Top award at IFTAs for story of soldiers’ struggle, The Siege of Jadotville

A moving story about a troop of heroic Irish soldiers on a mission in the Congo was the big winner at this year’s Irish Film and Television Awards, scooping three prestigious gongs.

The Siege of Jadotville, a straight-to-Netflix movie which is based on real events, tells of how Commander Pat Quinlan, played by Hollywood heartthrob Jamie Dornan, led his men into a battle against French and Belgian mercenaries in the Congo.

While the soldiers survived their siege, against all odds, and fought back without losing a single man, they were eventually forced to surrender. When they were released and returned to Ireland, they were shunned as the Jadotville Jacks.