Latest news with #ThePhoneBoxBabies
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- RTÉ News
RTÉ presents new documentary on the origin stories of three abandoned babies in 1960s Ireland
This July, RTÉ presents The Phone Box Babies, a documentary revealing 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. This new documentary airing on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player 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. 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. In 2020, David and Helen discovered they were brother and sister through DNA technology and were reunited on the ITV series Long Lost Family. To their shock and joy, they subsequently found John, a third full sibling. They believe there is a fourth sibling out there and are hoping this documentary will encourage that person to get in touch. United in their desire to uncover more of the truth about their family and the circumstances surrounding their parents' decision to abandon them, the documentary follows the siblings as they uncover untold stories that reflect the Ireland of the past. Their mother was a young Catholic woman from the Republic of Ireland who, in the 1940s, began a affair with a married Protestant man from Northern Ireland, who was 17 years her senior and had 14 children of his own. This affair endured for decades and, in that time, David, John, and Helen were born – and given up. Speaking about the documentary, Helen Ward said: 'This documentary has opened up the lines of communication about our biological parents, with people willing to share their stories. I hope the documentary fosters understanding and empathy, especially about what it's like to have to question your roots. I hope it encourages people to be open and receptive to helping others with similar experiences. The longing for connection with family is valid and deeply human.' With both biological parents now deceased, the siblings confront painful truths about their parents' complex relationship and the impact of this abandonment on their own lives. They face a challenging journey in their quest for answers, but with the support of newly discovered half-siblings and family friends (including snooker legend Ken Doherty), they remain determined to unearth the buried secrets of their family's past, in the hope that it will bring them closer together. The Phone Box Babies airs on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Wednesday 2 July at 9:35pm -Ends- Date: 26 June 2025
The Journal
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Journal
Siblings abandoned as babies and reunited 50 years later believe they may have another brother
THREE PEOPLE WHO were abandoned as babies in different parts of Ireland in the 1960s – and later discovered they were siblings – believe there is a fourth sibling and that a new documentary could encourage them to make contact. The remarkable story, which captured media attention on both sides of the border, will be explored in a new documentary called The Phone Box Babies. It will air next week, on Wednesday 2 July at 9.35pm, on RTÉ One. It promises to reveal new insights into the lives of three people who were abandoned as babies and discovered that they were siblings over five decades later. News clipping about David McBride being found in the front seat of a car in Dunmurry on the outskirts of Belfast in 1962 The three babies were discovered by random passersby in phone boxes, and in a car, without any identifying information. David McBride, born in 1962, was found in a duffle bag in the front seat of a car in Dunmurry on the outskirts of Belfast. John Dowling, born in 1965, was found in a Drogheda phone box. Helen Ward, born in 1968, was discovered in a tartan duffel bag in a Dundalk phone box. Each was adopted and raised in different parts of Ireland. But in 2020, David and Helen discovered they were brother and sister through DNA technology and were reunited on the ITV series Long Lost Family, presented by Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell. And on the other side of the planet in Australia, John Dowling's daughter watched the ITV programme and noticed that her father bore a resemblance to David. She asked her father to take a DNA test and it revealed that John was another full blood sibling to David and Helen. Advertisement David McBride, born in 1962, holds news clipping about being found in the front seat of a car in Dunmurry on the outskirts of Belfast. However, the three siblings now believe there is a fourth sibling out there and are hopeful that the new RTÉ documentary will encourage that person to get in touch. Helen previously told UTV that she believes the fourth sibling could be a baby boy that was found in a phone box in Newry, Co Down, in May 1963. 'Why not just pick up the phone or email us, even if he just wants to chat about it,' Helen told UTV last year. 'We're all very private people in our own right, we've great respect for each other and that would go exactly for him as well,' she added. Meanwhile, an RTÉ spokesperson said the documentary follows the siblings as they 'uncover untold stories that reflect the Ireland of the past'. Their mother was a young Catholic woman from the Republic of Ireland who, in the 1940s, began an affair with a married Protestant man from Northern Ireland. He was 17 years her senior and had 14 children of his own. This affair endured for decades and, in that time, David, John, and Helen were born – and abandoned. Speaking ahead of the documentary airing, Helen said it has 'opened up the lines of communication about our biological parents, with people willing to share their stories'. Helen Ward, born in 1968, holds news clipping about her being discovered in a Dundalk phone box. RTÉ RTÉ She said she hopes the documentary can 'foster understanding and empathy, especially about what it's like to have to question your roots'. Helen also expressed hope that it can 'encourage people to be open and receptive to helping others with similar experiences'. 'The longing for connection with family is valid and deeply human,' she added. Both biological parents are now deceased, and an RTÉ spokesperson said the siblings 'confront painful truths about their parents' complex relationship and the impact of this abandonment on their own lives'. However, they also receive the support of newly discovered half-siblings and family friends, including snooker legend Ken Doherty, in their quest to 'unearth the buried secrets of their family's past'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- General
- Irish Daily Mirror
Three people abandoned as babies in Ireland believe fourth is out there
