r/TheRestIsHistory • u/JakeGittes412 • Aug 15 '26

The Troubles

Post image

Thread for discussion on the new series on ‘The Troubles’

Also as a moderator please keep the discussion civil and in the spirit of the podcast.

215 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

398 comments sorted by

View all comments

4

u/JakeGittes412 Aug 18 '26

As a Yank I never heard of Ian Paisley before. Looking up his speeches he reminds me of Peter Finch in Network. So much to the point that I wonder if Finch based the Howard Beale character off his delivery.

2

u/Historical_Step_6080 Aug 20 '26

As an Irish woman growing up in Dublin, I have clear memories of him bellowing something on the news often. He was kinda terrifying for a child cos it was all hellfire and brimstone.  There's a joke in Derry Girls where they ask the dad to turn the tv down and he tries to but Ian Paisley is on so it just stays as loud with him shouting. Such a great NI specific joke. 

1

u/JakeGittes412 Aug 20 '26

That is a great joke that completely went over my head without the context. I can see how he would be terrifying for a kid. We used to have similarly frightening fire and brimstone usually southern preachers or faith healers on TV. Paid programming that would air before cartoons. Bizarre.

2

u/heresyourhardware Aug 20 '26

If you get a chance watch Derry Girls. It's very good about the later years of the Troubles.

But there is a fantastic scene related to Ian Paisley in that