Awakening is crucial in setting up the context for the dramatic story of the events of Easter Week 1916. Here, the audience is introduced to the main characters and the main players of Easter Week on all sides and, through them, are made aware of the political and cultural currents playing out in Ireland, Europe, and the world-including the role of Empire, the outbreak of the first World War, the rise of socialist, feminist and nationalist thought and self determination.Episode 1 will bring viewers up to the cusp of Easter week itself.