Although "Irish Escape" is an interesting episode, I can't rate it very high as the show seemed to have nothing to do with the series "Secrets of the Dead". This is because although it gives us a nice history lesson (as do all the episodes), there are no secrets of any dead folks nor is there any sort of archaeological or forensics work going on here! Because of this, the show just doesn't seem to fit.
The show is set during the Irish Rebellion of the 19th century. British policy was to banish (many were allowed to immigrate to America) or send them to the penal colonies in Australia. A group of Fenians (a precursor to the IRA) were sent to one of these colonies and with the help of their society and an American captain, they plotted an escape. The 'Catalpa Incident' became a worldwide sensation and this daring (and a bit crazy) attempt is discussed in great detail in the show.
As I said, the show isn't bad--it just doesn't really explore history using the dead as a starting block like most other episodes. The show just as easily could have been from an entirely different series.
The show is set during the Irish Rebellion of the 19th century. British policy was to banish (many were allowed to immigrate to America) or send them to the penal colonies in Australia. A group of Fenians (a precursor to the IRA) were sent to one of these colonies and with the help of their society and an American captain, they plotted an escape. The 'Catalpa Incident' became a worldwide sensation and this daring (and a bit crazy) attempt is discussed in great detail in the show.
As I said, the show isn't bad--it just doesn't really explore history using the dead as a starting block like most other episodes. The show just as easily could have been from an entirely different series.
