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"It's almost like the modern day Syria" - Crossmaglen documentary maker on The Troubles' impact on the club

A new documentary about Crossmaglen has got GAA fans talking. From how the GAA club navigated the...



"It's almost like the...
Football

"It's almost like the modern day Syria" - Crossmaglen documentary maker on The Troubles' impact on the club

A new documentary about Crossmaglen has got GAA fans talking.

From how the GAA club navigated the era of The Troubles in Northern Ireland to the way Oisin McConville and co sparked an era of success, True North - Crossmaglen Field of Dreams has been getting rave reviews since it first aired on BBC 1 last night and on tonight's Off The Ball, Thomas Niblock joined us to talk about making the doc over a five year span and the behind-the-scenes access.

He set out how volatile the era of the Troubles were for the area the club is based in.

"From a sporting perspective, it's so unbelievable. It's a place of just over 1,000 people [and] can be essentially the best team in the country. Yet they come from a background of one of the biggest war zones. Crossmaglen was one of the most dangerous military postings for the British army during that time. So it's almost like the modern day Syria. It sounds like an exaggeration in many respects but I guess that's how British army people would have looked upon it in many respects," said Niblock, before telling Joe how the documentary got off the ground, insights about the immense standards underpinning Crossmaglen's success and the stories behind the people who appeared in the final cut. 

 

 


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