'Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland' Is No Feel Good Fairytale

Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland, a five-episode documentary about the decades-long conflict known as “The Troubles”, is that rarest of treasures, a series that speaks to viewers with great prior knowledge and to those who are newcomers to the subject alike. The series, from Once Upon a Time in Iraq director James Bleumel, aired on the BBC to great acclaim in May of 2023. Riveting, moving, and endlessly thought-provoking, the documentary is essential viewing for anyone with an interest in all too recent, often shockingly violent, political history.

Once Upon A Time In Northern Ireland, which airs on PBS from August 28-31 and is streaming in full on PBS Passport, tells the story of how a civil rights issue whose proponents drew on the nonviolent protest strategies of the U.S.’s civil rights movement erupted into sectarian violence and later devolved into terrifying tit-for-tat vengeance. As part of the terms for the establishment of a Free Irish State in the 1920s, the United Kingdom carved out six of the island’s 32 counties and designated them as the province of Northern Ireland.

Although it was home to both Roman Catholics and Protestants of various denominations, the political system of Northern Ireland was designed to maintain a permanent Protestant majority. This system created insurmountable barriers to Catholic citizens in every aspect of life, from education and housing to voting rights and career opportunities. U.S. viewers will recognize the system that led to the Troubles as plainly analogous to Jim Crow and its descendants, including red-lining, technically legal barriers to voting, and violent over-policing of Black communities.