FROM THAT SMALL ISLAND – The story of the Irish is a four-part documentary series which tells the story of the Irish from the very first inhabitants to the present day, tracing the ebb and flow of people into and out of the island.
Who are the Irish? Where did they come from? Where do they go? 6 million people live on the island of Ireland, but over 80 million people worldwide say they are Irish. What does that mean? Why, in a totally unprecedented manner, does the whole world turn green on St Patrick’s Day?
Brought to you by the same team behind the multi-award winning series 1916, FROM THAT SMALL ISLAND – The story of the Irish is a COCO Content production written and produced by Bríona Nic Dhiarmada and directed by Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy. Shot on location in 17 countries worldwide, the series provides a compelling narrative of Ireland and the Irish. It is narrated by Colin Farrell and the original score is by Colm Mac Con Iomaire.
Episode 2
This episode looks at the transformation of Ireland and the Irish after the arrival of the Normans. We begin this episode by taking a snapshot of Europe in the year 1,000 and Ireland’s place within it. We trace the story of the Normans, the biggest catastrophes in how the Black Death affected Ireland.
The impact of the Tudors on the story of the Irish. The rise of the Tudors also coincided with a seismic event in Europe, the Protestant reformation. We trace its impact on Ireland and its effect on questions of identity which continue to have an impact to this day. Under Elizabeth I, the English presence in Ireland intensified with massacres and plantation. The Gaelic Irish and the Old English of the towns as they were known, identified strongly as Catholics, and looked to Elizabeth’s enemies in Catholic Europe for help. Many Irish went to Europe, to Leuven in today’s Belgium, to Lisbon to Salamanca where they forged the notion of an Irish nation that was united by their Catholic religion. Spain, as England’s main Catholic enemy, was seen by the Irish as their main ally. We trace Spanish support for Irish resistance which culminated in the disastrous defeat at Kinsale.
