The Dying Days is a docudrama set in the early months of 1923 and literally follows the dying days of the Irish Civil War.
The film focuses in on a 10 week period in early 1923 and on the journey taken from Dublin by General Liam Lynch to a clandestine meeting with his commanders in West Cork and then on to a meeting in County Waterford of the IRA’s full Executive Council.
At this meeting it is decided to continue the fight against the Free State Army in what has now descended into a guerrilla war, although the executive is split over this decision and Lynch carried the casting vote in the matter and a further meeting was to be convened. Whilst travelling to that meeting, the Free State Army close in on Lynch and his men and Lynch is ultimately shot and is captured.
The title The Dying Days is very apt here. The Free State Army bring him down to Nugent’s pub in Newcastle where he has an emotional conversation with the Free State commander Lt Clancy. Both of them had fought on the same side against the Crown Forces during the War Of Independence and now they are lamenting that it has come to such a sorry ending. Lynch is transported to Clonmel and dies in hospital there, shortly before nine o’clock that night. His death effectively ended the Irish Civil War.
The film’s title draws on three themes: the tit for tat killing on both sides, the dying days of the civil war, and ultimately the death of Lynch himself. The Dying Days provides the viewer with an insight to what was happening around Lynch in the closing weeks of the civil war.
On the night, there will be an introduction speech for the film by the mayor and the film will also be followed by a question and answer session.
