Documentary on Newstalk

By NewstalkArts

Documentary on Newstalk episodes

November 05, 2023 The White Line
Documentary on Newstalk presents ‘The White Line’, a new documentary that reveals the shocking truth about how Irish Traveller children were treated in Irish schools and the unacknowledged apartheid that existed in the Irish education system for over 5 decades.
Through personal testimony we hear how Traveller children were: kept separate from the settled children at all times; put in Traveller-only classrooms where they received little or no teaching; and were physically and mentally punished regularly simply because of who they were.
All the voices, including that of the narrator, in this documentary belong to members of the Irish Traveller Community. The interviewees come from many parts of the country, from Tipperary, to Galway to Meath and Dublin and for most, this is the first time they have told their story publicly.
‘The White Line’ was produced by Independent radio Producer Susan Dennehy. The Narrator was Christine Collins. The Final Mix was by Moynihan Russell Studios.
The programme was funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television License Fee.
45 min
September 17, 2023 Cloud City
Documentary On Newstalk presents a new documentary by producer Pavel Barter. Telling the forgotten story of how Irish immigrants built a Wild West mining town two miles high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado in Cloud City.
This portrait of Irish diaspora, in one of America’s most ruthless settlements, explores the lives of two characters whose names live on in Leadville lore: Mart Duggan from Limerick, one of the most fearsome yet respected lawmakers in the American West; and Michael Mooney, a union leader from Dublin who fought for worker rights.
This month (September, 2023) sees the opening of a memorial to the Leadville Irish, who until now had been forgotten in unmarked graves at the town’s Evergreen Cemetery.
Credits:Pavel Barter: presenter and producer.
Michael Mellamphy (Red Dead Redemption 2) plays Mart Duggan and Michael Mooney.
With thanks to David Wright (research) and Wil Masisak (VO recording).
Funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television License Fee.
47 min
September 12, 2023 The First Hundred Years: Albert Dryer and the Irish National Association
In “The First Hundred Years: Albert Dryer and the Irish National Association” producer J.J. O'Shea explores the aims and achievements of an important Irish Cultural organisation founded in 1915 in Sydney, Australia, and the life of the man who was the driving force behind the association. The story of the Irish in Australia remains a relatively unexamined aspect of the Irish emigration story and this programme shines a light on some surprising aspects of that story.
"The First Hundred Years" was Produced by J.J. O'Shea.
Excerpts from the INA Centenary Oral History Project were used with the kind permission of the National Library of Australia.
This programme was supported by a grant from Coimisiún na Meán as part of the Sound and Vision Scheme.
47 min
August 27, 2023 Know It All
Producer Michael Cullen introduces us to some of Ireland's most successful quizzers. "Know It All" looks at the quizzing scene in Ireland, and talks to some of its most successful participants, including two winners of Mastermind, and a winner of the million on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
47 min
August 20, 2023 Dead White Men
Producer Patricia Baker of Curious Broadcast takes a walk past the many famous and infamous statues and monuments in Dublin, in the radio documentary Dead White Men, and considers who and how we commemorate. By talking with academics and arts practitioners she asks questions about the monuments that we have chosen to destroy, those we have kept and those perhaps we should not. This is a walk through the monuments controversy past and present.
Dead White Men is a Curious Broadcast Production, Funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television Licence Fee.
45 min
August 07, 2023 Unbeatable Together
Unbeatable Together presented by Henry McKean is a documentary which celebrates the Special Olympics in Berlin, with all the success and tears of emotion as Special Olympics Ireland brought home 75 medals.
52 min
August 06, 2023 Tainted Blood
New radio documentary ‘Tainted Blood’ lays bare the devastating impact of infected blood products on the Irish Haemophilia Community
In 1982 the first case of HIV was recorded in Ireland. By 1985 all people with haemophilia were being tested for the disease. More than one third of them were found to be HIV positive having contracted the disease through infected blood products that were made up of pooled plasma from thousands of donors, much of which had been imported.
Colm Walsh, who has haemophilia, features on the documentary. As a child Colm and his older brother Brendan were treated with the same blood products and, by some cruel twist of fate, Brendan contracted HIV and eventually died of AIDs. Colm did not, but sadly did contract Hepatitis C, another disease which ravaged the haemophilia community in the late 80s as a result of infected blood products.
Colm shares his remarkable story on the documentary, he said, “Despite the fact this happened over 40 years ago some of us are still living with this grief. Not only the grief of losing our loved ones, but for how we were treated and for the lengths we had to go to for the injustice against our community to be acknowledged. This documentary is an important piece of work that shares the heartbreak and distress we went through. We have many reasons for hope today but we can never forget what happened because it can never be allowed to happen again.”
