Legacy

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.

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

Travel across Ireland with internationally renowned singer Michael Londra in a celebration of Irish culture, history, and music. Combining glorious video footage from the Emerald Isle, fascinating travel destinations, exciting cultural experiences, and performances from Irish stars, Ireland with Michael allows you to tour Ireland from your own home.

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.

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.

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’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 program and investigate the health of our deep Atlantic waters.

Follow a unique, personal journey along one of the most spectacular coastlines in the world featuring the wildlife and wild places that make it so special. Emmy Award-winning wildlife cameraman, Colin Stafford-Johnson, takes viewers on an authored odyssey along Ireland’s rugged Atlantic coast.

The father-son iconic duo is setting off on a personal journey embarking on a road trip across the island of Ireland, diving into its deepest myths and folklore, and discovering how the stories we inherit shape the people we become. Along the way, they talk about family, legacy, and how the threads that tie us together - whether it’s music, memories, or shared history - can stretch across generations.

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.

Professional nature photographer Colin Stafford-Johnson takes a year-long journey up the west coast of Ireland, once thought to be "the edge of the world." As he winds he leisurely way up the coast he stops to appreciate some of the natural wonders the area offers, both biological and geographical.

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

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.

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.

The journey through Ireland begins in the Rugged North, in the middle of the rough and untamed nature. From there, we travel to the West of Ireland, where the original, traditional life is preserved. From the traditional west, our route takes us to the popular south, with a milder climate and lush vegetation. Our journey ends in the lively East, where the contrast between today and the past is not only palpable, but also visible. On our journey we meet people who would never leave their homeland despite the harsh living conditions, we wander through spectacular landscapes, get an insight into the traditional ways of life and experience the four sides of Ireland in a completely new way.

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.

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.

Ardal O'Hanlon goes on a fascinating journey around the islands of Ireland, unearthing the history, observing the wildlife and meeting the islanders trying to live sustainably within their extraordinary environment.