Irish History DVD

Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 or region free DVD player in order to play Disc 1 Cromwell - Conquering The Emerald Isle 1 x 4500 min When the Irish Royalists rose up against English rule Oliver Cromwell invaded Ireland to quash the rebellion Cromwell was only in Ireland for 40 weeks but his bloody brutal campaign cast a long ugly shadow He felt justified in ordering the massacre of nearly 3500 soldiers and civilians because they continued to defend the city of Drogheda after the walls had been breached With ruthless thunder he eventually brought Ireland to its knees conquering the nation for the English Crown Disc 2 Famine to Freedom 1 x 5000 min The Great Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1851 saw an estimated 12 million people die of starvation and disease and
another 15 million emigrate to other countries such as Canada and the United States The devastation and the loss of family members was unparalleled The force behind this disaster was a deadly biological agent a pathogen so strong that it had the power to take out the potato crop of a whole country in just one month! Disc 3 The Irish in America 1 x 9600 min Powerful moving and insightful this unique documentary tells this story of the Irish immigrant experience in America from the colonial period of 1650 through the turn of the 20th century We profile the Irish involvement in the American Revolution the Age of Jackson the Mexican and Civil Wars the Calfornia Gold Rush and the taming of the American West It is a tale of how resilient people turned poverty into prosperity and changed the
American continent forever Contrasted is the suffering of the Irish living at home under British Rule and their fight for freedom and justice Disc 4 James Joyce 1 x 4400 min Author of Dubliners Ulysses and Finnegans Wake James Joyce was one of the greatest and most controversial figures of the 20th century His works were so graphic in detail they were banned as obscene and he was prosecuted for indecency Every friendship he made destroyed by his contempt for others and every relationship consumed by jealousy A voyeur and pornographer Joyce was exiled and condemned from his native Ireland as a satanic blasphemer But to others James Joyce was a tormented genius Disc 5 Curious Journey - The 1916 Easter Rising 1 x 6500 min In 1973 Kenneth Griffith the renowned documentary maker gathered
together a group of veterans of the Easter Rising Almost half a century after those terrible events this highly diverse group - branded terrorists by the British in their youth - gave their own account of what is was like to live through those turbulent times It is a powerful and heartfelt testament to nine brave men and women who risked their lives for their country Disc 6 JP Donleavy&s Ireland 1 x 5000 min Born in Brooklyn New York of immigrant Irish parents iconoclaustic author James Patrick Donleavy undertakes an emotional odyssey around his adopted homeland This touching programme offers a unique glimpse into his life and literacy background from his hedonistic days at Trinity College to his creative roots at Kilcoole where he wrote his controversial first novel The Ginger Man It is a
heartfelt journey of remembrance that reveals a beguiling country of breathtaking beauty