''Penance'' () is a 2018

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

film directed by

Tom Collins The Tom Collins is a Collins cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water. This "gin and sparkling lemonade" drink is typically served in a Collins glass over ice with a cherry garnish. A non-alcoholic "Collins mix" drink mi ...

and set in

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

during 1916 and 1969. It stars

Peter Coonan Peter Coonan (born 1984) is an Irish actor, notable for his roles in '' King of the Travellers'' (2012), and '' Love/Hate'' (2011–2014), for which he won Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Television at the 11th Irish Film & Television Awa ...

as an

Irish nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cult ...

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...

who recruits a boy to the cause, only to regret his actions decades later.

Production

''Penance'' was filmed in

Ramelton Ramelton (; ), also Rathmelton, is a town and townland in County Donegal, Ireland. As of 2022, its population was 1,288. History Ramelton is situated at the mouth of the River Lennon, 11 km north of Letterkenny and 4 km south of Mi ...

, County Donegal and

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

, Northern Ireland and is primarily in the

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

. Filming in Derry took place at

St Columba's Church, Long Tower St Columba's Church, Long Tower is a Roman Catholic Church in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Derry, Diocese of Derry. It is located in the heart of the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. The present church is built on the site of Roman Catholic ...

, on Bishop Street and Society Street, as those areas had changed little since the 1960s. It was based on the

Pádraic Ó Conaire Pádraic Ó Conaire (28 February 1882 – 6 October 1928) was an Irish writer and journalist whose production was primarily in the Irish language. In his lifetime he wrote 26 books, 473 stories, 237 essays and 6 plays. His acclaimed novel ' ...

story "Seacht mBua an Éirí Amach" ("Seven Virtues of the

aster Aster or ASTER may refer to: Biology * ''Aster'' (genus), a genus of flowering plants ** List of ''Aster'' synonyms, other genera formerly included in ''Aster'' and still called asters in English * Aster (cell biology), a cellular structure shap ...

Rising"). Production was financed by

TG4 TG4 (; , ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television channel. It launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on-demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was initially known as (TnaG), before bein ...

, the

Broadcasting Authority of Ireland The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI; ) is a former broadcasting authority which regulated both public and commercial broadcasting sector in Ireland. It was established in 2009, effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Irel ...

, the

Irish Film Board Not to be confused with Northern Ireland Screen. Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland, formerly known as Bord Scannán na hÉireann or the Irish Film Board, is Republic of Ireland, Ireland's state development agency for the Irish film, television an ...

(€150,000), the Irish Language Broadcast Fund,

Northern Ireland Screen Not to be confused with Screen Ireland. Northern Ireland Screen is the national screen agency for Northern Ireland. The agency's purpose is to promote the development of a sustainable film, animation and television production industry.About Us > ...

and Section 481.

Plot

, 1969. Catholic priest Fr. Eoin McDonnell prevents the arrest of Antaine, a senior

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various Resistance movement, resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dominantly Catholic and dedicated to anti-imperiali ...

commandant. Fr. Eoin casts his mind back to rural

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

in 1916, when he recruited a teenage Antaine into the Irish independence movement.

Cast

1916

as Fr. Eoin McDonnell (young) *Padhraig Parkinson as Antaine (young) *Barry Barnes as Inspector Joyce *Mimi Carroll as Mairéad *Diona Doherty as Ellie Nic Shiubhlaigh *Dara Devaney as Peadar

1969

*Terry Byrne as Fr. Eoin McDonnell (old) *

Gerard McSorley Gerard McSorley (Irish: Gearóid Mac Somhairle; born 1 January 1950) is an Irish theatre, television and film actor. Early life He was born in the County Tyrone town of Omagh and, after attending a Christian Brothers school in his hometown, ...

as Murray *

Barry McGovern Barry McGovern (born 1948) is an Irish stage, film and television actor. Background He was educated at Castleknock College, Dublin. McGovern is a former member of the RTÉ Players and the Abbey Theatre Company. He has worked in theatre, fi ...

as Antaine (old) *Corey McKinley as Feidhlím

Release

''Penance'' was released on 1 May 2018. The film received its TV premiere on

on 20 April 2019.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 5471258 2018 drama films 2018 films County Donegal in fiction Easter Rising Films about The Troubles (Northern Ireland) Films set in 1916 Films set in 1969 Films set in Ireland Films shot in County Donegal Films shot in Northern Ireland Irish drama films Irish-language films Easter Rising films 2010s Irish films 2010s British films