At midnight on the 27th of June 1922, two artillery pieces were wheeled through the soft midsummer rain on Dublin’s cobbled streets. They took up their positions along the river and set their sights on the highest court in Ireland.
For days, The Four Courts had been the centre of a tense stand-off between the Irish Free State that supported a newly-signed anglo-irish peace treaty, and the anti-treaty IRA, who had occupied the building in protest. This uneasy stalemate could only last so long, and, at 4am, the Free State guns fired their first volley. The Irish Civil War had begun.
The peace treaty in question was supposed to conclude the Irish War of Independence with Britain, but many in the Irish Republican Army bitterly opposed it. The head of the anti-treaty forces, stated that “If the Treaty were accepted, the fight for freedom would still go on, and the Irish people, instead of fighting foreign soldiers, will have to fight the Irish soldiers of an Irish government set up by Irishmen.”
This self-sabotaging threat is eerily similar to Colm’s threat in The Banshees of Inisherin where he threatens to mutilate his own fingers, just as the anti-treaty IRA threatened to assault its own nation. And, just as Padraic refuses the ultimatum to leave Colm alone, the Free State fired on the IRA men in the Four Courts; leading to a cascade of violence.
The parallels here are intentional. Banshees is, after all, set at the time of the Irish Civil War. The only difference is that the film takes place on the fictional island of Inisherin, just off the west-coast of the mainland. The island is apparently untouched by the conflict, despite constant reminders from far-away explosions and rifle fire. This sets up an interesting dynamic, as the civil war can be seen in a purely allegorical sense within the confines of Inesherin. In fact, almost every character in the movie represents a different aspect of a conflict. One that we explore not through two warring factions, but two old friends that fall out with each other.
For a closer look at what was happening on the mainland, look no further than Ken Loach’s 2006 film, the Wind that Shakes the Barley. This film is much more literal in its depiction of the conflict and follows two brothers, Damien and Tommy, that find themselves on opposite sides of the war. Banshees, despite being a very different film, follows the same theme of a relationship broken down by tragic infighting.
Mcdonoagh’s film starts after the Irish War of Independence, a time of immense optimism about the future of Ireland. However, it soon became clear that this future nation would not be the independent republic that many had fought for. Instead, the anglo-irish peace treaty would make it an autonomous dominion of the British Empire, with the British monarch as head of state. Unsurprisingly, this caused a rift within the nationalist movement. Supporters argued that the treaty provided “the freedom to achieve freedom” whilst its opposition believed it would never lead to full independence. Both sides wanted the same freedom, they just disagreed about how to achieve it.
This disagreement was deeply personal. It turned comrades that had fought side-by-side in the War of Independence into sworn enemies almost overnight. This is where the Banshees of Inisherin kicks off, with a sudden, heartbreaking and seemingly trivial end to a life-long friendship. And just as Padraic desperately tries to reconcile his friendship with Colm, so did the Free State try to compromise with the Anti-Treaty IRA, but it was all in vain. The situation quickly deteriorated into an all out civil war, surprising many in Ireland and around the world. This bewilderment at a disproportional escalation is hinted at when Padraic questions why Colm jumped to severing his own fingers instead of trying to settle their differences in a more rational way.
So it seems as if Colm may represent the Anti-Treaty IRA, whilst Padraic could be the Free State. Further clues that point to this characterisation can be found in Colm’s attacks on Padraic for being too nice. This is a possible hint at how the Free State compromised with the British Empire to prevent further war, instead of carrying on the fight for a republic. This also may be why Colm begins to like Podraic more when he is drunk and aggressive; the fighting spirit has returned to his old friend.
Another theme that links Colm to the anti-treaty IRA is impatience. Colm fears that time is running out to compose his magnum opus and cement his legacy. Rather than continuing to work as he had been, he decides that the only way to achieve his goal is to cast Padraic out of his life. This parallels the IRA’s view that a republic would not be achieved if Ireland had to first be a dominion of Britain, meaning that the Free State was simply an obstacle that had to be pushed aside.
It’s also worth noting that the Catholic church sided with the Free State and refused to administer sacraments to anti-treaty fighters, just as we see the priest sympathise with Padraic and refuse confession to Colm.
