Dominic Behan and the Beginnings of Television 'Troubles' Drama

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Abstract

Focusing on the largely forgotten television plays of Dominic Behan, this article examines how productions such as The Patriot Game (1969), Carson Country (1972) and The Folk Singer (1972) made use of song, self-conscious artifice and the mixing of artistic modes in order to engage with Irish history and question traditional forms of Irish patriotism. In doing so, the article also locates Behan’s work at a particular moment in television history when the conventions of television ‘troubles’ drama had yet to solidify and were open to formal experiment and the expression of unfamiliar viewpoints if also then liable to become the object of controversy.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)65-81
Number of pages17
JournalHistorical Journal of Film, Radio and Television
Volume37
Issue number1
Early online date19 Apr 2017
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 19 Apr 2017

Keywords

  • Television Drama
  • Northern Ireland Troubles
  • Dominic Behan

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