Ireland's Rising

In episode one Anne Doyle visited her home county of Wexford, where one of the most significant Risings outside of Dublin took place in Enniscorthy. Hailing from Ferns, near Boolavogue and the Harrow, Anne was very aware of her county's rebel credentials but was interested to find out more about what transpired there on Easter week and why. Anne travelled to Enniscorthy where she learnt about how 300 rebels rose in Enniscorthy after receiving a direct order from the GPO which was delivered to them by their leader Peter Paul Galligan who travelled to Enniscorthy by bicycle under the cover of night. Anne meets with Colm Galligan, Peter Paul's son to find out more about his father's epic cycle. Anne's own family were farm labourers in 1916. Her grandfather John was 35 when the Rising took place and would have been working long hours on the land when the Rising was being planned. Anne visits the farm where her grandfather worked and finds out more about the daily life of a farm labourer. Anne spends time Ballinahallen Woods near Ferns to gain some insight into what it might have felt like for the Ferns Volunteers who waited there as confusion reined as to whether the Rising was going ahead or not. She meets with local school children who are researching their ancestry as part of a short film that is being produced to commemorate 1916. She also meets with their elderly relatives in the 1916 museum and finds out about the research they are doing into their great grandparents or great great grandparents who rose during the Enniscorthy Rising. And Anne meet Felicity Hayes McCoy, a relative of one of the Cumann na mBan members who rose the tricolour over the Volunteer Headquarters, The Atheneum (a theatre in the town).

Ryan Tubridy travels to Galway to learn about circumstances in 1916 and to discover how the county is planning to commemorate the centenary.

In Donegal Jim McGuinness discovers that his family’s connections with Scotland stretch right back to 1916

Fiona Shaw returns to her old school in Cork, to work with the students on re-imagining the Proclamation.