Not since the movie Michael Collins has a dramatic portrayal of key historical events in the State proved so controversial. In recent weeks, award-winning Belfast author Ronan Bennett has come under attack from politicians and commentators for his script for the BBC's u6m ??£6 million drama Rebel Heart, based on the events leading up to the birth of the Republic. Here's the case for the prosecution. And the defence.
What the critics say: the Daily Telegraph and First Minister David Trimble have both taken issue with the BBC's choice of Bennett as writer of Rebel Heart. Trimble said he expects the series to be "hopelessly one-sided" because of Bennett's association with republican figures and widely publicised nationalist background. Bennett was arrested in 1975 for the murder of an RUC man, and spent one year in prison before being exonerated in a court of appeal. He was also one of the first commentators to suggest that Gerry Adams should be given a space at the negotiating table. The Daily Telegraph thundered that the programme was unlikely to be balanced, and even published an editorial condemning the BBC for its choice of scriptwriter.
From the frying pan into the fire: Bennett didn't help matters with an interview in the Spectator, in which he said he would have a problem handing over the perpetrators of Omagh to the RUC because it was a discredited force.
What Bennett has to say: according to the author he was misrepresented in the Spectator interview and has since apologised for his remarks if they caused any offence to relatives of the victims of Omagh. "I believe those responsible should be brought to account," he said. He has also claimed that the series is not intended as comment on the recent troubles. But he contradicted himself elsewhere by saying he saw Rebel Heart as an opportunity to comment on the Ireland of today. There is no doubt the series is written from a republican point of view but, as he reasonably points out: "If you write a drama about a nationalist uprising - a war fought by nationalists for the independence of the State, and a civil war fought between those same nationalists, you might as a dramatist be tempted to focus on the nationalist story".
Where will it all end? It should be said that most of the outrage has been expressed by people who have yet to see the entire series or even parts of it, and the end result of all the griping will be even more publicity and bigger audience figures for Rebel Heart. Perhaps we should listen to the advice of Irish actor Liam Cunningham, who plays volunteer Frank Laverty in the series, before expressing an opinion: "People shouldn't react too strongly to one episode. Strong reactions should be saved until all four episodes have been viewed," he said.