Barry’s bloody war

“JUDGED by English standards, the Irish are a difficult and unsatisfactory people.

Their civilisation is different, and in many ways lower than that of the English. They are entirely lacking the Englishman’s distinctive respect for the truth.”

This paragraph from a British report into the situation in Ireland around the War of Independence gives some clue as to why the world’s biggest empire made such a balls of the situation. It is quoted in Tom Barry — Guerilla Days in Ireland, (Wednesday, TG4, 9.30pm), an exploration of the life of the legendary guerilla leader.

The son of an RIC officer, Barry was born in Killorglin, Co Kerry, and achieved an international reputation for his leadership of the Third West Cork Brigade and its hit-and-run tactics against the British.

Ironically, Barry learnt much of his soldiering while serving in the British army in WWI. This documentary shows how he had little inclination towards nationalism until he read a report of the 1916 Rising while he was serving in Mesopotamia (now Iraq). From there we see how he rose through the ranks in the IRA, achieving his most famous victories with the ambushes at Kilmichael and Crossbarry, which inflicted dozens of casualties on the British.

One of the main hooks of the programme is the addressing of a controversy among historians looking at the Kilmichael ambush. This has become quite a heated debate in history circles, but for most viewers will merely be a minor side story.

One of the most interesting aspects to emerge from the footage of Barry’s interviews in later life is his rejection of any romanticism about an era which is often viewed with green-tinted glasses. For him, the conflict was bloody and savage. “They went down into the mire to destroy our nation and down after them we had to go,” he says. Overall, a fascinating account of a remarkable man who came to the fore in incredible times.

Meanwhile, Big Fat Gypsy Weddings (Tuesday, Channel 4, 9pm) promises a five-part look inside gypsy and Traveller culture in Britain. First up is an episode looking at the milestones in a Traveller girl’s life, including the wedding and its accompanying fashions which provoke so much reaction in the settled community. We also hear female Travellers talk about their lives: why they marry so young, how they can’t drink alcohol before they are married, and why their courtships are so tightly controlled.

Sky subscribers are in for a treat from February with the launch of the network’s Atlantic channel. With content comprised of quality American shows, it will be free to current subscribers (Chorus/NTL/UPC are currently negotiating to see if they can also get it as part of their service). Other than Mad Men, most of the shows will be from HBO, with classics such as The Wire and The Sopranos augmented by some impressive new series. More details next week.

Finally, the annual gripe about the scheduling of Mad Men (Monday, RTÉ One, midnight). Perhaps the national broadcaster has a good reason for using licence-payers’ money to import a top American show and then put it on at such an inaccessible time. Or perhaps not.