Documentary On One - Rté Documentaries

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we recall the story of two Irish women who were born into upper-class Anglo Ireland in the 17th century. Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby's relationship scandalised Ireland long before Ireland passed the same-sex marriage referendum, but were these two women the first openly Irish lesbian couple? (2011).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just before the Papal Visit to Ireland in 2018, we look back at the first-ever visit of a Pope to Ireland in 1979. We've come across two intriguing stories which have largely been forgotten. One about a Papal amnesty, where the government released 76 prisoners and the other about the hopes of people in Dublin's Sean McDermott Street. (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patsy Dan Rodgers is the last King of Ireland. He's ruled his fiefdom of Tory Island for more than 20 years and can trace an unbroken lineage back to the 5th century. Over time, Led by their Kinds and in at least one case a Queen. The Islanders have seen off Vikings, marauding Pirates and invaders from the mainland (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Riverchapel Ladies Group go on a Golden Years holiday to Westport, County Mayo. They dance, pray, sing, give out about each other and the hotel, post stuff or Facebook, hold starfish, keep each other company and chase the latest toy craze. Nathan is a young man with dreadlocks who joins them on the bus for this week long holiday (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Documentary On One listener shares a recording he had for safe keeping. It brings listeners closer than ever to Johnny Cash on his first tour of Ireland, twelve gigs in ten days. Few people remember the very first Irish performances by the country music legend who would come to love Ireland and be loved by the Irish. (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Beginning in 1888, hundreds of Irish teenagers were sent to a convent in Texas that was dedicated to educating emancipated salves after the American Civil War. A lifetime later, the grand niece of two of these nuns uncovers their stories, which chronicle a century of change in the Catholic Church, race relations and women's rights (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On a summer morning in 2011, a group of production staff arrived at Malahide Castle, County Dublin to work on a concert for American musician Prince. That morning, Prince had fired his own crew and an Irish team had been hurriedly drafted in. What would the next 15 hours bring? Would the "difficult genius" have any more surprises? (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Atkinson, a cocky, 22-year old from Wexford goes to New York to find work after college. Which sounds great except that David’s going on a visa which gives him just 90 days to find work. The clock starts when the wheels of his suitcase hit American soil. Will he find a job before his money, his visa or his luck runs out? (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Young girls throughout Africa, Asia and the Middle East are subject to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) each year. A procedure where the genitals of young girls are deliberately cut for religious and social reasons. Journalist Michael O’Kane meets women trying to end this practice which is seen as normal tradition within some cultures (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2014, John Wilson was the first Garda whistleblower to go public. Uncovering a culture of ‘ticket-fixing’ in An Garda Síochána, he also had information on other serious wrongdoings within the force. Wilson, along with the other Garda whistleblower, Maurice McCabe, have both suffered greatly for refusing to turn a blind eye. (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2018, 4 men, including Irish rugby stars Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding, were acquitted on all charges relating to the alleged rape of a 19yr-old woman. The trial provoked widespread media coverage, social media comment and street protests - followed by 2 reports into how Ireland's judicial systems handle serious sexual assault (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In November 1950, a letter was received by the sub postmistress in the tiny town of Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow. She was to be sacked and replaced by a government appointee - but she wouldn't go down without a fight. She and her supporters took on the Irish government and in the end, only one of them was left standing - but which one? (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore emigrated from Ballygar Co Galway to America in the 1840's. He went on to become a leading bandmaster and composer, writing the song ‘When Johnny comes marching home’. He played to millions during his lifetime. But this hugely successful entertainer and Ireland’s first real superstar remains largely unknown. (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Van Morrison is one of the great musicians of his generation. His 1968 album Astral Weeks is said to be one of the finest albums of all time. We visit Boston, LA and New York to hear the story of that summer and reunite, for the first time in 50 years, the musicians who played on Astral Weeks – bar one. Narrated by Richard Dormer (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2005, American producer Laura Starecheski began recording at the Living Museum, an art studio for patients at Creedmoor Psychiatric Hospital in New York City. Whilst there, Laura stumbled on to a mystery that would take ten years to unravel. It involved one patient, Issa Ibrahim. First broadcast by State of the Re:Union on NPR. (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a tale that spans 60 years. It begins in Dublin, travels to America, then onto Germany, before finally returning to Dublin. It’s about friendship and guilt - of bonds made and of bonds broken - and of a mans search to find closure. Throughout all of this, it’s the story of two men inextricably linked by an incident in 1959 (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monday morning in an Irish town. Commuters are waiting for their train. For them, it’s a normal day, heading to school, work and elsewhere. But there’s a movement in the crowd. Some shouting – those waiting know that they’re about to witness a tragic event. This is the often overlooked story of those who witness a death by suicide (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For years gangs have been looting the ancient treasures of Ireland. In 1990 Jim O’Connor is accused of being involved in stealing a Sheela Na Gig, a stone carving of a naked woman. Later another Irishman tries to sell ancient Irish stones to a college in the US, leading to an FBI sting operation. But are the two stories connected? Since first broadcast, A Tale of Two Sheelas has won a 2019 New York Festivals Radio Awards Finalist Certificate. Narrated and produced by Tim Desmond. (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the summer of 1979 Ireland was consumed with preparations for a very special visitor to the country - Pope John Paul II. This is the story of how one family hosted 300,000 people at their home during the Pope's visit to Drogheda.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1946, in an unprecedented act of defiance against the local clergy, a group of Listowel men from Co. Kerry forced open the locked gates into their Parish Church. What led to this – and what has happened since? This story examines the devastating impact that the Church and State have had on three generations of one Irish family. (2018)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.