Documentary On One - Rté Documentaries

In the last 100 years, we Irish have struggled with our native language. Now in 2011, less than 5% of us speak it on a daily basis. This is a story of passion - from 'non-Irish' people who see the beauty in the language and have been inspired to learn it. (2011)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The story of a scandalous liaison between two Irish women, Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, which began 250 years ago this year. Were these lovers - two upper-class Anglo-Irish women from Kilkenny - the first ever women to 'come out' in Ireland? (2011)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two unlikely men meet to swap jobs. One is a 70-year-old chimney sweep, who left school at 13, the other a professor of philosophy at UCD. The professor cleans a chimney while the sweep delivers a talk to the Philosophical Society at UCD (Broadcast 2009).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This award-winning doc tells the story of Jenny Tyrell who was adopted in 1972. But, Jenny was almost 9 before she found out she was adopted. In this story, Jenny and her birth mother reunite and speak candidly about the hurt, the pain and the love.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Martin McKenna’s career began in a hay barn in Limerick and ended up with three best-selling books about dog behaviour in Australia - he could not read or write but he would become known as 'The Dogman'. (2010)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two Dublin children, with a knack for bunking off school and fare dodging, embark on an unbelievable adventure. On a warm summer's day in 1985, they hop on a Dart and skip out to Dun Laoghaire, nothing much to be doing there, so they sneak on the ferry for Holyhead and make it all the way to London Heathrow where they board a plane to NYC. (2011)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you ever think much about your knees? Well, Taragh Loughrey-Grant didn’t - until one of them was being cut open…. Then she discovered that knees are worshipped and even appear in movies and songs. (2014)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The indistinguishable voice of Leo Maguire, the host of RTÉ Radio's Walton's Programme which stayed on the airwaves for almost 30 years until its cancellation in 1981. Born in Dublin's inner city in 1903, Magure was a prolific composer writing over 100 songs including, "The Dublin Saunter" and his most famous hit, "The Whistling Gypsy". (1981)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A documentary by former world champion Bernard Dunne about Michael Gomez – the controversial bad boy of Irish boxing and a night in the national stadium when something strange and inexplicable happened - something never before seen in an Irish ring? (2014)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Niamh has decided to turn over a new leaf for Christmas: she has decided to give up shoplifting. This time of year, it's no easy task - the festive season turns a tidy profit. Niamh wants to go straight for her grandson. She wants him to know her, not as someone with a "five-finger discount” but instead as a local Facebook celebrity and a poet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Being a shy person is often seen as something that you will overcome as you get older. Many introverts feel that there is something wrong with them. Being an introvert is perfectly normal and defining it as something you lack doesn't seem fair. Pauline Dunne decided to challenge the common perceptions. Think you know introverts, think again!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In August of 2006 a small group of anti-war demonstrators from Derry in Northern Ireland took on the might of a multi-billion dollar US defence and weapons contractor with ties to some of the most powerful countries in the world. The protesters faced serious consequences for their actions (2017).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fr. Pat Noise died when his carriage plunged into the Liffey in 1919. His death is commemorated by a plaque on O'Connell Bridge, installed without permission by a mysterious group. This was also where the Millennium Clock was lowered into the Liffey before disappearing after a few months. Was it coincidental that both events happened at this spot?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever thought about what might happen at the end of your life? Dr Luke Dillon explores the controversial and divisive subject of euthanasia. From the Netherlands to Co. Wexford, Luke discovers some very difficult cases of extreme suffering and end-of-life care dilemmas. In Holland, he meets a doctor who has euthanised over 60 people. (2017)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Almost 20 years on from the Good Friday agreement, the Colombian government has made peace with the FARC rebels. Veterans of the Northern Irish peace process are helping to make sure Colombia’s journey to peace stays on course. Luke Holland travels to South America where he encounters Former FARC rebels, victims and others making the peace. (2017)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In October 2018, a new book entitled Code Breaker by Marc McMenamin was published. That book was borne out of this documentary - which tells the incredible true story of a librarian, a Nazi spy and Ireland's secret role in turning the tide of World War II. And at the heart of this story lies an unassuming man from Limerick, named Richard Hayes 2017See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spy stories typically start on dimly lit streets in Eastern Europe, not in Dublin suburbia. But this isn’t your typical spy story. An Irish KGB ring, deadly poisonings, arms deals - Irish people have been involved, knowingly or unknowingly, in the deeply secret world of Russian spying. Enter the shadowy realm of Ireland & Russian espionage. (2017)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than ten thousand deaths a year in Ireland are reported to the Coroner's office. Two thousand of those will proceed to an inquest hearing .Ruairi McKenna follows the work of two coroners, in Kerry and Mayo and meets the people they serve, hearing stories form people who are looking to establish their loved ones' cause of death. (2017)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eric Dorman-Smith was an Irish General in the British Army who outfoxed Rommel during the Second World War. Sacked by Winston Churchill, he then turned his back on the British and became an advisor for the IRA during the 1950's. Who was this Irish maverick? and why did the people of Cavan call him The Brigadier. (2017)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

60 years ago, Mick Mallon left his home in Ireland, eventually settling in remote arctic Canada. Fascinated by language, Mick began to learn Inuktitut, the native language of the Inuit Eskimo. But not only did he learn to speak one of the most difficult languages in the world, he created a way to teach it - and save it from extinction. (2017)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.