Donegal’s Brian Cannon from Leitirmacaward will feature in episode 1 of The Silent Civil War, which airs this Wednesday 26th April, 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
In an incredibly compelling interview, Brian speaks about his uncle Barney Cannon who was shot at Creeslough Barracks in Donegal in March 1923.
His death was cited as the reason anti-Treaty prisoners in Drumboe Castle were shot.
Brian (pictured above) details Barney’s upbringing in Donegal, family background, involvement in IRA & joining the Free State Army after the Treaty, and also discusses the night Barney was shot.
Another one of the stories from Donegal includes Kieran Glennon from Dublin, who describes his grandfather Tom Glennon – a member of the Free State Army who was assigned to Donegal, acting under General Joe Sweeney.
He describes an incident in Churchill, where they arranged a truce and sought to have discussions with IRA Commandeer Charlie Daly, before going on to discuss Daly’s capture by the Free State Army in Dunlewey.
The documentary series also unearths over 30 hours of previously unheard audio recordings of 32 prominent figures involved in those revolutionary years in Ireland. Recorded by a young American researcher, Harlan J. Strauss, as part of his post-graduate work in 1972, the tapes feature original recordings of Frank Aiken, Dan Breen, Peadar O’Donnell, Máire Comerford, John A. Costello, Ernest Blythe, Seán Dowling among many others. Those tapes have remained untouched for fifty years.
At a launch screening in UCD, over 100 hours of unedited material including the Harlan J. Strauss archive and over 80 interviews recorded for the series was presented to the National Folklore Collection, where it will now permanently reside.
RTÉ Director General, Dee Forbes said: “I am so proud of this important two-part documentary series which we are bringing, with the support of our partners, to RTÉ One and RTÉ Player and which forms part of the latest chapter of RTÉ’s continuing commemoration of the Decade of Centenaries. The inclusion of invaluable memories of the Civil War that were passed on through families and communities throughout Ireland, along with audio recordings of men and women central to this revolutionary period in Irish history bring powerful and significant perspectives to the complicated story which has shaped modern Ireland.”
Dr Sandra Collins, University Librarian at University College Dublin said: “We are delighted to add these voices recounting the impact of the Civil War to the National Folklore Collection in UCD Library. Having the interviews preserved and available in the National Folklore Collection supports research and teaching across the university, and enables us to increase awareness and engagement across Ireland and internationally. This is a very valuable addition to a range of successful activities carried out by UCD throughout the Decade of Centenaries.”
Kieran Glennon
Liam McGrath, Executive Producer of The Silent Civil War said: “It was a great privilege for our team to sit down and record so many people about the stories of the Irish Civil War that were passed down to them. We are delighted that all these interviews will be preserved for future generations to learn from.”
The Silent Civil War is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries Programme, 2012 – 2023. Commissioned by RTÉ, this series was produced by Scratch Films in association with the National Folklore Collection, UCD and RTÉ Archives.
Key members of Silent Civil War Memory Project Historical team include: Dr. Conor Mulvagh, UCD School of History, Dr. Críostóir MacCárthaigh, National Folklore Collection, Dr. Mary McAuliffe, Tomás MacConmara, Liz Gillis, Caitlin White, Dr Síobhra Aiken and Thomas O’Callaghan.
The Silent Civil War will air RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player on Wednesday 26th April, 9.35pm and continues Wednesday 3rd May.
The television series is accompanied by a library of supporting pieces written by those involved in the project. This is available on www.rte.ie/history
The Silent Civil War will air RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player on Wednesday 26th April, 9.35pm and continues Wednesday 3rd May.
