Not so fast. Resisting definitions is not as innocent as filmmakers intend.
Foreign films have a tendency of avoiding definitions when it comes to the IRA. All the stereotypes and context clues are presented, but the films or shows never go as far as naming the organization. This, Connelly points out, “allows filmmakers to exploit the public’s fascination with the IRA while clearly stating that their scripts are not a political commentary.” This maneuvering around political commentary, however, is of course a commentary of its own. The reluctance to name the organization as the IRA “grants a cloak of legitimacy to the IRA by blaming violence and extremism on lone malcontents.” On the other hand, in Irish films and films that take place within Northern Ireland, even if the organization is not directly named, the portrayal again is enough to indicate the identity of the group. Where foreign films avoid defining their terrorist organizations to keep the portrayals from becoming too politically charged, Irish films cannot deny the political nature of the group.
For generations, Northern Ireland has been marred by a continuous conflict that now finally appears to be subsiding. The largely sectarian conflict, rooted in history and escalated by modern paramilitary organizations, has left a significant legacy behind. This legacy is imprinted on the lives of the people of Northern Ireland who suffered through the conflict, on the British soldiers who patrolled the streets of Belfast and Derry, and on the multiple British governments that attempted to confront the Northern Irish question. In addition, the conflict has inspired a significant media legacy. The Irish War of Independence and subsequent civil war occurred alongside the emergence of the popular film industry, and the two experienced intimate links throughout the next century. The ubiquitous Irish Republican Army, the soldiers and terrorists that have represented the various armed republican movements since the War of Independence, has appeared in numerous films since it emerged after the Rising in 1916. Through the years, the IRA has been employed by filmmakers with divergent agendas and with unequal success.
Irish Civil War-Era IRA
The popularity of the conflict in not only British and Irish film, but also American television and film, can perhaps be traced to the basic facts of the conflict. In Northern Ireland, the combatants are white, Christian, and English speaking. They have not emerged out of tribal structures from the jungles of equatorial Africa, nor were they embroiled in radical Muslim terrorism. In truth, the IRA are the ideal underdog force for wartime dramas and the perfect subjects of depoliticized action films. They are recognized, at least superficially, by nearly everyone in the English speaking world, and they operate in a murky middle ground: not quite understood as outright terrorist villains, though not the traditional Fenian heroes they self-identify with either. And filmmakers took advantage. Across the spectrum of the remarkably diverse portrayals of the IRA are found elements of traditional American crime films, the structures of Spaghetti Westerns a la Sergio Leone, and even some sincere attempts to capture the landscape of Northern Ireland in turmoil. Notable as well, though, is that for the most part it has been the IRA, rather than the various Protestant paramilitary organizations like the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), that have become the face of The Troubles in film.
Flag of the UVF
There has also been a tendency in film to categorize the IRA simply as heroes, villains or victims. While such clean-cut categorizations are helpful in simplifying the films and maintaining popular appeal, they certainly do little to maintain historical accuracy and capture the specific circumstances of the Northern Irish problem.
The Boxer was released in 1997, and was produced by Hell’s Kitchen (IRL) and distributed in partnership with Universal Pictures (US).
The Boxer is the third Jim Sheridan film concerning The Troubles, after In the Name of the Father (1993) and Some Mother’s Son (1996). Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Danny Flynn, an ex-IRA man who returns to his home in Belfast after serving 14 years in prison. He had been a member of the Provisional IRA, and by the time he is released he is 32 years old. After being released, Flynn no longer has the desire to concern himself with the Troubles and least of all the IRA. Danny decides to make an honest life for himself by rebuilding the old gymnasium where he used to train as a boxer and opens it to the public. When Danny’s ex IRA lieutenant, Harry hears of this, he does everything in his power to ruin Danny’s chance at a legitimate way of life. Harry executes the police officer who donated equipment to the gym and this is the cause of a riot that breaks out and where Danny’s gym is burned to the ground. In the end, Harry and other members of the IRA kidnap Danny Flynn in order to execute him. However, one of the gunmen shoots Harry instead and Danny is able to walk away in order to start his life anew.
