On this, the 90th anniversary of the Armistice which ended the Great War in 1918, RTE’s Archive Production Unit has restored “Sown in Tears and Blood”. This programme commemorates all those Irishmen from both north and south of the border who fought and died during the First World War. The names of the battles fought –The Somme, The Messines – echo down through the years as they claimed the lives of thousands, and deeply affected their families and friends.
Yet those who survived came home to an Ireland that had changed utterly. “… a terrible beauty” had, indeed, been born in their absence: the 1916 Rising had taken place and Sinn Fein where on the threshold of a famous win in the 1918 general election. As a result, those from the south were forgotten and almost written out of the history books while in the north, the red poppy of remembrance became a symbol of division and bitterness.
In this programme, Irish veterans of the Great War and their families tell their stories while a group of teenagers – some of whose ancestors had fought or fallen in the conflict – come together to build a tower in their honour. It is beautifully illustrated with footage of the time, and poignantly profiles the personal experiences of those in the trenches. The programme also explores the complexities of what motivated them to be on the front lines during WWI, and attitudes to them in the aftermath. It simultaneously tracks the experiences of a new generation as they uncover the part their family members played in this global conflict.
Produced by Margaret Ward and presented by Myles Dungan, “Sown in Tears and Blood” was first made and broadcast in 1998. At the time, President Mary MacAleese and Queen Elizabeth II attended a ceremony to remember the 35,000 Irishmen who lost their lives in WWI, and so it marked the beginnings of a reclaiming of this hidden part of our history together.