RTÉ's Summer Slate of Documentaries Unveiled
Showcasing Unique Irish Stories and Exploring Irish Life
Natasha O'Brien, the young Limerick woman featured in the documentary Natasha, now streaming on RTÉ Player
RTÉ has today announced details of its summer line-up of home-grown documentaries airing across RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, showcasing both modern and historical stories which are uniquely Irish.
From the harrowing journey of assault survivor Natasha O'Brien, to exploring the fate of Ireland's dwindling missionaries, to a deep dive into NORAID, and an in-depth look at the lives of Buddhists in Beara, a broad range of intriguing one-off documentaries and documentary series will air on RTÉ across the summer months.
Natasha
Wednesday 25 June 9.35pm
Having survived a violent assault by a serving soldier—who was convicted but walked free with a suspended sentence—Natasha O'Brien, a young Limerick woman, refuses to stay silent. Her public outcry against the lenient ruling ignites national protests and forces a reckoning with how the Irish justice system treats survivors of gender-based violence. This powerful, intimate documentary follows Natasha and is a portrayal of how the aftermath of a violent attack and the subsequent strain of the flawed justice system affects a young woman's life and how she attempts to transform her trauma into activism.
The Phone Box Babies
Wednesday 2 July, 9.35 pm
The Phone Box Babies reveals new insights into the lives and identities of three newborn babies abandoned in the 1960s in different parts of Ireland. The babies were discovered by random passersby in phone boxes, and in a car, without any identifying information or clue to their origins. David McBride, born in 1962, was left in a car in a Belfast driveway. John Dowling, born in 1965, was found in a Drogheda phone box. Helen Ward, born in 1968, was discovered in a Dundalk phone box. Each was adopted and raised in different parts of Ireland. This new documentary uncovers details about the babies' parents, where they came from, and why they were given up. Fifty years later, as adults, they discover their connection to each other and embark on an emotional journey to uncover their identities.
NORAID: Irish America & The IRA
Begins on Wednesday 9 July, 9.35 pm A gripping new two-part documentary that tells the astonishing story of the role played by Irish Americans during the conflict in Northern Ireland: fundraising, propagandising and gun-running. NORAID: Irish America & the IRA, tells of a body of Irish Americans who acted as the Republican movement's voice in the United States of America throughout that period. Told through first-hand accounts and using exclusive archive sources, the series looks at how Irish-America went from collecting money in bars in the Bronx to pressing the Presidential Candidate, Bill Clinton, during the 1992 primaries - lobbying which led to a key turning point in the nascent Peace Process: a US Visa for the then President of Sinn Féin, Gerry Adams.
Listen to the Land Speak
Listen to the Land Speak sees Manchán Magan reveal the profound knowledge and wisdom contained in our landscape and myths and explore how they have shaped the way we look at the world. Filmed over four seasons, the film unfolds from Winter Solstice to Bealtaine through Reek Sunday to Samhain. Along his journey, he meets respected archaeologists, mythologists, writers and shamans that offer different perspectives on how our ancestors related to the land and landscape around them. It also becomes an unexpectedly personal story - as he seeks to help heal society's relationship with nature - Manchán also realises that there is a serious illness within himself that makes him see these ancient sites and beliefs in a whole new light.
Don't Forget to Remember
This unconventional documentary from Ross Killeen (Love Yourself Today) is an emotive human story featuring the artist Asbestos and his journey through the slow decay of his mother's memories as they disintegrate due to her advancing Alzheimer's disease. His work represents the fragility of memory in images, which are themselves fragile and transient. Together Killeen and Asbestos consider the brittleness of memory and find that even though Alzheimer's brings elements of disintegration and destruction, the memories we have of our loved ones will endure and last, even if they've disintegrated in the mind of the sufferer. The work is at once a moving portrait of one woman's memory loss, but also a celebration of a loving family coming together in the face of this condition.
The Last Irish Missionaries
Bryan Dobson and Dearbhail McDonald chart the unique evolution of the Irish missionary movement, from religious colonialism to heroic acts of self-sacrifice and philanthropy; from a flourishing of Irish 'soft power', to tawdry scandals of abuse and cover-up. Today, the Irish missionary chapter is drawing to a close. Ireland's last missionaries are nearly all elderly - what will be their legacy? And who, if anyone, will take their place? Dearbhail and Bryan explore why so many Irish priests, nuns, lay people and other religious felt called to spread the Gospel to the farthest reaches of the world. They also hear firsthand about their experiences and the impact of those individuals worldwide. The Last Irish Missionaries is produced with funding from Coimisiún na Meán's Sound & Vision Fund.
The Breaking Wave - The Buddhists of Beara
This feature-length film tells the remarkable story of Dzogchen Beara, a spiritual haven perched amidst the stunning landscape of West Cork's Beara peninsula. Founded by Peter and Harriet Cornish in 1973, the Centre appointed an internationally renowned Buddhist teacher, Sogyal Rinpoche, as its spiritual director, in 1994. Over 20 years later, the community was rocked by revelations that Rinpoche was a serial sexual predator. With unique access over five years, Maurice O'Brien's film captures the community's efforts to come to terms with this scandal and with the death of Peter Cornish, while constructing Ireland's first Tibetan Buddhist Temple. Produced with funding from Coimisiún na Meán's Sound & Vision Fund and Screen Ireland.
