Margo Harkin’s production for the BBC on Wednesday night was of a totally different standard. With only half the time RTÉ had allocated she produced an extremely high quality programme, giving room for everyone to give their version of events but never once moving away from the actual story itself or dwelling on any one part of it. A Radio Foyle presenter described the programme as having a ‘warm feel’ to it and that it was evidently made by a woman. Margo queried what exactly that meant but having watched the programme myself I would agree with the comment. Maybe the ‘warmth’ comes not so much from being a woman – there are sensitive male directors too - but having an intimate knowledge of the period and of the communities most impacted. Or maybe it’s just a case of allowing people to speak in an authentic voice rather than shape the story others might prefer to hear.

And a small simple comment is often more telling than a detailed explanation. Lord Gowrie, NIO Prisons Minister 1981-84, when talking about visits he made to Cardinal O’Fiaich, remarked that it was a great relief, “because it was the only nice food in the province at the time. Kept a wonderful table.” Thank you for that your lordship. Thank you for reminding us how difficult it must have been for our rulers. There’s us going on about an elected MP, an elected TD and eight of their comrades dying in prison from starvation because they were not recognised as political and allowed to wear their own clothes and all the time you and your colleagues had to put up with spuds, cabbage and butter milk. Shows how thoughtless and insensitive we Irish can be.

Puts into perspective how cheap the lives of Irish people are to the English ruling class. Unionists, take note.

Laurence McKeown