The latest episode was incredible.
While the majority of Irish people are well versed in the history of The Troubles, it’s a testament to the team working on Spotlight on The Troubles: A Secret History that they’re finding new angles, footage and material from such a difficult period in Irish history.
The first two episodes were extremely strong, but the most recent instalment of the seven-part series switched the narrative focus outside of Ireland. In doing so, it focused on the IRA and their ties with Libya and the US.
The Jennifer O’Leary-led episode also discussed the hunger strikes, the bombings that killed Lord Mountbatten, two others in Sligo, and 18 soldiers in Warrenpoint and featured a very candid admission from Patrick Ryan about the Brighton bombing, an IRA attack which almost killed Margaret Thatcher.
Ryan, a former priest from Tipperary, was asked if Thatcher was correct when she connected him to the Brighton bomb. He replied: “One hundred per cent.”
Asked if he had any regrets, Mr Ryan said: “I regret that I wasn’t even more effective, absolutely. I would have liked to have been much more effective, but we didn’t do too badly.”
Ryan also discussed his role in organising IRA arms shipments from Libya and how he introduced a new type of time bomb to the IRA’s arsenal.
The footage from the aftermath of the Enniskillen bombing was haunting.
“I regret that I wasn’t even more effective”
Margaret Thatcher described Patrick Ryan as a very dangerous man with an expert knowledge of bombing.
The Troubles: A Secret History
Continues tonight at 9.00 on @BBCOneNI#SpotlightNI #TheTroubles @Jen_O_Leary pic.twitter.com/WZY3Pz2o4M— BBC Spotlight NI (@BBCSpotlightNI) September 24, 2019
Truth be told, the entire hour featured some extraordinary moments, such as the story of the five US-based men acquitted of all charges of conspiring to smuggle weapons to the IRA.
In November 1982, five self-confessed IRA gun smugglers – including Michael Flannery, the 80-year-old founder of Noraid (an Irish American organisation best known for raising funds for the Provisional Irish Republican Army) – were found not guilty of transporting an arsenal of weapons and ammunition into Northern Ireland.
The five men claimed they bought the arms from an arms dealer who was an undercover CIA agent.
Declassified files have now shown that the CIA, with a licence to export weapons, had helped their operation in order to monitor the flow of arms to Ireland and prevent the IRA from turning to the Soviet Union for arms, the defence claimed.
It was a defence the jury found credible.
The documentary also told the story of Pat Nee, an IRA arms supplier and a leading member of the South Boston mob – as well as an associate of the infamous gangster, James Whitey Bulger.
“When Whitey walked into a bar, all the beer went flat – there was no joy in the man”
Pat Nee was an IRA arms supplier and a leading member of the South Boston mob – as well as an associate of the infamous James Whitey Bulger.#SpotlightNI #TheTroubles @Jen_O_Leary pic.twitter.com/2r5d8nGL03
— BBC Spotlight NI (@BBCSpotlightNI) September 24, 2019
While the recent episode did feature bloodshed and controversy, it also documented how Irish republicans developed their political strategies, which culminated in Gerry Adams’ election to parliament.
However, success at the ballot box began to build tension inside the IRA between those who wanted to build their political path and those who primarily adhered to their long war.
Granted, the last two episodes have been primarily focused on the IRA – here’s hoping that future instalments will focus on the loyalist paramilitaries and their collusion with the British government – but the most recent episode has certainly left an impression on viewers.
With four more episodes to go, Spotlight on The Troubles: A Secret History looks set establish itself as one of the finest long-form examinations of The Troubles.
Plenty of viewers agree with that sentiment.
This is landmark TV ,would like to see more about the leadership/politics of the UVF/UDA , surprised that Bernadette Devlin hasn’t featured more ? My memory of that time she & Paisley were always on TV ? #thetroubles
— Mick Sharry (@Mylesahead) September 24, 2019
For the third week running, @BBCFOUR's #TheTroubles is gripping journalism –
Patrick Ryan, parish priest, was the go-between linking the IRA with Libya's leader and arms supplier Col Gadaffi, of whom he said: "He was a fine fella, one of the best I ever met. We got on very well"— Mark Blacklock ([email protected]) (@MarxMedia) September 24, 2019
https://twitter.com/__chloegibson__/status/1176602778061418496
Not sure why it is tucked away on BBC4 as Spotlight on the Troubles is some of the best factual TV I can remember. Proper, big revelations – fantastic piece of work. 👏🏻
— Brendan McGinty (@brendanjmcginty) September 24, 2019
The Spotlight series; The Troubles – A Secret History gets better every week. The team obviously spent a lot of time on making and researching this. Great interviews and revelations @BBCSpotlightNI
— Barry Whyte (@BarryWhyte85) September 24, 2019
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
