Documentary On One - Rté Documentaries

Irish man Michael Keogh claims to have saved Hitler's life before he became 'Führer'. Could this be true? Could a Carlow man, who left home at 16 and lived a life of pseudonyms, disguise, conspiracy and war have had such an impact on modern history?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The story of 87-year-old Kathleen Tierney who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, but finds her spirit lifted and her health improve when she joins ‘The Forget Me Nots’ - a choir welcoming those affected by dementia and memory loss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A beautiful story of adoption from rural East Cork. Two children from Guatemala, Jacobo aged 4 and Natalie aged 5. Their father, Vittorio, is Italian. Their mother, Jools, is English. A family from three countries - making their home in a fourth, Ireland. Compiled, written and narrated by Jools Gilson. Produced by Liam O'Brien. This documentary was a Gold Medal Winner at the 2011 New York Festival. (2010)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when people stop having trust in the system? Two people who lost faith in the things they previously believed are Phil and Jean. Phil is a former conspiracy theorist. He spent over a year believing things like that 9/11 were a hoax. Jean used to get all her news from traditional sources. During Covid, Jean lost faith in this, and she turned to online alternative sources for information that resonated with her. We track the increase in people losing trust in media and governments from the time of the Blueshirts up to today, and look at the real world impacts this change is having. (2023) Produced by Fergal Gallagher and Nicoline Greer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1977, a giant ship named Skyhope paid a visit to the west Kerry village of Baile na nGall or Ballydavid. The ship was calling into the village on the promise of a few pints having helped out some local fishermen. Their overnight stay turned into a week-long stay which brought great crowds to the village and fantastic exotic fun. But ultimately, the visit took a turn for the worst, resulting in an incident no one could have imagined... Narrated by Sinéad Ní Uallacháin. Produced by Ronan Kelly. (2023)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Irish man Gerard Mooney vanished near his home in Sydney, Australia in 1996. Despite extensive searches, a major investigation by Police and television appeals, the only trace of him found was his racing bike. 27 years on, Gerard’s sister Rita believes an answer to this mystery can be found. She submits her DNA to be checked against unidentified remains found in Australia but believes the answer to her brother’s disappearance lies with those who lived in the Sydney neighbourhood of Marickville at the time. ( 2023) Produced by Tim DesmondSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why climb Mount Everest? " Because it's there". The words of explorer George Mallory in New York in 1922. But was he the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, 29 years before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay? Unique diaries from Mallory’s mission, written by Irishman Richard Hingston, may just shed some new light on this question (2023) Narrated by Marc McMenamin. Produced by Marc McMenamin and Donal O'HerlihySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1972, Maura O'Reilly walked up the aisle wearing a wedding-dress her mother had made for her. It was white, lace crochet, with a high neck and bell sleeves. 50 years later, her niece walked up the aisle wearing the same dress – unaltered. In between, 8 other brides of the O’Reilly family have worn the same dress at their weddings in Cavan and Italy. This is the story of an incredible wedding dress and the 10 women who've worn it. (2023) Produced by Ronan KellySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ten years ago, actor Conor Madden was stabbed in the eye, on stage in front of an audience of hundreds. He was playing the part of Hamlet when a fight scene went badly wrong. When he fell to the ground, the audience thought it was part of the show – but the accident changed Conor’s life completely. (2023) Narrated by Michael-David McKernan. Produced by Michael-David McKernan and Nicoline Greer. Photo credit to Anthony Woods.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Irish Civil War was shrouded in silence for decades. In one of the last atrocities of the war, we tell the story of Maggie Doherty and through her witness testimony explore the rarely discussed aspect of sexual violence in the Irish Civil War. (2023) Contributors incl Edel Doherty, Professor Linda Connolly, Frank Fagan and Tom Doherty. (2023) Produced by Orla Higgins and Sarah Blake.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Would you bring a third person into your relationship?  Polyamorists do. They say having other romances actually strengthens their main relationship. But there are risks…and jealousies. And, practicalities: How to schedule your dates? Who minds the kids? (2023) Credits: Produced by Mary-Elaine Tynan and Ronan Kelly.