Pictures released today show Tom Vaughan-Lawlor looking a million miles away from his Love/Hate character Nidge as he plays the part of Padraig Pearse, leader of the 1916 Easter Rising, in TV3’s new drama Trial of the Century.
Filming took place in Green Street Courthouse in Smithfield, which was venue of several noted trials such as those of Wolfe Tone and Robert Emmet in 1803, John Mitchel in 1848 and other Fenian leaders. It was extensively used during the troubles from 1970 to 1990s as the home of the Special Criminal Court.
Produced by Loosehorse Television and Treasure Entertainment for TV3, the three-part special is a provocative take on historical storytelling, as Padraig Pearse is put in the dock. In a trial that he was never afforded in real life, Pearse must defend the actions that changed the course of Irish history.
The jury will be made up of both well-known public figures and ‘ordinary’ Irish citizens, representing all shades and flavours of Irish life, the names of which have yet to be revealed.
Other well-known names that feature in show include Mark Huberman as George Gavan Duffy, Andrew Bennett as lead prosecutor Sebastian Banks, Aoibhinn McGinnity as mum Catherine Foster, Denis Conway as Pearse’s senior counsel and Anthony Brophy as Eoin MacNeill.
‘Trial of the Century’ will air on TV3 this April/May