Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland

We've all heard the story of how war, then eventually peace, came to Northern Ireland, usually told from the perspective of the major protagonists: the politicians, and the terrorists who became political leaders. Their self-justifications can feel over-familiar and self-serving. But this series interviews a collection of ordinary people, affected by the conflict in various ways, telling their stories with remarkable honesty. Instead of carefully crafted apologies and non-apologies, they tell us how it was to live through "the troubles". I found myself full of respect for many of these people, but understanding even of those who made choices that I hope I would never have done; and impressed by (but also seeing the limits of) the resilience of the human spirit. Even if you think you've had your fill of Northern Ireland documentaries, this one is well worth watching.

I very much enjoyed this series.

I remember as a child watching the nightly news reports on the conflict and growing up in England, how we were targets for the IRA.

Many British cities were targeted by the IRA, including my own, in the Birmingham pub bombings.

The participants interviewed provided their view on events in Northern Ireland. Recollections from UDA, IRA, UFF and members of the British army, amongst others, are provided.

I felt their views came across as honest. There are many harrowing recollections of family members murdered by different factions and how they themselves took part in murder and bombings.

It also shows how people can change and how the Irish population were eventually ground down by the whole thing. Thankfully, the peace process was eventually achieved.

The conflict will stay in my memory as a horrible dirty war, with atrocities carried out by all sides, and for what?

I didn't grow up in Northern Ireland, although the news throughout my childhood was dominated by events in Ulster.

This series is one of the best 'oral history' programmes I've seen. It's like a mini 'World at War' for the 70s, 80s and 90s in Northern Ireland. It features primary accounts from those involved in 'The Troubles' on all sides with the benefit of hindsight.

I watched it with my kids who enthralled. They were horrified at the atrocities that took place in a corner of the United Kingdom just a generation ago. It provided a hard hitting context the the lessons they're taught at school which will hopefully prevent this from happening again.

I was born in the 70s and grew up as a child in the 80s in the United States. I am an American of primarily Northern Irish (and British) ancestry, and when hearing news stories about bombings and violence I remember thinking how horrible these people who could have easily been my family if they had stayed. But I was a kid it was across the pond so whatever so I forgot five minutes after heading the news story.

I thought the approach to the film, a 5 part series of slow interviews, was a snooze fest at first. But as you watch the series, you realize how the Troubles went from isolated events that didn't register to families and communities being torn apart. It really builds and drives home the point that these were just ordinary people.

Really enjoyed this and learned a lot.

Wow, what a find. First its a wonderful history of the "troubles" - if you want know the background of how it all started, the conflicting beliefs and views and where all the anger came from it does a great job. But the real tribute to this production is how it does it. Interviewing all sides, exploring all the different perspectives and revealing all the pain, anger and suffering on all sides. The futility of all this hate and violence, the unbearable suffering and pain inflicted by all parties on each other - the sheer waste of so much life. A truly remarkable insight into this terrible period of life in this part of the world. A must watch.