15/27
and what it costs
Tale
Spanning four turbulent decades during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The real Dolours Price was married to Irish actor Stephen Rea for two decades (1983-2003). During this period, Rea appeared in the film for which she is arguably best known in the United States: the 1992 romantic thriller The Crying Game. In that film, Rea plays Fergus, a highly reluctant and ambivalent member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) – the same organization that Price was involved with for many years. The book Say Nothing is an excellent and balanced examination of why.
The performance art is dully crafted and well-crafted
The series follows the book very closely, conveying the main themes and tragic lessons of the brutal period of occupation. The acting and casting choices capture the essence of the people the show is about. It informs and entertains, and tells a story that is rarely told. The detail of the people and places is fantastic. You can marvel at the production values of each episode and the historicity of the production.
She comes across as very likeable
Little things like a brand of cigarettes or the way they were served, and a certain character grabbing an Armalite AR18 were really nice touches. The real Dolours Price was funny and charming, and it shows. Many of the characters are very likeable, even those you feel shouldn’t be. It’s a very human story, told humanely. It helps those outside the conflict understand the motivations behind why someone would take up arms against another.
It wasn’t really about Catholics versus Protestants
It was just an arbitrary line drawn to divide and pit the working class and working poor of Ireland against each other. There was a comment from another review about the immigrants who invaded Ireland. There were immigrants who fought for a free and united Ireland. It was never about how your last name was spelled or which church you prayed in. It was about poor people fighting for equal rights and freedom, and that is what this story is about, and the price they pay for that fight.
To compare the flood of immigrants from troubled countries to Oliver Cromwell is to dishonor the names of those who suffered and sacrificed
The moment we turn our backs on those seeking refuge, or deny them comfort, we would be no better than those who mocked our ancestors who left Ireland and went to other countries, like America, where the Irish are not welcome either.
