheme for the 1966 golden jubilee of the Easter Rising. In addition to planning the outside broadcast coverage of public ceremonials, Telefís Éireann also intended to make programmes to give the historical background to the Rising. One of the early proposals - a commissioned drama based on the events of the Rising - was discussed but considered impractical on both technical and cost grounds. The view of the broadcasting authority was reportedly that all programming should place more emphasis on the surviving participants of the Rising, rather than a re-assessment by historians. After detailed revision by the producers’ group during August 1965, four main programme strands emerged. As part of these four strands, the programme planning committee returned to the previously rejected idea of an historical drama.
Hugh Leonard was commissioned to write the scripts and described his task as 'an invitation no writer in his senses could turn down; an opportunity to write a definitive television history of the most improbable insurrection of this or any other century.' Assisted by historian Kevin B. Nowlan, Leonard's script was heavily influenced by Max Caulfield's The Easter Rebellion, which had been published in 1964.
Although Telefís Éireann was only four years old, the outside broadcast and film units had gained excellent experience in event coverage, notably during the visit of President John F. Kennedy to Ireland in 1963. In addition to event coverage, the outside broadcast unit was used in another way. At the time, filming drama was a slow and expensive process, but the outside broadcast unit staff developed a cost-effective and innovative method using electronic cameras to record drama on location. This practice had increased Telefís Éireann's drama output, taken pressure off scarce studio time and brought some Irish TV drama away from the traditional studio set - most notably The Riordans.
During November and December 1965 Michael Garvey directed several film sequences, including the sinking of the Aud at Banna Strand and the Battle of Ashbourne. Extras were provided by the Irish Defence Forces. Louis Lentin also filmed several sequences, beginning with the lancers’ charge in Sackville Street. Filming on O'Connell Street proved to be quite a challenge, not only due to the proliferation of contemporary signage, bus stops, TV aerials and cars, but also because of the large numbers of interested onlookers. Nearby householders were persuaded to remove rooftop TV aerials, change curtains that were too modern in design and hide garden ornaments.
When the film inserts were complete, work began in the studios. Unfortunately, by late 1965, several buildings in Dublin connected with 1916, such as Liberty Hall, the South Dublin Union and the Mendicity Institute, were gone or modified beyond recognition. So essential locations such as Clanwilliam House were recreated as studio sets. The GPO interior in Studio 1 was the largest set ever built by Telefís Éireann. The principal designer, Alpho O’Reilly, took great care in ensuring period detail of tunics, weapons, vehicles, furniture and other properties. He had even located the original 1916 GPO clock in a Board of Works store. For actors, crew and production staff this studio GPO was to prove a difficult work environment. The final scenes involved action, special effects and complicated camera plots, and at one point actors and crew had to work surrounded by smoke, explosions and a real fire. Army experts in explosives and armaments, in-house safety officers and professional firemen were constantly on duty.
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