The Boxer challengers many of the representations of the IRA offered in action films. The interesting dynamic within Sheridan’s work is in the way the film demonstrates the IRA’s presence without allowing it to dominate. Despite being intimately concerned with the impact of increasingly violent and hardline IRA splinter cells in Northern Ireland, the film is primarily the story of Danny’s path to redemption, forgiveness, and peace. Thus, in this nuance, the film represents the constant presence of the IRA in the daily lives of the Northern Irish people. Danny and Maggie, two people trying to live peacefully in Northern Ireland, are constantly troubled by the IRA, the local force that prevents them from moving on. Coming in 1997, the film is also dealing with elements of peacemaking, as the peace process had been underway in Northern Ireland since the 1994 Provo Ceasefire. Harry is the representation of the hardliners unwilling to move on, while Joe represents a move towards peace within Republican organizations.
Shadow Dancer was released in 2012 by BBC Films in conjunction with Element Pictures and the Irish Film Board. The majority of the film is set in Northern Ireland in 1993.
The film begins in the 1970s with a very young Colette, the protagonist. Colette’s father asks her to go out and buy some cigarettes but she is so distracted making a necklace that she tells her younger brother to do it for her. When he leaves the house, he runs into a crossfire and is killed by who Colette believes is the British. The film flashes forward to 1993 to a much older Colette who is now an IRA volunteer. She gets arrested and taken into custody when she is caught trying to plant a bomb on a London subway. She is placed in a room with an MI5 agent who offers her a deal: agree to become an informer for the British MI5 organization or she will be sentenced to 25 years in prison and will not be able to see her young son. While giving her time to contemplate her decision, she is left with a file that contains information about her younger brother’s murder that indicates he was killed by an IRA bullet not a British one. Colette agrees to the terms and she is sent back to Ireland to serve as a double agent. She rats out an IRA operation which racks up the tension as the IRA begins to suspect they have a mole in their midst.
A funeral for a member of the IRA turns into an act of protest
Instead of choosing a side as many films of the troubles are apt to do, and cast either the British or the IRA as the villain, this movie takes a neutral stance and shows people being manipulated by their own side of the conflict. Connor, Colette’s brother, is tortured by his IRA brethren in an attempt to discover who is sharing the group’s secrets. Mac, Colette’s handler throughout the operation, is being excluded from meetings because they know he won’t agree with their decisions. By starting off the movie with the death of Colette’s young brother, it adds legitimacy to her involvement with the IRA as she views the British as murderers. However, this black and white view isn’t as clear when she hears that her brother was actually killed by an Irish Republic bullet. Mac also goes out of his way to help Colette even though he keeps getting stopped by people within his organization. Both sides display a Machiavellian approach to issues; MI5 is willing to let one of their informers die so they can protect a more important one and the IRA are willing to torture one of their own to find the mole. There isn’t a clear cut villain in the movie since most actions are portrayed as reactionary. What this movie does show is that there is corruption on both sides of the issue.
Colette attempts to plant a bomb on a London subway
This film is unique in that both of the informers in this movie are female and this brings attention to the fact that women are also involved in the conflict even though media typically focuses on the male protagonist.
The Popular 80’s Show Features an Episode in which the IRA Star as Villains
“When Irish Eyes Are Crying” was the first episode of season 3 of Miami Vice which originally aired on September 26, 1986.
The episode opens with Gina attending a fundraiser for Northern Irish Children run by former IRA member Sean Carroon. After the presentation a masked gunman bursts in and points a gun at Carroon. Gina orders him to put the gun down but he refuses and she shoots him. When the mask is taken off it’s revealed that the shooter was most likely a teenager. The bureau believes that Carroon was a target because he knew about future terrorists operations. Gina is taken off the street because of the shooting and proceeds to get intimate with Carroon. Carroon tells Gina of his violent past but convinces her that now he only wants peace. The bureau gets a call from a Scotland Yard counter-terrorism agents who confirms that the shooter was a member of the Provos agent (Provos is a splinter group of the IRA). The Scotland Yard agent believes that Carroom is up to something beyond the Provos capability. Two agents follow a lead to discover that Carroom has been dealing with an arms supplier. Carroon has been planning to shoot down the Concorde departing for Great Britain. After Carroom becomes aware that the police know about his plan he switches the plan around and tries to take out the plane on the tarmac. Gina arrives before he can shoot the plane and demands that he drops his weapon so she doesn’t have to shoot him. He refuses and she is forced to shoot him.
