Mick Clifford: Hard truths of the 1922 Bandon Valley massacre 

TG4 documentary provides a sharp-edged shovel with which to dig into a shamefulepisode of Ireland’s history that has long been kept buried, writes Mick Clifford

On the 100th anniversary of the Bandon Valley massacre, Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, Dr Paul Colton, lays a wreath on the grave of victim David Gray in Dunmanway. Picture: Andy Gibson.

The centenary commemorations of the revolutionary period have been relatively sedate, tiptoeing around any lingering controversies that might reopen old wounds. This has particularly been the case in anything to do with events following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in December 1921.

Prior to the treaty, the movement for independence was as one. Afterwards came the split, not just in personnel of the day but narratives that were to endure for decades.