Ray McAnally acted as the studio anchor of a news programme that presented daily coverage of the Rising as it unfolded, with Telefís Éireann reporters broadcasting on-the-spot updates of the events and conducting interviews with key participants.
Along with the key figures of the insurrection, the series also looked at the action in the General Post Office, Liberty Hall, and events like the Battle of Mount Street Bridge.
Incidents outside Dublin such as the arrest of Roger Casement, the sinking of the so-called SS Aud, and the Battle of Ashbourne were introduced into the programmes as filmed news items of the day.
Described in the RTV Guide as "undoubtedly the most difficult and ambitious project ever attempted by Irish television", the series formed the centrepiece of Telefís Éireann's 1916 golden jubilee commemoration.
[3] In the summer of 1965, the director-general of Telefís Éireann, Kevin McCourt, selected a group of senior production and administrative staff to arrange a programme scheme for the 1966 golden jubilee of the Easter Rising.
Although Telefís Éireann was only four years old, the outside broadcast and film units had gained excellent experience in event coverage, notably during the visit of President John F. Kennedy to Ireland in 1963.
Filming on O'Connell Street proved to be quite a challenge, not only due to the proliferation of contemporary signage, bus stops, TV aerials and cars, but also because of the large numbers of interested onlookers.
The final scenes involved action, special effects and complicated camera plots, and at one point actors and crew had to work surrounded by smoke, explosions and a real fire.