Introduction

Rebellion is a 2016 historical drama television serial written and created by Colin Teevan for RTÉ.

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The series is a dramatisation of the events surrounding the 1916 Easter Rising.

The story is told through the perspective of a group of fictional characters who live through the political events.

The series was produced to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising.

The ensemble cast includes Charlie Murphy, Ruth Bradley, Sarah Greene, Brian Gleeson, Niamh Cusack, Michelle Fairley and Ian McElhinney.

The series was followed by a five-part sequel miniseries, Resistance (2019), which dramatised the events surrounding the Irish War of Independence.

Outline

Rebellion depicts fictional characters in Dublin during the 1916 Rising. The commemorative drama begins with the outbreak of World War I. As expectations of a short and glorious campaign are dashed, social stability is eroded, and Irish nationalism comes to the fore. The tumultuous events that follow are seen through the eyes of a group of friends from Dublin, Belfast, and London as they play vital and conflicting roles in the narrative of Ireland’s independence.

Cast

• Brian Gleeson as Jimmy Mahon.
• Charlie Murphy as Elizabeth Butler.
• Ruth Bradley as Frances O’Flaherty.
• Sarah Greene as May Lacy.
• Michelle Fairley as Dolly Butler.
• Ian McElhinney as Edward Butler.
• Michael Ford-FitzGerald as Harry Butler.
• Paul Reid as Stephen Duffy Lyons.
• Barry Ward as Arthur Mahon.
• Lydia McGuinness as Peggy Mahon.
• Jordanne Jones as Minnie Mahon.
• Jason Cullen as Peter Mahon.
• Jaeylynne Wallace Ruane as Sadie Mahon.
• Millie Donnelly as Gracie Mahon.
• Tom Turner as Charles Hammond.
• Perdita Weeks as Vanessa Hammond.
• Andrew Simpson as George Wilson.
• Sophie Robinson as Ingrid Webster.
• Barry Keoghan as Cormac McDevitt.
• Brian McCardie as James Connolly.
• Marcus Lamb as Patrick Pearse.
• Sebastian Thommen as Michael Collins.
• Lalor Roddy as Thomas Clarke.
• Sean Fox as Sean McDermott.

Trivia

• In May 2015, RTÉ announced it would produce a drama series to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the 1916 Rising. Filming took place in Dublin in mid-2015.
• With a budget of €6 million, it became the most expensive drama ever to be produced by RTÉ.
• The series has received mixed reviews from television critics, who praised the cast and production values, however the plot, script and direction drew criticism.
• It was singled out by many for its historical inaccuracies.
• The first episode drew a strong audience share of 619,000 viewers.
  • However, the viewership consistently dropped, with the finale gathering an average of 463,300 viewers.

Rebellion Series

• Episode 01: Young Guns.
• Episode 02: To Arms.
• Episode 03: Under Siege.
• Episode 04: Surrender.
• Episode 05: The Reckoning.

Production & Filming Details

• Creator(s): Colin Teevan.
• Director(s): Aku Louhimies.
• Producer(s): Clare Alan, David Crean, Jane Gogan, Andrew Lowe, Rob Pursey, Colin Teevan, Christian Vesper, and Catherine Magee.
• Writer(s): Colin Teevan.
• Music: Stephen Rennicks.
• Cinematography: Tim Fleming.
• Editor(s): Ben Mercer.
• Production: Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Sundance TV, Zodiak Media Ireland, Element Pictures, and Touchpaper Television.
• Original Network: RTE One.
• Release Date: 03 January 2016 to 31 January 2016.
• Running Time: 52 minutes (per episode).
• Country: Ireland.
• Language: English.