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1984 was a defining year in the history of the Irish Troubles. On the 12th October the IRA bombed the Brighton Hotel narrowly missing the British Prime Minister. Meanwhile a Manchester band called The Smiths were stunning the world with a unique sound. They played community centres around Ireland and a music band became part of a political storm. (2023) Credits: Narrated by David Coughlan. Produced by David Coughlan and Donal O'Herlihy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The cycle of Samantha offending, being jailed, then released and re-offending seems never ending. So as we reach the conclusion of our series, and in an attempt to understand just what exactly is going on for Samantha and how her behaviour might be understood, and treated, we make an application to the courts in search of answers. (Ep 7/7) Credits: Finding Samantha is written, recorded and produced by Sharon Davis in Australia and Tim Desmond and Nicoline Greer in Ireland. Soundtrack composed by Paddy Flynn with title song sung by Amelie Flynn and Mary Claire Woolley. Sound Engineer is Damian Chennells. Executive Producer is Liam O’Brien. If you have any further tips on this story email documentaries@rte.ie For further information on the series visit www.rte.ie/findingsamanthaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Samantha out of prison in 2018, she was now turning 30 years old. She began working as an au pair again and was about to commit her most serious crimes to date. With access to children, she began manipulating them into presenting themselves as victims before she was eventually charged with child stealing... (Ep 6/7) Credits: Finding Samantha is written, recorded and produced by Sharon Davis in Australia and Tim Desmond and Nicoline Greer in Ireland. Soundtrack composed by Paddy Flynn. Sound Engineer is Damian Chennells. Executive Producer is Liam O’Brien.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sharon receives a strange phone call from a mystery woman with something to give her. Samantha receives her first full jail sentence as we hear from the Appeal Court Judge who decided on her case. And we receive an insight into how Samantha uses other people as she appears tries to play with us. (Ep 5/7) Credits: Finding Samantha is written, recorded and produced by Sharon Davis in Australia and Tim Desmond and Nicoline Greer in Ireland. Soundtrack composed by Paddy Flynn. Sound Engineer is Damian Chennells. Executive Producer is Liam O’Brien.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Samantha Azzopardi continuing to face police and judges, she fails to heed their warnings to change her behaviour. Instead, she continues to target people in Australia, then returns to Ireland before moving to another continent. And all the time, she’s creating new characters, new aliases and leaving new victims in her wake. Where is this all going to end up? (Ep4/7). Credits: Finding Samantha is written, recorded and produced by Sharon Davis in Australia and Tim Desmond and Nicoline Greer in Ireland. Soundtrack composed by Paddy Flynn. Sound Engineer is Damian Chennells. Executive Producer is Liam O’Brien. If you have any information or tips on this story, email us documentaries@rte.ie For further information on the series visit www.rte.ie/findingsamanthaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 15 yr old Russian gymnast turns up hoping to be adopted by a new family. A Police Prosecutor in Perth is not quite sure what kind of an individual he's dealing with. One Samantha Azzopardi actually reaches out to us - and we get to meet another. This journey is getting deeper and wilder than we could have ever imagined... (Ep3/7)Credits: Finding Samantha is written, recorded and produced by Sharon Davis in Australia and Tim Desmond and Nicoline Greer in Ireland. Soundtrack composed by Paddy Flynn. Sound Engineer is Damian Chennells. Executive Producer is Liam O’Brien. If you have any information or tips on this story, email us documentaries@rte.ie For further information on the series visit www.rte.ie/findingsamantha See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we follow the trail of the Girl at the GPO – who we now know is Australian woman Samantha Azzopardi - we dive into a surreal world where fact and fiction are often blurred. Samantha has connections to Ireland and a seemingly long and troubled back history in Australia. To begin to understand where this all started, we travel to Australia, to the suburbs of Sydney, where journalist Sharon Davis comes on board. Samantha’s trail leads us into the Blue Mountains in New South Wales and to a small Christian community. (Ep 2/7) Credits: Finding Samantha is written, recorded and produced by Sharon Davis in Australia and Tim Desmond and Nicoline Greer in Ireland. Soundtrack composed by Paddy Flynn . Sound Engineer is Damian Chennells. Executive Producer is Liam O’Brien.If you have any information or tips on this story, email us documentaries@rte.ie For further information on the series visit www.rte.ie/findingsamantha  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new 7-part podcast series from RTÉ Documentary On One. To listen to the series in full, subscribe to 'Finding Samantha' from wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes released weekly, on Tuesdays.EP1: 2013 - A distressed teenage girl is found wandering in front of the General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin city centre. As suspicions rise that she’s the victim of serious crime, everyone scrambles to help her and to get to the bottom of her story. But a massive month long investigation by the Irish authorities reveal nothing about her. In desperation, the Gardaí (Police) release a photograph of the girl to the public with spectacular results. And the story of who the GPO Girl is takes us far beyond the streets of Dublin. (Ep 1/7) Credits: Finding Samantha is written, recorded and produced by Sharon Davis in Australia and Tim Desmond and Nicoline Greer in Ireland. Soundtrack composed by Paddy Flynn. Sound Engineer is Damian Chennells. Executive Producer is Liam O’Brien.If you have any info

A woman who has created more than 100 fake identities. A young girl found wandering the streets of Dublin. A teenager deported from Canada. Stories of sustained sexual abuse at the hands of many. Kidnapping charges, prison time, lies, fraud and deceit. Could all of these stories go back to just one person? A new 7-part podcast series from RTÉ Documentary On One unravelling the wild world of Samantha Azzopardi... Episode 1 available from April 25th 2023 from wherever you get your podcasts (Search for Finding Samantha)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.