Three people who were abandoned as babies in Ireland in the '60s and later discovered they are siblings believe they have a fourth brother or sister. 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 and Helen Ward, born in 1968, was discovered in a Dundalk phone box. All three were adopted and raised in different parts of Ireland. However, in 2020, Helen and David discovered they were brother and sister through DNA technology and reunited on the ITV series Long Lost Family. They were both shocked to discover that they had another full sibling, John. The long-lost siblings are now seeking help as they believe they have a fourth sibling. As part of a new RTÉ documentary called The Phone Box Babies, the family hope it will encourage their sibling to get in touch. The programme follows them as they uncover untold stories that reflect the Ireland of the past. Their mother was a young Catholic woman from the Republic of Ireland who, in the 1940s, began an affair with a married Protestant man from Northern Ireland, who was 17 years her senior and had 14 children of his own. This affair endured for decades and, in that time, David, John, and Helen were born – and given up. Speaking about the documentary, Helen said: "This documentary has opened up the lines of communication about our biological parents, with people willing to share their stories. "I hope the documentary fosters understanding and empathy, especially about what it's like to have to question your roots. I hope it encourages people to be open and receptive to helping others with similar experiences. The longing for connection with family is valid and deeply human." During the documentary, the siblings confront some painful truths about their parents' complex relationship, who are both dead. And while they unravel the impact the abandonment had on their lives, Helen, David and John open their arms to new family members. They discover they have many half-siblings and are determined to unearth the buried secrets of their family's past, in the hope that it will bring them closer together.
Extra.ie
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Former RTÉ legend makes surprise return to national broadcaster
Retired RTÉ Newscaster Bryan Dobson will make a return to our television screens this summer with a new documentary he co-presents with Dearbhail McDonald. The former News at One host who is 65, retired from the State Broadcaster in January 2024 after 37 years hosting both radio and television news programmes. This new documentary 'The Irish Missionaries' is among a slew of new home produced programmes set to hit our screens this summer and will see Dobson and co-presenter Dearbhail McDonald examine the evolution of the 'Irish Missionary Movement', from the cover ups of countless reports of abuse to heroic acts of self-sacrifice and philanthropy. Bryan Dobson and Dearbhail McDonald feature in The Last Irish Missionaries documentary. Pic: RTÉ The Documentary also sees Dearbhail and Bryan exploring why so many people feel called to the religious life and felt compelled to spread the Gospel in some of the most remote parts of the globe. Another programme set to air this summer is 'The Phone Box Babies', which tells the stories of three newborns who were all abandoned in the 1960s in different parts of Ireland. The programme brings together these three strangers with very similar beginnings as babies, across different parts of the country. Random passersby had discovered the infants in phone boxes, and in a car, without any identifying information or clues as to where they belonged. Helen Ward, John Dowling and David McBride who feature in The Phone Box Babies. Pic: RTÉ This new documentary uncovers details about the babies' `birth parents, where they were born, and why they were given up, and sees them come together as adults 50 years later, to embark on an emotional rollercoaster journey to uncover their true identities. Former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson will also present her own programme entitled 'Mrs Robinson' in which she will look back over her career to date with particular emphasis on her struggles to right the wrongs on the battles for justice and equality over the last 50 years. All in all, a number of interesting home grown programmes to watch out for this summer season.
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
RTÉ announces new slate of homegrown documentaries
From a documentary about former President Mary Robinson to look at the lives of Buddhists in Beara and an exploration of the links between the IRA and America, RTÉ television has announced a new series of homegrown documentaries. Produced to "showcase unique Irish stories and explore Irish life," the new documentary slate also includes Pray for our Sinners about the impact of the Catholic Church on the town of Navan and The Phone Box Babies, which reveals new insights into the lives and identities of three newborn babies abandoned in the 1960s in different parts of Ireland.. Natasha, Wednesday 25 June, 9.35pm, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player 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 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 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 passersbys 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. A 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 and 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, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player 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 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, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player 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, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player 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 Breaking Wave - The Buddhists of Beara, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player 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. 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, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player 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, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player 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 nine-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, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player Football Families is a 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, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player North Circular is a multiple award-winning documentary which travels the length of Dublin's 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 and Gemma Dunleavy. Breaking Out, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player 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 Oscar-winning movie 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, RTÉ One/RTÉ Player 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. Feature documentary on American singer songwriter John Murry who was on the cusp of greatness after the release of his album Graceless Age in 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 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.
