Reeling in the Years — Season 1, Episode 9: 1988
Documentary • 25 min • 6 seasons, 58 episodes • ★ 9.5/10
Episode synopsis
A 70ft Gulliver washes up in Dublin for the city's Millennium celebrations. Ireland hosts Eurovision; Switzerland wins with Celine Dion. The British government decides not to prosecute RUC officers after the Stalker-Sampson inquiry. The Court of Appeal rejects the Birmingham Six’s plea, while Sinn Féin and the SDLP begin talks. The Palestinian intifada erupts, met with an Israeli crackdown. In Gibraltar, the SAS kills three unarmed IRA members, sparking claims of a 'shoot to kill' policy. Loyalist and IRA violence follow at funerals. Ireland shines at Euro 1988 but falls to Holland. Budget cuts impact health; a tax amnesty raises £500m. France frees hostages in Beirut, but Briton John McCarthy and Belfast’s Brian Keenan remain captive. Gorbachev advances reforms; the US and USSR sign a nuclear treaty. Seoul hosts the Olympics; Ben Johnson is disgraced. Martin Cahill faces scrutiny. The Iran-Iraq war ends. A bomb destroys Pan Am Flight over Lockerbie, killing 270.
About Reeling in the Years
Each episode looks back at the news and events of a particular year, using news archive footage, along with subtitles as the means of narration, to recount notable Irish and international events of the time.