Legacy

In this series forensic experts attempt to join the dots and identify some of the unidentified remains that lie in mortuaries, forensic labs and graveyards across Ireland.

Castles are the powerhouses that dot across our islands. History Hit’s Matt Lewis discovers Irish castles, from ancient high points to Norman keeps to medieval citadels.

A docudrama telling the story of the events that unfolded when a Scottish army led by Robert Bruce tried to drive the English out of Ireland 700 years ago.

Award-winning, British/Australian Actress and Activist, Miriam Margolyes, joins one of Ireland’s newest and most high-profile political figures, Dubliner, Senator Lynn Ruane on a road trip across Ireland in a documentary shining a light on the Irish dramatist, folklorist and theatre manager, whose work, influence and impact on Irish political and literary life has often been neglected.

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.

After 40 years, Sir Terry Wogan returns to Ireland, stepping back into his past to explore how the country helped shape him, and looking at what it means to be Irish in the 21st century.

Michael Portillo charts the War of Independence in Ireland, following the journey from the Peace Conference in Versailles to the historic ceasefire in 1921.

Simon Reeve sets out on an epic journey around the island of Ireland - a place steeped in history, culture and belief, but with a complex past. Part 1: South Simon begins his journey in the south of Ireland, paramotoring with an Irish explorer. On the west coast, he does spot of surfing before climbing Croagh Patrick in honour of Ireland's patron saint. This leg of his journey ends in Malin Head, Ireland's most northerly point.

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.

Travelogue of England, Ireland and Wales, presented by Billy Connolly, including clips from his stand-up performances.

Documentary series which goes behind the scenes of the five-star Merchant Hotel in the centre of Belfast

Over the 1980s and 1990s Dublin transformed from a recession-blighted backwater to one of the wealthiest cities in Europe. As its fortunes changed so did those of its criminals, who began selling heroin, ecstasy and cocaine. Dublin Narcos tells the story of the rise in addiction, violence and organised crime which persists to this day, with first hand testimony from the kingpins and cops to the ravers and users. We also hear from the fearless journalists whose attempts at exposing the drugs barons led to the death of one of their bravest, Veronica Guerin.

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.

Ireland’s Deep Atlantic sees underwater cameraman Ken O’Sullivan embark on a series of voyages out into the open North Atlantic in search of large whales, sharks and cold water coral reefs 3,000 down on Ireland’s deep sea bed. The two-part series will document many of these creatures’ behaviour for the first time in any TV programme and investigate the health of our deep Atlantic waters.

Across Quebec, André Robitaille meets with individuals, organizations, and businesses that have embarked on renovations or restorations of unique historic buildings. Whether by vocation, business, or because fate has thrown an ambitious project their way, the people who have taken charge of these unforgettable places share their stories with passion. Through their experience, the show offers an open door to a host of fascinating heritage sites, where we understand that built heritage is more alive than ever.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Through new discoveries in science and archaeology, explorers take a look at the origins of the Vikings and how they influenced history.