May 21, 2022

Episode 6: The Irish Englishman

31 minutes

Dramatised memoir of a Special Branch officer operating at the outset of the Northern Ireland Troubles. James (not his real name) runs a network of informers and sources operating along the border area of South Down and South Armagh during the worst years of violence. For both handler and source, it’s a matter of life and death. Some names, dates and details have been changed to protect the living.

When James and the Military Intelligence officer meet a source in a Dublin department store, he tells them PIRA chief of staff Seán Mac Stíofáin will address an IRA meeting that same evening. They attend and gather valuable intelligence, but the Military Intelligence officer makes a mistake, placing them both in peril.

Cast:

James – Jonathan Harden

Interviewer – Michael Patrick

Source – J D Ruddy

Military Intelligence Officer – Paul Mallon

A BBC Northern Ireland Production

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