The Madness By Fergal Keane

Fergal Keane reads his powerful and intensely personal memoir of war, fear and PTSD. Today, the journalist looks back to the beginning when it all began.

The Madness is Fergal Keane's account of his personal struggle with trauma. Here he looks back to the events and relationships that shaped his childhood and laid the groundwork for his PTSD. He finds that the historic past is partly responsible for his damaged mental health when he unearths the truth behind his grandmother's experiences. We learn that Hannah Purtill was a spy during the Irish Revolution where she witnessed the terrible violence that tore her community apart, leading to depression and anxiety, conditions that decades later her grandson came to understand all too well. Then there were the Troubles which started when Fergal Keane was a child and contributed to his fascination with history, identity and conflict, which in turn lay the foundation for his career as a war reporter. The turning point came when he went to Rwanda in 1994 and bore witness to the brutality and horror of the genocide, with the personal impact causing him to breakdown. The journey to recovery is long, and remains tough and constantly testing.

Fergal Keane OBE has covered most of the world's conflicts over the past thirty years for the BBC. In 2020, he announced that he was stepping down as the BBC's Africa editor because of his ongoing struggles with PTSD. He is an award winning writer, and ahs been awarded a BAFTA, an Emmy and the Orwell Prize for political writing. He continues to work for the BBC as a Special Correspondent, and to write.

The music is Late Fragment (wordless) and is composed and performed by Daniel Keane.

Abridged by Julian Wilkinson.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.

Journalist Fergal Keane's powerful and intensely personal memoir of war, fear and PTSD.

Journalist Fergal Keane reads from his powerful memoir about war, fear and PTSD. Today, he turns to his grandmother's experience of political violence during the bloody years of the Irish Revolution.

The Madness is Fergal Keane's account of his personal struggle with trauma. Here he looks back to the events and relationships that shaped his childhood and laid the groundwork for his PTSD. He finds that the historic past is also partly responsible for his damaged mental health when he unearths stories about his grandmother's experiences during the Irish Revolution. Then there were the Troubles which started when Fergal Keane was a child and contributed to his fascination with history, identity and conflict, which went on to lay the foundation for his career as a war reporter. The turning point came when he went to Rwanda in 1994 and bore witness to the brutality and horror of the genocide, with the personal impact causing him to breakdown. The journey to recovery is long, and remains tough and constantly testing.

Fergal Keane OBE has covered most of the world's conflicts over the past thirty years for the BBC. In 2020, he announced that he was stepping down as the BBC's Africa editor because of his ongoing struggles with PTSD. He is an award winning writer, and ahs been awarded a BAFTA, an Emmy and the Orwell Prize for political writing. He continues to work for the BBC as a Special Correspondent, and to write.

The music is Late Fragment (wordless) and is composed and performed by Daniel Keane.

Abridged by Julian Wilkinson.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.

Journalist Fergal Keane turns to his grandmother's experience of political violence.

Journalist Fergal Keane's powerful and intensely personal memoir of war, fear and PTSD.

Journalist Fergal Keane reads from his memoir about his struggle with PTSD. Today, he recounts his experiences of covering Rwanda's genocide, and how bearing witness to the horror meted out over hundred days in 1994 continues to impact his mental health.

The Madness is Fergal Keane's account of his personal struggle with trauma. Here he looks back to the events and relationships that shaped his childhood and laid the groundwork for his PTSD, before reaching the turning point when he went to Rwanda to cover the genocide that took place in 1994. The personal impact of the brutality he saw eventually led to a breakdown in his mental health, and was followed by a long road to recovery that remains tough and constantly testing.

Fergal Keane OBE has covered most of the world's conflicts over the past thirty years for the BBC. In 2020, he announced that he was stepping down as the BBC's Africa editor because of his ongoing struggles with PTSD. He is an award winning writer, and has been awarded a BAFTA, an Emmy and the Orwell Prize for political writing. He continues to work for the BBC as a Special Correspondent, and to write.

The music is Late Fragment (wordless) and is composed and performed by Daniel Keane.

Abridged by Julian Wilkinson
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.

Journalist Fergal Keane's memoir about his PTSD reaches Rwanda's and the 1994 genocide.

Journalist Fergal Keane's powerful and intensely personal memoir of war, fear and PTSD.

The Madness is Fergal Keane's account of his personal struggle with trauma. Here he looks back to the events and relationships that shaped his childhood and laid the groundwork for his PTSD. He finds that the historic past is partly responsible for his damaged mental health when he unearths stories about his grandmother's experiences during the Irish Revolution. Then there were the Troubles which started when Fergal Keane was a child and contributed to his fascination with history, identity and conflict, which went on to lay the foundation for his career as a war reporter. The turning point came when he went to Rwanda in 1994 and bore witness to the brutality and horror of the genocide, with the personal impact causing him to breakdown. The journey to recovery is long, and remains tough and constantly testing.

Fergal Keane OBE has covered most of the world's conflicts over the past thirty years for the BBC. In 2020, he announced that he was stepping down as the BBC's Africa editor because of his ongoing struggles with PTSD. He is an award winning writer, and ahs been awarded a BAFTA, an Emmy and the Orwell Prize for political writing. He continues to work for the BBC as a Special Correspondent, and to write.

The music is Late Fragment (wordless) and is composed and performed by Daniel Keane.

Abridged by Julian Wilkinson.

Produced by Elizabeth Allard.

In journalist Fergal Keane's memoir it's 2008 and he is haunted by the horrors of the past

Journalist Fergal Keane's powerful and intensely personal memoir of war, fear and PTSD.

Journalist Fergal Keane reads from his memoir about his struggle with PTSD. Today, he confronts the ghosts of past traumas and old wounds begin to heal.

The Madness is Fergal Keane's account of his personal struggle with trauma. Here he looks back to the events and relationships that shaped his childhood and laid the groundwork for his PTSD. He finds that the historic past is partly responsible for his damaged mental health when he unearths stories about his grandmother's experiences during the Irish Revolution. Then there were the Troubles which started when Fergal Keane was a child and contributed to his fascination with history, identity and conflict, which went on to lay the foundation for his career as a war reporter. The turning point came when he went to Rwanda in 1994 and bore witness to the brutality and horror of the genocide, with the personal impact causing him to breakdown. The journey to recovery is long, and remains tough and constantly testing.

Fergal Keane OBE has covered most of the world's conflicts over the past thirty years for the BBC. In 2020, he announced that he was stepping down as the BBC's Africa editor because of his ongoing struggles with PTSD. He is an award winning writer, and ahs been awarded a BAFTA, an Emmy and the Orwell Prize for political writing. He continues to work for the BBC as a Special Correspondent, and to write.

The music is Late Fragment (wordless) and is composed and performed by Daniel Keane.

Abridged by Julian Wilkinson.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.

In journalist Fergal Keane's memoir about PTSD he confronts the ghosts of his past.

Journalist Fergal Keane's powerful and intensely personal memoir of war, fear and PTSD.