What did the movies get right?

To prepare for the Ireland trip, I did what any sensible American student would do: watch the popular films on Netflix based on the history of the area I was going to. I watched two films on the Irish War of Independence and Irish Civil War, covering the period of around 1916-1924. Michael Collins, a biopic featuring Liam Neeson as the eponymous Irish leader, covers the 1916 Easter Uprising, the development of the IRA as a guerilla force during the War of Independence, and the split between the Pro-Treaty Free Staters and Anti-Treaty IRA, led by Eamonn de Valera, portrayed by Alan Rickman. The Wind that Shakes the Barley tells the story of two fictional County Cork brothers who join the IRA and then find themselves on different sides after the treaty.
[Historical background tidbit: The Irish War of Independence was a conflict between the guerilla forces of the IRA and the British Army, fought in Ireland. It featured theft of weaponry, assassinations, and bombings, and ended with negotiated peace in 1921 with the Anglo-Irish Treaty. This treaty, which required the partitioning of Ireland and Northern Ireland, as well as an oath to the British Crown (with Ireland as a dominion of Britain, a la Canada). The forces of the IRA split on these terms, with the pro-treaty members becoming the Free State government forces, and the Anti-Treaty IRA splitting off. This division eventually escalated into the Irish Civil War, with subsequent assassinations and executions from 1922-1923.]
Throughout our time in Dublin, we saw a huge number of important locations for the events of these two integral conflicts in Irish history. The Four Courts, the Kilmainham Gaol (where many IRA leaders were held), and Dublin Castle, to name a few. We also took a trip to the Irish Military Museum at the Curragh military camp, with exhibits featuring the weaponry from each era, and even the armored Rolls Royce from the ambush that claimed Michael Collins' life.
While my understanding is that these two movies provide very accurate representations of the events of the time, there is something else entirely about seeing things in person. About standing in a jail cell that may have held major IRA leaders for months and years. For seeing the vantage point of Free State forces as they bombarded their former comrades holed up in the Four Courts. We can learn about policy, and the history of policy, but the importance of place cannot be overstated. While the movies can show you something, traveling can help you experience it.
(Pictures to be added upon return).