Another key voice in the documentary is Brian O’Mahony, Chief Executive of the Irish Haemophilia Society, which became a significant support network, lobbying on behalf of people with haemophilia and their families (which eventually contributed to the collapse of the Irish government in 1989). They set up services to care for the dying, at a time when there was significant stigma associated with the diseases of HIV and AIDs. The documentary shares stories of the torment and shame experienced by those who contracted HIV and AIDs as well as their families, and how, in many cases, they never shared their diagnosis owing to this stigma.
Brian said, “It was like going through a war, it was a cumulative trauma to the whole community. It brought our members very close together and despite the huge number of deaths our community is hugely resilient. This story is one that everyone in Ireland should know because we can never let anything like this ever happen again. That message has been a big part of our ethos since we first became aware of the plight of so many of our members.
“We were a tiny, volunteer-run organisation before this crisis and now, following years of trauma and campaigning we can proudly say we have one of the best haemophilia treatment systems in the world. Out of the darkness has come some light. I would encourage anyone to take the time to listen to this documentary and understand what happened to our community because all those deaths cannot be in vain.”
Kelly Crichton, documentary maker, said “I was incredibly moved when I first encountered these stories and knew there was a whole generation of Irish people out there who would know nothing or very little about this. I wanted to share this story because it’s hard to fathom just how abandoned this community was and yet, in banding together they overcame so much.
“The Irish Haemophilia Society went above and beyond in their support - risking prosecution by handing out condoms to members, which were illegal at the time. They set up palliative care and worked with undertaker services because of the stigma and protocols associated with death of those infected with HIV or AIDs. Families could then follow traditional funeral arrangements without the fear of their loved one being outed as a HIV and AIDs victim. It truly beggars belief what they had to go through without government support.
“I’d like to thank everyone who I spoke to for the documentary. These are some of the bravest people I have ever met and it was a privilege to record their stories.”
Other voices from the haemophilia community share the heartache, shame, stigma, fear and hurt they experienced. It is a story of fear, isolation, empathy, heart-breaking selflessness and triumph through adversity.
"Tainted Blood" was funded by Coimisiún na Meán, with the television license fee.
48 min
July 30, 2023 Pulling Together: Big Danny, Clonmany…and the World
Clonmany is a small village in rural Donegal. On the edge of the village is a long, narrow single-story building with a tin roof. This plain building is home to World Champions. This is the home of Clonmany Tug of War club, who train here in the autumn and winter nights, pulling together for another tilt at European and World glory. They build them big, and they dream big, in Clonmany.
The World indoor championships are held every two years and will take place at the Aura Leisure Centre in Letterkenny in February 2020. The championships will attract up to 1,000 competitors and spectators from around the World to Letterkenny. But in the weeks leading up to the championships there is growing unease about a strange virus from the east, Covid. Would Big Danny’s dream be scuppered?
‘Pulling Together’ was produced and edited by Jim Doherty with the aid of funding from the BAI’s Sound and Vision scheme.
47 min
June 26, 2023 The Irish Divorce - Episode One
Documentary On Newstalk presents "‘The Irish Divorce” an original radio series by Jonathan Farrelly.
"The Irish Divorce - ‘When you and your spouse over time start leading completely separate lives and sleeping in different rooms, but don't divorce because you're Irish Catholics.”
Told from the perspective of a Therapist and a couple that has gone through ‘an Irish Divorce’ and came out the other side, this series looks to uncover and go deep within the psychology of ‘The Irish Divorce’.
Our therapist, Debra Armstrong will take us on a journey from the outside in, while our couple, ‘Wil-ly and Breda’* will take us on their journey, from the inside out.
*Please note, due to the sensitivity of the topic and our couples wish to rename anonymous, their names have been changed and their testimonies have been recorded by actors.
47 min
May 31, 2023 Fighting on Two Fronts
During a recent period of unrest in the troubled Palestinian territories producer Brian Kenny travelled to meet those Palestinian women who are suffering both under the Israeli occupation and in a deeply patriarchal society.
In the Hebron hills, we hear from a community denied access to their lands, education, and in some cases electricity. We hear how one strong woman rose up against all the odds facing down the IDF and illegal settlers to build a school ensuring the education of future generations.
In the Gaza strip, described by one resident as an open prison, the community workers tell us about the daily struggles facing its inhabitants but primarily how it is the women that suffer the most, be it through a lack of access to education and rule over their own lives, or living in daily fear of Israeli attacks.
"Fighting on Two Fronts" showcases the struggles and triumphs of these women, highlighting their determination to fight for their rights and make a difference in their communities. From organizing protests at great personal risk to campaigning in their communities’ Palestinian women are often at the forefront of a difficult struggle for justice.
Fighting on two Fronts was produced and edited by Brian Kenny (www.kennysound.com) with the aid of funding from the BAI’s Sound and Vision programme. Voice over and translation by Dina Al Jaro.
45 min