Tipperary scenes feature in landmark documentary by RTÉ Europe Editor
Tony Connelly: A Hidden History is set to air on Monday June 12
RTÉ Europe Editor Tony Connelly's new documentary Tony Connelly: A Hidden History is set to air next Monday, June 12, at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
Produced as part of RTÉ’s Decade of Centenaries collection, Tony Connelly: A Hidden History, tackles the difficult and hugely controversial subject of the Royal Irish Constabulary, the British police force in Ireland until its disbandment in 1922.
Armed with a few fading photos and a handful of family stories, he sets out to uncover the astonishing life of his grandfather, Michael Connelly, a constable in the highly controversial Royal Irish Constabulary during the War of Independence, and later a sergeant in Northern Ireland’s newly formed – and mainly Protestant - police force.
Uncovering a series of fascinating events, Tony follows his grandfather's trail from Kerry to Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary, where Michael was transferred in 1915 after he married, placing him in one of the more militant Republican counties, just before the Rising, and on to Northern Ireland.