Why everyone should watch The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)

A moving portrayal of an important moment in history

Photo courtesy of Maoileann/Wikimedia Commons

Films that explore Irish history are few and far between. The Wind That Shakes the Barley, released in 2006, is one of those films, set during the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) and the Irish Civil War (1922-1923). The movie explores the lives of two fictional brothers, Damien and Teddy O’Donovan, who, while initially united in the cause against Britain, find themselves ultimately divided in their political allegiances and aims. 

One factor contributing to this movie’s excellence and relevance is that one does not need to watch the movie with extensive prior knowledge about the time period; it does an exceptional job intertwining historical information with character development. In watching the movie, you gain an understanding—if limited and incomplete—about the time period, while also gaining an attachment to the characters, understanding their personalities and how their personal development parallels the advancement of the plot. 

The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) begins with a seemingly peaceful and even joyful scene—the men are playing a game of hurling, an ancient Irish game, banned by the British along with all public meetings, according to the movie. They then return to one of the team member’s homes, where the atmosphere takes a sharp turn. British Black and Tans—recruits to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) with a record of brutality—arrive on the scene. Demanding that the men line up against the house and state their name, address, and occupation, the officers treat the men with harsh anger and clear disdain. When one young man—Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin—refuses to say his name in English, the officers are enraged. Mícheál is taken into the nearby chicken coop, where he is beaten to death, his mother collapsing in grief. 

This tone is maintained throughout the remainder of the movie. The audience watches as the main character, Damien O’Donovan, is radicalized by the abuses he witnesses from the British forces in Ireland. He joins the Irish Republican Army (IRA), in which his brother Teddy already maintains a leadership position. He trains alongside his fellow men—his friends—and as the movie progresses, we witness their strategies as well as growing dissent among the men regarding the means they will undertake to attain independence. 

Damien and his friend Dan (another central character and member of the IRA) maintain a firm stance that the movement cannot forget the working class and farmers in Ireland. They contest actions taken by Teddy which support the upper class in hopes of preserving financial assistance with weaponry. They argue that if the IRA is to take such actions and ignore the needs of the people of Ireland, their assumption of power will create no change from the current British rule outside of the colors of the flag flown. 

These seeds of dissent slowly grow throughout the movie, until they come to a head with the news of a ceasefire between Britain and the IRA and the signing of the Anglo-Irish treaty. The film follows this development and how it further divides the two brothers along political and military lines. The division has devastating costs—ones that I will not reveal to avoid spoiling the movie for any interested readers. 

I have seen The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) multiple times since the first time I watched it this summer. Every single time I have rewatched it, I have found myself noticing moments I missed during previous viewings, connecting different scenes to each other, and, of course, bawling my eyes out. The movie encouraged me to further research this period in Irish history, and has ignited a passion for learning more about modern reconciliations with this brutal—and relatively recent—past. 

Overall, an educational and deeply emotional movie, The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) is, in my very strong opinion, a must-watch. If you take my recommendation to watch the movie (which you definitely should), be sure to put on subtitles, and grab a box of tissues for support.