The Episode Opts for a Sweet-Talking Irishman, not the Masked Men Pictured Above
This episode depicts an IRA member who is very suave and convincing. Gina easily falls for his sweet words and empty promises. He is unmasked revealing his true nature, a cold blooded killer with no remorse. This is a common trend for American television programs, creating a charming Irish figure who is capable of horrible actions. American television producers found an appealing villain figure with the IRA. The shows can discuss terrorism without having to use any figures that would be threatening to the American public. The Irish are recognizable and relatable in their struggle against the British but the United States is far enough removed where it isn’t concerned with becoming caught in the cross fire by casting them as a stereotypical villain.
In the Name of the Father was released in 1993 jointly by Hell’s Kitchen (IRL) and Universal Pictures (US). It is based on Gerry Conlon’s autobiography, Proved Innocent.
Gerry Conlon, the basis for In the Name of the Father
This Jim Sheridan film tells the story of Gerry Conlon and the Guilford Four. Conlon, a Belfast native played by Daniel Day-Lewis, emigrates to London to escape the IRA. Conlon and his friend Paul are implicated in the Guilford pub bombing, a brutal IRA attack that took place on October 5 1974. Both submit to signing a confession after days of torture and threats. Giuseppe, Conlon’s father, arrives at Gerry’s aunt’s house in London in an attempt to help his son, only to be arrested himself along with the rest of the family on charges of supporting the bombing. Both groups are ultimately convicted and sentenced to imprisonment. While in prison, Gerry Conlon discovers the identity of the real culprit, Joe McAndrews. Gareth Pierce, a British lawyer, has been investigating the case and uncovers documents deliberately withheld from the defense. This evidence leads to the exoneration of the Guildford Four.
Daniel Day-Lewis as Gerry Conlon
Sheridan’s film displays the IRA as an antagonistic force to both the British and the Irish. They serve as a vigilantes that are often harsher on the locals than the British. Danny, Gerry’s friend, is kneecapped and later executed by the IRA for a petty crime that would have resulted in prison, not death, in the British system. After Gerry is caught stealing lead from roofs, the IRA threaten to kneecap him, as well. Giuseppe intervenes and sends his son to London more out of fear of the IRA than the British. Joe McAndrews, the IRA presence in the film, is depicted as a sinister and sadistic figure. He orders the bombing of the pub and doesn’t send out a warning.Yet, the British aren’t entirely free from blame in this film. Using brutal torture tactics reminiscent of internment, they forced confessions out of Conlon and his friends.
Hidden Agenda was released in 1990 by Hemdale Film Corporation(UK) and Initial (II) (UK).
Hidden Agenda Promotional Poster, Featuring the Caption “Hidden Agenda – Ever Government Has One”
Paul Sullivan is an American civil rights lawyer and political activist visiting Northern Ireland with his wife Ingrid Jessner. During his visit, a member of the provisional IRA contacts him about a secret cassette tape and Sullivan is shot in his car. Investigator Peter Kerrigan who is assisted by Ingrid investigates the killing. The investigation reveals that the two men were shot without adequate warning and assumed to be assassinated; Sullivan for his alleged knowledge of the tape. The mysterious recording is found and discovered to have been made by a Captain Harris, an ex-army intelligence officer, now in hiding. The tape consists of senior military leaders and Conservative Party politicians talking about how they were responsible for the rise to power of Margaret Thatcher. After some time, Harris gives a copy of the tape to Ingrid, but British security forces kill Captain Harris, but blame his death on the IRA. Kerrigan is blackmailed into silence about the conspiracy. By the end of the film, Jessner still has the tape, but without Harris to confirm, the recording is virtually of no use in getting justice for her late husband.
