An exploration of Ancient Ireland, from 2000 B.C., when Stone Age farmers built some of Europe's largest and most spectacular Neolithic monuments, to 1167 A.D., when invading Normans seized Ireland for England's king.
Tells the fascinating history of an island people who have truly left their mark on the world. 6 million people live on the island of Ireland, but over 80 million people worldwide say they are Irish. What does that mean? How have we been shaped by our history? Our geography? Where did we come from? Where did we go? These questions are at the heart of this series.
The year is 1993. The UK and Ireland are swept up in electrifying boy band mania. Across Dublin’s clubs, bars and schools, a feverish hunt begins, to find the next musical sensation. In the era before tv talent shows ruled, hundreds vied for stardom, but only five working-class Dubliners would have the luck to be plucked from obscurity and be thrust into the global spotlight. It’s here, we begin our story.
For seven decades, the Irish state conspired with families, parishes and religious congregations to imprison and enslave over 10,000 Irish girls and women in the so-called Magdalene Laundries. After decades of silence, survivors of that system share their experiences during and since their incarceration, and reveal how they are having to fight for the care, redress and acknowledgement that was promised to them.
Travelogue of England, Ireland and Wales, presented by Billy Connolly, including clips from his stand-up performances.
Each episode looks back at the news and events of a particular year, using news archive footage, along with subtitles as the means of narration, to recount notable Irish and international events of the time.
Great Lighthouses of Ireland tells the story of Ireland’s lighthouses and their continuing importance to the country’s survival. For all their romance and mystery, lighthouses remain a vital part of Ireland’s maritime infrastructure.
In a landmark 7-part series, Spotlight - Northern Ireland’s leading team of investigative journalists - reveal important new discoveries about the conflict known as the Troubles, in the 50th anniversary of the deployment of British troops to Northern Ireland.
The Wild Atlantic Way, the magnificent West Coast of Ireland - was once described by William Butler Yeats as ' the land of your heart's desire". John Creedon is about to explore it's landscape, seascapes and culture in this new 3 part RTÉ One series, 'Creedon's Wild Atlantic Way'. He begins his road trip in Kinsale in Cork and travels right to the very top of our island - Donegal's Malin Head. The Wild Atlantic Way is the longest defined coastal drive in the world, coming in at two and a half thousand kilometres and John Creedon is determined to travel it by whatever means required.
The story of the Irish politician Charles Haughey, told by his family as well as those who worked most closely with him in politics and in the private business circles from which his most controversial payments were drawn.
Julia returns to the country of her birth as she travels through Ireland's stunning natural landscape and vibrant cities, exploring its rich culture and history
A three-part documentary series that journeys to the heart of Ireland's coast, revealing its fascinating origins, rich biodiversity and magnetic charm.
Sex & Sensibility is an RTÉ television series which reflects on changing attitudes to sex in Ireland. The four-part series was presented by Simon Delaney. Directed by Imogen Murphy, it was filmed in April and May 2008 on location in Dublin. It was broadcast in June and July 2008. Features included some commentary from Bill O'Herlihy, Mary O'Rourke, Michael McNiff, Claire Tully, John Kelleher and night club owners Valeria Roe and Maurice Boland. The series reflected on the changes that had taken place in Ireland since the 1960s, an era when the sexual revolution had not yet reached the shores of the island. It showed how television had played a major part in "loosening everyone up" and altered Irish society "from a gloomy 'Irish Taliban'-style theocracy to the nation of fun-loving sex maniacs we are today". Terry Prone demonstrated her view that soaps, rather than "dusty old current affairs programmes", had been central to social change. The Riordans caused scandal when one of the characters, named Maggie, went on the pill. The "contraceptive train" to Belfast was also focused on, evoking memories of an era when the devices were illegal in the Republic of Ireland, prompting people to travel to Northern Ireland to stock up on their contraceptive needs. Also featured was The Late Late Show and the uproar it caused when it gave airtime to a group of lesbian nuns, Bill Hughes, who spoke about the underground gay scene in Ireland, Senator David Norris having his sexuality called into question when he was asked if he was "sick" by a TV presenter, the Leeson Street clubbing scene in its early years and Toni the Exotic Dancer, a housewife from Tallaght, Dublin who flashed her ample bosom for the crowds who thronged the urban pubs after mass. Video of protesters with portable Virgin Mary statues at work outside the RTÉ studios were also shown.
Following six homeowners who have taken on the task of a lifetime: to reclaim and transform their derelict properties on the verge of ruin into comfortable modern homes, fit for the 21st century.
Through new discoveries in science and archaeology, explorers take a look at the origins of the Vikings and how they influenced history.
On the 22nd June 1921 King George V and Queen Mary arrived in Belfast for the official opening of the first Northern Ireland parliament. Fearful for their lives, they had come to a city scarred by bitter sectarian violence. The King’s visit to Belfast was the culmination of three centuries of history – and three years of political brinkmanship and brutal communal violence. The occasion marked the creation of the new state of Northern Ireland. A line had been drawn on the map – a new border that separated the north and south of the island. One hundred years on, this is the story of the dramatic events that led to the partition of Ireland. A story that continues to reverberate to the present day - and dominate relationships between the islands of Britain and Ireland.
Ireland is a very different place, seen from above. Looking down, the secrets of our natural landscape, architecture, history and human experience come to light in new and unexpected ways. The hidden stories, memories and the mythologies of a nation, written into the very landscape itself. Filmed exclusively from on high using the latest drone technology, this 2 x 1 hour documentary series showcase Ireland, its splendours and its secrets like never before.
John Creedon is a man on a mission, teasing and exploring the true meaning behind some of Ireland's most unusual, iconic and famous place names.
Documentary series which goes behind the scenes of the five-star Merchant Hotel in the centre of Belfast
The 3-part documentary series The Irish Civil War tells the epic and often challenging story of the origins, conflict and legacy of the civil war that took place in Ireland in 1922 and 1923. Narrated by Brendan Gleeson, produced in partnership with University College Cork by RTÉ Cork as part of the Decade of Centenary commemorations and based on UCC’s “mammoth and magnificent” Atlas of the Irish Revolution, this documentary series features extensive archive film footage, photographs and materials, interviews with leading academics, archive interviews with contemporary participants and witnesses, firsthand witness accounts read by actors, detailed and dynamic graphic maps based on those featured in the Atlas of the Irish Revolution, and stunning cinematography of the very locations where events took place.