Editing Michael Collins (Irish leader) (section)

==In popular culture==

===Film and television===
[[File:Bust of Michael Collins at Merrion Square Park, Dublin, Ireland..JPG|left|thumb|Bust of Michael Collins at Merrion Square Park, Dublin, Ireland.]]
The 1936 film ''[[Beloved Enemy]]'' is a fictionalised account of Collins' life. Unlike the real Michael Collins, the fictionalised "Dennis Riordan" (played by [[Brian Aherne]]) is shot but recovers. ''[[Hang Up Your Brightest Colours]]'', a British [[documentary film|documentary]] by [[Kenneth Griffith]], was made for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] in 1973, but refused transmission. It was eventually screened by the [[BBC]] in [[Wales]] in 1993 and across the United Kingdom the following year.

In 1969, [[Dominic Behan]] wrote an episode of the UK television series ''[[Play for Today]]'' entitled "Michael Collins". The play dealt with Collins' attempt to take the gun out of Irish politics and took the perspective of the republican argument. At the time of writing the script, [[the Troubles]] had just begun in Northern Ireland and the BBC was reluctant to broadcast the production. An appeal by the author to [[David Attenborough]] (Director of Programming for the BBC at that time) resulted in the play eventually being broadcast; Attenborough took the view that the imperatives of free speech could not be compromised in the cause of political expediency.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

A [[Blest Souls|1987 film production based on Collins' life]], directed by [[Michael Cimino]], was halted due to objections from Irish locals.

An [[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] documentary made by [[Colm Connolly (journalist)|Colm Connolly]] for [[RTÉ Television]] in 1989 called ''The Shadow of Béal na Bláth'' covered Collins' death. A made-for-TV film, ''[[The Treaty (film)|The Treaty]]'', was produced in 1991 and starred [[Brendan Gleeson]] as Collins and [[Ian Bannen]] as David Lloyd George. In 2007, RTÉ produced a documentary entitled ''Get Collins'', about the intelligence war which took place in Dublin.<ref>[http://www.rte.ie/tv/hiddenhistory/getcollins.html RTE.ie] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030033543/http://www.rte.ie/tv/hiddenhistory/getcollins.html |date=30 October 2008 }}, "Get Collins"</ref><ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1227857/ IMDb] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210141834/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1227857/ |date=10 February 2017 }}, "Get Collins"</ref>

Collins was the subject of director [[Neil Jordan]]'s 1996 film ''[[Michael Collins (film)|Michael Collins]]'', with [[Liam Neeson]] in the title role. Collins' great-grandnephew, Aengus O'Malley, played a student in a scene filmed in [[Marsh's Library]].

In 2005 [[Cork Opera House]] commissioned a musical drama about Collins.<ref>[http://www.corkoperahouse.ie/musicals/Old_Musical_Files/michael_collins_a%20_musical_drama.php Cork Opera House] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415160923/http://corkoperahouse.ie/musicals/Old_Musical_Files/michael_collins_a%20_musical_drama.php |date=15 April 2009 }}</ref> "Michael Collins- A Musical Drama" by Bryan Flynn had a successful run in 2009 at Cork opera house and later in the [[Olympia Theatre, Dublin|Olympia Theatre]] in Dublin.

''Infamous Assassinations'', a 2007 British documentary television series, devoted its eighth episode to the death of Collins.

The 2016 miniseries, ''[[Rebellion (miniseries)|Rebellion]]'', focused on the 1916 Easter Rising. Collins appeared as a background character, taking part in the uprising, played by Sebastian Thommen.

Collins was portrayed by [[Gavin Drea]] in the 2019 sequel to ''Rebellion'', ''[[Resistance (miniseries)|Resistance]]''.

===Songs===
[[File:Wax figure of Michael Collins at the National Wax Plus Museum, Dublin, Ireland..JPG|right|thumb|Wax figure of Michael Collins at the [[National Wax Museum Plus]], Dublin, Ireland.]]
Irish-American [[folk rock]] band [[Black 47 (band)|Black 47]] recorded a song entitled "[[The Big Fellah]]" which was the first track on their 1994 album ''Home of the Brave''. It details Collins' career, from the Easter Rising to his death at Béal na Bláth. Irish [[Folk music|folk]] band the [[Wolfe Tones]] recorded a song titled "Michael Collins" on ''[[A Sense of Freedom (album)|A Sense of Freedom]]'' (1983) about Collins' life and death, although it begins when he was about 16 and took a job in London. Celtic metal band [[Cruachan (band)|Cruachan]] recorded a song also titled "Michael Collins" on their 2004 album ''[[Pagan (album)|Pagan]]'' which dealt with his role in the Civil War, the treaty and his eventual death. Also a song by [[Johnny McEvoy]], simply named "Michael", depicts Collins' death and the sadness surrounding his funeral.

The poem "The laughing boy" by [[Brendan Behan]] lamenting the death of Collins was translated into Greek in 1961 by Vasilis Rotas. In October of the same year, [[Mikis Theodorakis]] composed the song "Tο γελαστό παιδί" ("The laughing boy") using Rotas' translation. The song was recorded by [[Maria Farantouri]] in 1966 on the album "Ένας όμηρος" ("A hostage") and became an instant success. It was the soundtrack of the movie ''[[Z (1969 film)|Z]]'' (1969). "The laughing boy" became the song of protest against the [[dictatorship in Greece]] (1967–1974) and remains to date one of the most popular songs in Greek popular culture.

===Plays===
Journalist Eamonn O'Neill wrote the play ''God Save Ireland Cried the Hero'' about Collins' last night alive. Set in his hotel room, the one-man production started Liam Brennan in the role of Collins and was produced by the Wiseguise Company. It was performed at the [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe]] in 1996.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Neil |title=Edinburgh Festival: God Save Ireland Cried The Hero |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/fringe-round-up-5602596.html |access-date=21 August 2019 |work=The Independent|location=London |date=30 August 1996 |archive-date=21 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821182840/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/fringe-round-up-5602596.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Mary Kenny]] wrote a play ''Allegiance'', about a meeting between Winston Churchill and Collins. The play premiered in 2006 for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with [[Mel Smith]] playing Churchill and [[Michael Fassbender]], a great-great-grandnephew of Collins, playing him.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.michaelfassbender.org/icentral.html |title=Interview with Fassbender |access-date=14 January 2014 |archive-date=20 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320035913/http://www.michaelfassbender.org/icentral.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20120630090808/http://www.onstagescotland.co.uk/reviews/allegiance/ OnstageScotland], "Allegiance"</ref>