The portrayal of the IRA in film tends to depict them as either tragic heroes, victims of British tyranny, or the criminal underbelly of the UK. In Hidden Agenda, members of the IRA and those supporting the organization are seekers of justice and truth with the common goal of exposing the corruption of the Thatcher administration. A specialized section of the English military, the MI5, are the only ones in the film responsible for any death or violence. This depiction, not uncommon in film and television, presents an inaccurate and purposefully distorted account of both the IRA and British paramilitaries in order to manipulate audience perceptions. Hidden Agenda is not so much explicitly responsible for evoking sympathy for the IRA because that is a natural jump to make when a film efficiently works to demonize the British government. Here is a scene where Ingrid and Peter Kerrigan discuss British involvement in the North. The film is worth note because of director Ken Loach’s noted interest in social issues. In Hidden Agenda, Loach, an Englishman himself, challenges British authoritarianism under Margaret Thatcher in response to The Troubles. In this way, it is distinct from other British media responses, which generally tended to demonize the IRA in favor of the British government and Protestant majority.
Ingrid Jessner and Peter Kerrigan discussing the state of the North and the British paramilitary.
The tenth season of Hawaii Five-O opened in 1977 with “Up the Rebels,” a premiere which featured Stephen Boyd taking on the role of Costigan, a Northern Irish splinter group terrorist in disguise. Costigan, as a sweet talking priest, manipulates an Irish-American Republican sympathizer in his attempt to procure explosives and evade capture by Hawaii Five-O. Boyd’s character is a prime example of the use of the IRA as stand-in terrorist organization. The organization is not fully defined, or even identified, but they are certainly armed and dangerous.
From 37:47 to 38:40 Costigan expresses his beliefs in total devotion to the cause
This episode plays on the blind-faith American support for the republican cause. The IRA employ euphemisms to hide their activities from the ignorant Americans by calling murder, “a tactical necessity” and any disgraceful act is simply, “an occupational hazard”. This is another instance where the IRA member is depicted as charming and persuasive; Fogarty quickly falls for Costigan and is blinded to the true nature of his cause. The appearance of Fogarty in the episode brings up Irish-American funding and support of the IRA. This also emphasizes the faith that some Americans have in their republican brethern across the sea. When referring to the cause Costigan says, “There’s no room for questions – or conscience.” This also typical of the IRA representation across different mediums; they feel that the strength of what it is they’re fighting for justifies any action and moral qualms are not necessary. This episode paints the IRA in a very dark lighting by bringing up the children killed in the bombing and suggesting their Machiavellian tendencies towards apathy and duplicity. The IRA member is also impersonating a priest which is a common American conception because most episodes begin with them spouting some notion of peace in Ireland. The distinction that’s important to make is that they almost always believe they can achieve peace through violence.
American film and television brought a new function for the IRA. Shows such as Hawaii Five-Oand Miami Vice utilized the organization as a convenient and captivating subject. Many had heard of the conflict but not many understood it; The Troubles allowed for throwaway, once off references to the IRA that never had to dive any deeper. Viewers could enjoy the intrigue associated with a foreign conflict featuring masked rebels without ever really needing to understand the conflict itself.
Bruce Willis, enduring symbol of America’s action obsession
“Up the Rebels,” the premiere episode of Hawaii Five-O’s tenth season, is one such case of throwaway use of the IRA. Released in 1977, relatively early in The Troubles, “Up the Rebels” tells the story of the phony Father Daniel Costigan, a smooth talking terrorist trying to smuggle stolen explosives off the island. In a move typical of other IRA depictions in film and television, Costigan’s affiliation is not explicitly stated as with the IRA, but instead as with “a rebel splinter group.” This move appears less than insidious, as the audience can deduce Costigan’s rebel group is the IRA based on the stereotypical and rudimentary understandings of the IRA as Irishmen involved in a bombing campaign. But, as Connelly points out, this move does paint a vivid picture of the predominant American representation of the IRA. In American film, the IRA are conveniently also not the IRA, in a classic move when it comes to foreign portrayals of the IRA. While this splinter structure could perhaps describe the Provos, in 1977 they are in fact the organization most closely associated with the popular conception of the IRA, not the splinter cell extremists in the background such representations envision.
Liam Neeson as Sean Carroon in Miami Vice
In American TV shows, the IRA are commonly portrayed as suave and charming. They also typically become a romantic interest to add a level of angst and increased drama in addition to their violent actions. You can see this parallel with shows like Hawaii Five-O and Miami Vice where one of the female leads falls for the IRA villain, oblivous to his true nature. American drama often likes to make drastic turns in the paths of the characters to ratchet up the level of tension and the contrast between the romantic and the murderer suits this purpose. It makes the villain seem even worse based on his two-faced persona.