Though it is tempting, it’s important not to get too wrapped up in trying to understand which side of the civil war each of the characters represent. This is because there are also many contradictory hints that Colm is not actually the IRA, but the Free State, such as when he tells Siobhan that all he wants is peace. This ambiguity is a point in itself.
The Free State lads are executin’ a couple of the IRA lads. Or is it the other way around? I find it hard to follow these days. Wasn’t it so much easier when we was all on the same side, and it was just the English we was killin’? I think it was. I preferred it.
To Paeder, the conflict has become so meaningless that he forgets who is fighting who, and what exactly they’re fighting for. Nonetheless, it’s apparent that the war is becoming increasingly severe. This tallies with real events. As the war went on, both sides started to carry out more atrocities, with politicians and prisoners being ruthlessly executed, often in retaliation for other atrocities, creating an endless cycle of violence. Soon, there was no such thing as “calling it quits”
Again, these events are paralleled by the growing animosity between the two old friends. Padraic begins to insult Colm with increasingly harmful words and actions, whilst Colm chops more of his own fingers off. Though not as visceral as Colm’s, Padraic’s escalations are also a form of self-harm. By lying to one of Colm’s musician friends about their father’s death and encouraging them to leave the island, Podraic develops a reputation for being cruel which loses him his friendship with Dominic. So Podraic eventually becomes no different from the cruelty he is trying to fight.
This senseless fighting culminates with one of Colm’s severed fingers killing Jenny the donkey. This is an interesting moment as both characters seem to be united in their grief. Colm sees the brutal consequences of his actions, and, for the first time, seems genuinely sorry for the harm he caused. This is likely because donkeys are strongly linked with traditional Irish life, and despite the fighting, Colm and Paidraic are still old friends that share a love of their country, just like the Free State and the IRA. Moreover, donkeys are often portrayed in spiritual texts such as the bible as symbols of peace and humility. In this way, the donkey may represent the innocence of Ireland that has been poisoned by bitter conflict.
Of course, Jenny isn’t the only innocent casualty. Siobhan and Dominic are both heavily impacted by the fighting, representing a whole generation that had their futures transformed by war. Despite the heartbreak of leaving their friends and family behind, Siobhan sees that there is no future for her on the small island of Inesherin, and vacates her homeland in a way that parallels the Irish diaspora. The same bleak future lies ahead for Dominic, though he does allow himself to dream about wedding Siobhan and living happily ever after. Unsurprisingly, this is refused, just as the hope for a prosperous future following the war of independence was crushed by even more fighting.
Another possible link is between the character of Paedar and the British State. As the sole authority figure on the island, Paeder freely exercises his power over each of its inhabitants, in a way that mirrors the British Empire at the time. Despite granting independence to Ireland in 1921, Britain remained closely involved in Irish affairs. It threatened to invade if Ireland stopped being a loyal dominion, and supplied the Free State with weapons to fight the IRA. Many on both sides despised this continued association with their former overlords, which is represented through Colm ans Podraic’s attacks on Paeder. His abuse of his son, Dominic, may also indicate the mistreatment of Ireland at the hands of the British.
This leaves the question of Mrs McCormick. What exactly does she represent? Well, her many warnings of impending death would suggest that she symbolises a banshee, a female spirit from Irish Folklore that heralds the death of a family member and also forms the title of the film. The fact that they only predict and announce the deaths of family members is particularly relevant. Some accounts of Irish Folklore suggest there may have been a different banshee for each family, which makes the lone figure of Mrs McCormick especially tragic. It suggests that the inhabitants of Inesherin are so close-knit that they may as well be one family, a realisation that makes each act of violence even more heart-breaking.
Eventually, the Civil War did come to an end with a victory of the Free State over the IRA, but little did it matter as Ireland became a republic anyway a few decades later. A year of vicious bloodshed had simply postponed the inevitable. Yet, unlike the minimal effect of the war on Ireland’s sovereignty, the effect on friends and families was much more tragic. Hundreds were killed and many took bitter memories of the conflict to their grave, leading to rivalries that long outlasted the war. This sense of irreversible damage is felt in the closing moments of the film.
Despite the lasting wounds, there is still some hope for reconciliation. After all, Colm and Padraic are still fellow Irishmen. Yet, the reappearance McComick’s banshee indicates that there’s more bloodshed to come. A fact of modern Irish History that we sadly know is true.
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