Irish director says Garret FitzGerald said he was expecting payment from Warner Bros for endorsing Michael Collins biopic – which son refutes

When the Irish film director and screenwriter Neil Jordan’s biopic of Michael Collins was released in 1996, it unleashed criticism from historians and politicians who contested its depiction of the rebel leader and Ireland’s war of independence.

Some disputed Liam Neeson’s portrayal of the doomed, charismatic guerrilla chief and his romance with a character played by Julia Roberts. Others cited inaccuracies in the film’s depiction of the 1919-21 conflict with Britain and ensuing Irish civil war.