Trial of the Century

Director: Maurice Sweeney
Rating: 9
Cast: Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Andrew Bennett, Frankie McCafferty, David Heap, Eamonn Hunt

A fictional courtroom drama which shows how the trial of Pádraig Pearse, one of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising, might have gone.

DramaWar & Politics

Seasons

1. The Prosecution of Patrick H. Pearse

Air Date: 2016-04-30

In this speculative historical fiction drama instead of a court martial and execution, rebel leader Padraig Pearse is given a public trial. The case for the prosecution is presented in this first episode.

2. The Defence of Patrick H. Pearse

Air Date: 2016-05-01

Pearse, having dismissed his own legal team, defends his actions and makes the moral case for the Rising.

3. The Jury Decides

Air Date: 2016-05-02

The final episode features a panel deliberating the outcome of the trial based on the evidence presented in the first two parts. The jury consisted of 12 prominent individuals, including Pat Kenny, Oisin McConville, Emma Dabiri, and Nell McCafferty. The jury debates the morality and legality of the Rising, which determines Pearse's fate in an alternative history.

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