Home: The Story of Zak Moradi
Home: The Story of Zak Moradi tells the story of Zak, born in a camp in war-torn Iraq on the day the Gulf War began. Zak and his family share their experiences from fleeing their home to building a new life in Ireland, where he finds a community and his passion through the local GAA and playing hurling. 20 years since leaving Iraq, Zak returns to reconnect with his past on an emotional journey, in what is a poignant and inspiring story of resilience and hope, that explores the importance, meaning and feeling of a home. The documentary premiered at last year's Galway Film Fleadh.
Mrs Robinson
Mrs Robinson tells the story of Mary Robinson - in her own words, for the very first time - illuminating battles for justice and equality over half a century; on the streets, in the courts, at the ballot box, and in backroom corridors of power. A reforming constitutional lawyer and Senator in her early career, Mary Robinson detonated an electoral earthquake by winning the Irish Presidential vote in 1990. Later, as a crusading UN High Commissioner, she built a lasting legacy; fearlessly challenging perpetrators of human rights abuses all over the world. To this day, she exerts leadership as the Chair of The Elders; the independent group of global leaders (founded by Nelson Mandela) who work for peace, justice and human rights.
Pray for our Sinners
Pray for Our Sinners documents Sinéad O'Shea's return to her hometown, Navan, to explore the impact of the Catholic Church on the community in decades past. Through first hand testimonies, the film reveals the plight of unmarried mothers; the horrors of mother and baby homes and the prevalence of violence against children in Catholic schools. A handful of extraordinary figures chose to resist the pervasive power of the church: a woman who refused to give her baby up for adoption, a 9-year-old boy who dared to speak out against his teachers' physical abuse; and a couple who established a family planning service and campaigned for the abolition of corporal punishment
Football Families
Football Families is a high-action entertaining three-part series featuring some of Ireland's best young soccer talent as they chase the dream of making it in the dog-eat-dog world of professional football, filmed behind-the-scenes with the rising stars of league of Ireland champions Shelbourne F.C's soccer academy. The series was filmed as the 2024 league reached its climax with Shelbourne being crowned champions under manager Damien Duff. Delving behind the scenes, the series highlights how this sport for the masses is a profession for the few. Hard-working and determined, these teenagers from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities train together and bond as teams who want to win. Their stories reveal the pressure and scrutiny they're under as they cope with the brutal reality of elite level football.
North Circular
North Circular is a multiple award-winning documentary which travels the length of Dublin's fabled North Circular Road. This is a place where local characters share their powerful and emotive stories, accompanied by traditional ballads and folk music, all adding to the narrative. Conjuring the ghosts of the past, while engaging with the conflicts and celebrations of today, North Circular also features some Dublin humour thrown in. The film includes musical performances from local artists including John Francis Flynn, Séan Ó Túama, Eoghan O'Ceannabháin, Ian Lynch & Gemma Dunleavy.
Breaking Out
Fergus O'Farrell was the charismatic voice of Interference, one of the most compelling and influential bands to emerge from the Irish music scene in the 1990s, best-known for his timeless song Gold which featured in the soundtrack to Once. Despite being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at a young age, through it all, Fergus had to keep singing. His unique talent and love for life inspired a generation of songwriters. Oscar-winner Glen Hansard was one, and in one of the many incredible moments in Breaking Out, he performs the ultimate duet as Fergus' greatest gift was failing. Winner of Best Irish Documentary at the Galway Film Fleadh 2019 , this intimate journey into the heart and soul of Fergus O'Farrell was filmed over ten years by director Michael McCormack.
Sightless Cinema
A year in the life of the Sightless Cinema audio drama network, as they embark on their biggest show to date. The Sightless Cinema network is a group of blind and visually impaired people who create audio dramas for performance in theatres and cinemas. Founded in 2015 by theatre director Ciarán Taylor, and sound artist Rachel Ní Chuinn, Sightless Cinema has grown from a tiny group to a nationwide community. Director Gareth Stack followed Sightless Cinema as they rehearsed and performed their new show across Ireland. Members of the group candidly discuss their sight loss and how their lives have been shaped by blindness. We watch their creative process in action. As Sightless Cinema turn their lived experiences of blindness into compelling audio theatre.
The Graceless Age - The Ballad of John Murry
Feature documentary on American singer songwriter John Murry who was on the cusp of greatness after the release of his album Graceless Age (2013) when his world fell apart. He found solace in Ireland where he had washed up creatively exhausted and depressed and where, he said, the landscape and the people revived him. This haunting film sees John retrace his steps back to Mississippi to a neglected childhood, explore his family links to the Nobel Prize winning author William Faulkner, and ultimately find understanding and redemption through his love for music.
Further documentary and scheduling details will be announced in due course.
The TX dates for upcoming RTÉ documentaries will be finalised across the summer and will be available on RTÉ Presspack.
For Further Information: Jennifer O'Brien, RTÉ Communications
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