Documentary on Newstalk

‘Angels of Mercy’ produced by Grainne McPolin, which explores the story of the women who left Ireland to train and work as nurses in England across the second half of the 20th Century and were an often overlooked but important element in the development of the UK National Health Service. 

We will hear how these young women began lives in a whole new world “I remember there were two Malaysian and three English girls living there as well, but the rest of us, we were from every corner in Ireland; we worked hard and we played hard and as a nurse you see life, you see death and also everything in between..”

Angels of Mercy is a story told through the experiences of five Irish women of different generations who made their careers in nursing in England between 1950 and 1980.  In addition, historians Professor Louise Ryan, Professor Jennifer Redmond and Dr Sarah O’Brien give context to the women’s narrative

Presenter and producer Grainne McPolin worked as a nurse herself in England and brings her own experience to the narrative.

“Angels of Mercy” was produced by Grainne McPolin and funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland under the Sound and Vision Scheme.

Documentary On Newstalk celebrates Ireland’s cycling Greenway.

On Your Bike, is an exploration of Ireland’s first greenway, the Westport to Achill route.  Seen through the eyes of a group of social cyclists who travel it in a day, the programme also tells the history of the former rail line, and explores the lives of the diverse range of people who work, live and cycle along its route.

On Your Bike was originally broadcast on Newstalk on Sunday 8th October 2017.

CREDITS: ‘On Your Bike’ was edited and produced by Brian Gallagher.  The programme was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television License Fee.

Producers Maurice Kelliher and Shaun O'Boyle explore a global effort to improve brain health and reduce the impact of dementia, in "New Knowledge"

In Ireland, more than 55,000 people are living with dementia. In this documentary, we visit the Global Brain Health Institute in Dublin, and meet researchers who are looking for new ways to support people living with dementia, to better understand its causes, and to plan for a future where dementia is on the increase. 

"New Knowledge" was produced by Maurice Kelliher and Shaun O'Boyle, and was supported by a grant from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, as part of the Sound And Vision Scheme.

New Knowledge Transcript

"Letters from Midwinter" provides a rare insight into the private conversations of women in Ireland between 1970 and 2020, through their personal letters.

Produced, written and narrated by Susan Dennehy.

The Researcher and Script Editor was Joanna Marsden.

The programme was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television License Fee.

Additional support was provided by An Post.

This week on Documentary on Newstalk - to mark the 60th anniversary of the Irish Wheelchair Association Newstalk is broadcasting "A Boy From The North West". 

Producer Susan Dennehy and writer Joanna Marsden team up to tell the story of Donegal-man Jack Kerrigan. Paralysed in a diving accident in 1949, he was one of the first wheelchair users to participate in Irish society and one of the members of Paralympics Ireland's first team in 1960. It is a poignant account of what it was like to be a wheelchair user in Ireland in the 50s & 60s.

Jack’s memoirs are read by Mikel Murfi and original music is by Andrew Synott. The programme was made with the support of the BAI, Sound and Vision Grant.

This new radio documentary explores what happened when a physicist asked, “What is Life?”

All life on this planet has something very important in common: DNA. It’s packed into every cell of our body, filled with instructions and tools for those cells to do what they need to do. It carries important information from one generation to the next, just as it did from the beginning of life throughout evolution to every living thing on the planet today.

‘What is Life?’ examines the impact of a series of public lectures given by Erwin Schrödinger in 1943 in Dublin, when he attempted to understand the chemistry of life and inheritance.

"What is Life?" was produced by Maurice Kelliher and Shaun O'Boyle, and was supported by a grant from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, as part of the Sound And Vision Scheme.

Centenarian Joe Veselsky takes us on a personal journey through his first thirty years, the most turbulent of the twentieth century in Eastern Europe.

‘No Ordinary Joe' is recounted by Joe Veslesky. Recorded, produced and edited by Éamon Little, with editing assistance from Ted Little. Sound mixing was by Alan Kelly.

‘No Ordinary Joe' was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the television license fee, and received a special mention from the Whickers Radio & Audio Funding Award, 2020.

Another chance to hear the critically acclaimed, award winning ‘Coma’.

In a small town somewhere in Ireland, a young man lies in a coma. His daily visitors confide in him and reveal their innermost secrets.

COMA was produced by Macanna Teoranta and written by Kevin McCann and Peter Murphy Sound recording by Paddy Greenan and Shane O’Connor, with mastering by Maddu Kambamettu and editing by Seamus Callagy

The play was performed by Catriona O’Reilly, James McInerney, Michael Olwell, Orla Cahill, Zoe Hickey, Joanne Brennan, Hugh Leddy, Fergal McAloon, Regina Donoghue, and Sean Nulty.

COMA was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland via the Sound and Vision Scheme.

Four stories of separation & reunion. Giving an insight into Ireland’s very recent history when adoption was the number one solution to pregnancy outside marriage.

"A Pocket of Time - The other side of the Irish Adoption Story", originally broadcast in April 2014 and was produced by Susan Dennehy. The programme was made with the support of the BAI, Sound and Vision fund.

Originally aired in 2016, produced by Eric Moylan and narrated by former professional boxer, olympian and Limerick man Andy Lee. 

This documentary examines the relationship between the Limerick and sport. A city where there is 101,000 capacity across 5 stadia for a metropolitan population of 105,000 people. What drives the passion for Ireland’s sporting capital?

A City's Love Affair was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the television licence fee.