June 12, 2009
Today was our last day of our Irish history class. We learned how Ireland won its independence and began as a republic mired in problems of identity and partition. We also learned a bit about Northern Ireland (which we are to visit in a week). Belfast should be an interesting excursion.
As the conclusion to our class, we watched a documentary called the Killings at Coolacrease. The movie told the story of a small community of Coolacrease in County Offaly, west of Dublin. The murder of two Protestant brothers during the War of Independence, just days before the Treaty of 1921 is signed, is told by both sides - the descendants of the family of the brothers and the descendants of the IRA members who shot them.
The Pearson family were Cooneyites, a strain of Protestantism, and moved into Coolacrease on a 341 acre farm. Although the family had integrated well within a Catholic town, the War of Independence made the situation much more tense.
The Pearsons were suspected to be spies for the British Army and after several events (some turning violent), the IRA decided to murder the brothers who had been involved in these events.
The IRA captured the two brothers when their father and younger brother were out on a trip. They were taken to their house and shot in front of their mother and sisters. Richard died after six hours, Abraham after 14 hours, and their house was burnt.
The documentary attempted to tell both sides of the story. Since none of the people who took part in the event (the family, or the IRA) are alive, many of the facts are secondary evidence.
This documentary was, of course, highly controversial and sparked a huge public debate. The murder of two brothers cast a stain on the fight for independence and was generally not spoken about in history classes across the country.
We were asked to write out our opinions of the documentary and submit them to our professor. Once we finished, we left campus and headed back home.
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