''Resistance'' (released as ''Rebellion'' Season 2 on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

) is a 2019 television miniseries written by

Colin Teevan Colin Teevan (born 1968 in Dublin) is an Irish playwright, translator and writer for screen. Teevan has written for multiple shows including Das Boot (Sky), Silk (BBC) Vera ( ITV) and Single Handed ( ITV). He also created, wrote and was co-exec ...

for Irish broadcaster

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

, dramatising the events surrounding the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...

. Set during the time of Bloody Sunday in 1920, it is a sequel to the 2016 mini-series, ''

Rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

'', which was set during the 1916

Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...

. In Netflix's 2025 presentation of this series, Resistance is shown as season two of Rebellion.

Production

Filming began in October 2016.

Cast

Characters returning from ''Rebellion''

* Brian Gleeson – Jimmy Mahon, a 1916 veteran now serving with the IRA. * Jordanne Jones – Minnie Mahon * Jaeylynne Wallace Ruane – Sadie Mahon * Millie Donnelly – Gracie Mahon * Michael Ford-FitzGerald – Harry Butler, wealthy banker from whom the rebel government seek funds. *

Gavin Drea Gavin Drea (born February 1990) is an Irish actor and comedian. He is known for his roles in the RTÉ series ''Love/Hate (TV series), Love/Hate'' (2011), ''Resistance (miniseries), Resistance'' (2019), the BBC drama ''My Mother and Other Stranger ...

–

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

, IRA Director of Intelligence, a charismatic and headstrong leader. (Collins was played by Sebastian Thommen in ''Rebellion'')

New characters

* David Wilmot – Patrick (Paddy) Mahon, Jimmy's brother, a member of the

Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the island was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom. A sep ...

(RIC). * Stanley Townsend – Daniel Shea, an

Irish-American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

US Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

, sympathetic to the independence movement. *

Simone Kirby Simone Kirby (born 28 October 1976) is an Irish actress. She is known for playing Oonagh in the Ken Loach film '' Jimmy's Hall''. Other credits include Irene O'Donnell in ''Peaky Blinders'' (2014), Marilyn Hull in ''Notes on Blindness'' (2016) ...

– Ursula Sweeney,

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle () is a major Government of Ireland, Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin. It is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at ...

codebreaker * Conall Keating – Joey Bradley, IRA gunman. * Aoife Duffin – Éithne Drury, republican journalist *

Natasha O'Keeffe Natasha Dervill O'Keeffe (born 1 December 1986) is a British actress. She is known for her roles as Abbey in the E4 (TV channel), E4 series ''Misfits (TV series), Misfits'' (2012–2013), Fedora in the ITV (TV channel), ITV series ''Jekyll and ...

– Agnes Moore, Ursula's sister, a lawyer working in the

Dáil Courts The Dáil Courts (also known as Republican Courts) were the judicial branch of government of the Irish Republic, which had unilaterally declared independence in 1919. They were formally established by a decree of the First Dáil on 29 June 192 ...

* Catherine Walker – Constance Butler, republican sympathiser; wife of Harry * Fergal McElherron – Maurice Jacobs, solicitor and agent for the rebel government. * Ben Smith – Robbie Lennox, English journalist and socialist. Based on the historical F. Digby Hardy. * Andrew Bennet –

Arthur Griffith Arthur Joseph Griffith (; 31 March 1871 – 12 August 1922) was an Irish writer, newspaper editor and politician who founded the political party Sinn Féin. He led the Irish delegation at the negotiations that produced the 1921 Anglo-Irish Trea ...

Minister for Home Affairs An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

and vice-president of Sinn Féin *

Craig Parkinson Craig Parkinson (born 11 March 1976) is an English actor and podcaster. He has played Shaun in the E4 series '' Misfits'', twins Jimmy and Johnny Kray in the ITV series ''Whitechapel'', and DI Matthew "Dot" Cottan in ''Line of Duty''. He has a ...

– Captain David McLeod, British soldier. *

Conor MacNeill Conor MacNeill is a film, television, and stage actor from Northern Ireland. He is best known for his role as Kenny Kilbane in the BBC Two and HBO series ''Industry'' (2020–2024). Early life and education MacNeill was born in West Belfast. ...

– Diarmuid McWilliams, republican journalist. * Aoibhínn McGinnity – Josephine Carmichael, cabaret singer and Harry Butler's mistress. * Matthew Hopkinson – Albert Finlay, a hot-headed

Black and Tan A black and tan is a beer cocktail made by layering a pale beer (usually pale ale) and a dark beer (usually stout). In Ireland, the drink is called a half and half. History The term likely originated in England, where consumers have blended ...

Paul Ritter Simon Paul Adams (20 December 1966 – 5 April 2021), known professionally as Paul Ritter, was an English actor. He had roles in films including ''Son of Rambow'' (2007), ''Quantum of Solace'' (2008), ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (f ...

– General Ormonde Winter, Chief of Intelligence in

* Tom Bennett – Mark Sturgis, Winter's opposite number in the British civil service. *

Hugh O'Conor Hugh O'Conor (born 19 April 1975) is an Irish actor, writer, director, and photographer. In 2020, he was listed as number 49 on ''The Irish Times'' list of Ireland's greatest film actors. Career His first film appearance was opposite Liam Nees ...

– Dr. Lawrence Moore, doctor with republican sympathies. Husband to Agnes. * Imogen Doel – Lily Lawlor, typist in Dublin Castle * Barbara Bergin – Mrs. Lyons, landlady * Brian Doherty – Frank Brogan, IRA leader

Episode list

Reception

The first episode was criticised for departure from historical fact; Teevan had already resigned himself to such, he admitted in an interview with ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

''. ''

The Irish Catholic ''The Irish Catholic'' is a 40-page Irish weekly newspaper providing news and commentary about the Catholic Church. The newspaper is privately owned by editor-in-chief Garry O’Sullivan, managed by a private limited company and independent of ...

'' criticised what they called the "nasty nuns" subplot; in the historical event that the adoption storyline was based on, Josephine Marchment Brown, a widow working in Victoria Barracks in

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

, lost custody of her son to her in-laws who took the boy to

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. The IRA kidnapped the boy back for her in return, according to the plot, for her passing information to them. Foreign adoptions from mother-and-baby homes, of the kind depicted in ''Resistance'', did not begin until the 1940s. Chris Wasser of the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray backgrou ...

'' awarded the first episode three stars, saying "What we have here is a reasonably capable and competent drama that, though rough around the edges, suggests we may be in for a stronger and tighter run than last time. ��It isn’t nearly as vital or as thrilling as it needs to be, and Catherine Morshead’s flat direction doesn’t help. But there is something here." Website IrishCentral was more positive, saying "The first episode of ''Resistance'' is deliciously plotted with loyalty, betrayal, irony, but most of all, the bravery of ordinary Dubliners taking on the greatest intelligence service in the world and, as history tells us, eventually winning. ''Resistance'' is not to be missed."

References

External links

* {{RTÉ Dramas and Soap Operas 2019 Irish television series debuts 2019 Irish television series endings RTÉ original programming Irish television miniseries Television shows set in Dublin (city) Television shows set in Ireland Television series based on actual events Television series set in the 1920s Cultural depictions of Michael Collins (Irish leader) Works about the Irish War of Independence Television series by Banijay Films directed by Catherine Morshead