Documentary On One - Rté Documentaries

Goodnight Ballivor, I'll Sleep in Trim is an expression known to many across Ireland but for Radio Producer John Quinn, it is his memoir of a childhood in the Meath village of Ballivor. This documentary was first broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 on 7th of May 1996.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since the first Feis Ceoil of 1897, students and musicians from across Ireland and beyond have entered the annual music Feis Ceoil competition. James Joyce won the Bronze Medal in the Tenor Competition but left the stage as he did not agree with the stipulation that competitors had to do some sight-reading. (1996)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The season has kicked off in Knockbrack Cricket Club, members welcome their rivals, dressed head to toe in white, to join them in a game which still observes the old formalities of a colonial past. The grass is perfectly flat and refreshments are ready to be served- let the games begin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Victorian house that loomed in the suburbs of Clontarf was the Children's Orthopaedic Hospital. With most of the children bedridden, they amused themselves with shadow plays, fairy tales and their books. For some, Sundays were the best days as parents arrived with tales from home, and for others, it was just another day of the week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it take to become a great piano player? Pianists Billy Brown and Peter O’Brien share memories of when they started to learn to when they played piano in crowded bars with some of the greats. Ruth McGinley talks about the dedication needed to practice. However some musicians would tell you to forget the theory and just play!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two nations tell apparently separate stories, yet these are both tales of war and of want, and both trace their roots to the destructive effects of apartheid. Local villages in South Africa and Mozambique try to rebuild after years of neglect through self-aid schemes set up by community leaders. (1994)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sendero Luminoso take their name from Peru's first prominent Marxist, José Carlos Mariátegui, who said that Marxism will open the shining path to revolution. That path has been tarnished by their brutal campaign. Throughout the 1980s Peru's long-suffering people were caught between the violence of the Sendero and terror by the state. (1993)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ferry to France has always had a cherished place among families throughout Ireland who packed up the car for the dream of a sunshine holiday. Staff and ship crew of The Saint Killian II speak of their crossings trying to keep this ship afloat on a sailing from Rosslare to Cherbourg (1993)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marius Schoon, a long-time activist in the African National Congress who spent many years in Ireland as a political exile following the death of his wife and daughter. Nelson Mandela described him as "an enduring example of the fight for non-racialism and democracy. Mr. Schoon died in February 1999. Produced and presented by Rodney Rice (1993)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A snapshot of relationships in Ireland at a time when they were considered to be scandalous ... Bill Long talks to people, involved with much older or much younger partners. All these relationships started out with hope and enthusiasm, some lasted and some didn’t...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Almost 30,000 people were killed and 130,000 injured in German bomb attacks on London during the World War II. Four Irish women relive their experiences of living in London at that time. Having lived in the midst of a war, Mary Fahy, Maureen Foley, Mary Burke and Sheila Kavanagh, all had strong views on Ireland’s neutrality. (1993)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Till The Morning Comes: Night Life in Dublin is a documentary portrait of Dublin while the city sleeps. Producer Yetti Redmond finds out about the night owls, shift workers and even heros that keep Ireland's capital ticking.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ancient fishing village of Claddagh was once a self-governing community with its own elected King, who commanded the fishing fleet and upheld the community’s customs. The sight of a red-haired girl would cause the fishermen to abandon their seafaring plans for the day. Did any of the old traditions survive over time?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following liberation, five orphaned children from Belsen concentration camp were brought to Ireland by Dr Bob Collis and adopted by Irish families. They remember their lives before they were captured and sent to Belsen, talk about how they survived the horrors of the holocaust and adapted to their new lives in Ireland. ( 1993 )See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Free from the constraints of working life, retirement is the time to start embracing a new-found freedom and enjoying your life. Growing old should be celebrated; seen as a chance to explore new interests and embark on adventures. The world is your oyster so time to start ticking off that bucket list. (1993)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Moosajee Bhamjee became the first Muslim TD in Dáil Éireann when he was elected as a Labour deputy for Clare in 1992. Bhamjee was born in South Africa in 1947, he settled in Ireland in the 1970s after studying medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons where he met his future wife, Claire. What attracted this psychiatrist to Irish Politics?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James Montgomery was the first Irish Film Censor between 1923 and 1940. Drawing on his memoirs this documentary details the life of one of Ireland's most important cultural gatekeepers. ( First Broadcast 1993 )See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 12th of May 1989, Jackie Mann was snatched off the streets of Beirut and disappeared as if the earth had swallowed him up. He was taken hostage by terrorists and held for 865 days. His wife, Sunnie Mann, campaigned tirelessly for his release and garnered international attention. Was Mann a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Descendants of the Choctaw people return to their homelands in Mississippi to honour their ancestors, who had their land thorn away from them and were driven ruthlessly into a wilderness. What long-term effects did these relocations have on the Choctaw's way of life and their traditions? How difficult was it to keep their culture alive? (1992)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forcibly driven from their homelands in Mississippi, the Choctaw Indians trekked 500 miles on a journey that was to be known as the Trail of Tears. We retrace their footsteps and look at the hardships the people endured en route, as many suffered from exposure, disease, and starvation, and great numbers died before reaching their destination.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.