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Kathleen Lynn: The Rebel Doctor

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Kathleen Lynn: The Rebel Doctor is a documentary which tells the previously unknown story of an extraordinary Irish woman. Kathleen Lynn was born in County Mayo in 1874 into a wealthy protestant family. As a young woman she was deeply affected by the abject poverty and disease that ravaged the lives of local people in […]

President Kennedy In Ireland

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This documentary film produced by the Columban Fathers chronicles President John F. Kennedy’s historic visit to Ireland in June 1963, only 5 months before his tragic assassination. The producer, Father Gerry Smith, a Cavan-born missionary priest, had studied filmmaking in the U.S. He had made a number of films about ‘the old country’ before making […]

Gloucester Street

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Gloucester Street (which became Seán McDermott Street in 1933) is alive with activity: children play and grapple for the camera’s attention; teachers play school yard games with students and women reluctantly pose for camera. Moments in time are captured in a heavily-populated, inner-city Dublin neighbourhood. The tenement dwellings here were later demolished after Dublin Corporation […]

Magdalene Laundry

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One of the most notable of Father Delany’s films was made on the grounds of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity Convent and features a Magdalene Laundry (which closed its doors in 1999). In the film we see nuns and residents playing games in the garden, as well as dancing and performing in a […]

Stamps for the Missions – Radharc

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At the time of the film’s production, Irish adults and children collected stamps and sent them off St. Stanislaus College in Tullamore ‘for the missions’. This story looks at what happened to the stamps and shows how the clerics from the college meticulously sorted and organised the thousands of stamps so that they could be […]

Sick Calls – Radharc

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This short film describes the rites and rituals involved in administering the Sacrament of Extreme Unction – also known as the ‘Last Rites’ to people. It shows what preparations should be made at home for the reception of this sacrament. Radharc was an independent production company established by Father Joe Dunn, Father Desmond Forristal and […]

The Village With the Most Vocations

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The film explores the unusually high number of vocations emanating from the parish of Doon, Co. Limerick. In 1962, when the documentary was made, there were 117 living nuns who were born in Doon. Through a series of interviews with the parish priest, nuns and the children from the local convent school, the Radharc team […]

Manners in Church – Radharc

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This quietly humorous instructional film from the Radharc series shows church-goers how to behave courteously and correctly in church. It cautions against: unpunctuality; noisy entrances; inappropriate attire; loud whispering of prayer; skulking at the back of the church; smoking outside. The film is testament to the capacity of the Radharc team (comprised at that time […]

Blessing the Aer Lingus Fleet – Radharc

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Originally broadcast in 1962, this story from the Radharc series explains how Aer Lingus planes are named after Irish missionaries. It also shows the mechanics of the aircraft and marvels at how they transports passengers to their destination. The blessing of the planes, a tradition since 1947, is also featured here. Radharc was an independent […]

Penal Crosses – Radharc

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This short film examines the history, design and function of Penal Crosses in Ireland. The crosses date from the time of the Penal Laws in Ireland when Roman Catholics were forbidden to practise their religion, own property or gain positions of power. Penal Crosses were a portable, easily concealed, relic of worship for Catholics whose […]

Glenties Tidy Towns – Radharc

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The Tidy Towns competition established in Ireland in 1958 has proven to be a great initiative, bringing communities together and encouraging residents to look after their town and keep their locality tidy. Glenties in County Donegal is no stranger to the competition and has taken the crown for tidiest town in Ireland for three years […]

Irish College Ranafast

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Father Joe Dunn introduces Ranafast, the Gaeltacht area in the Rosses region of Donegal, telling us: “We hear a lot about the vanishing Irish, the flight from the land, and the depopulation of the Gaeltacht. But the little village has not suffered any depopulation, particularly during the summer months when the famous Irish college is […]