Newstalk Documentaries

‘Behind the Wall’ tells the story of four men and women with Irish connections who lived behind the Berlin Wall. It is also an investigation into what it was like to live in one of the most guarded and restrictive countries in the world. Behind the Wall was originally broadcast on Newstalk in November 2014. In an unprecedented move, the East German authorities opened the border between East and West Germany on November 9th 1989. What they envisaged was the broadening of the travel rights of their citizens. What resulted was a different story: a deluge of people descended on the Berlin Wall and celebrated a new freedom, after 28 years of isolation. ‘Behind the Wall’ explores the very fabric of life in an extraordinary society while attempting to understand what drew people from Ireland to East Germany and vice versa. CREDITS: ‘Behind the Wall’ was written, produced and edited by Simon Tierney.

Radio producer Shane Hannon brings us back half a century to the Apollo Program and our first steps on another world in: ‘Picking Up Some Dust’. The documentary was largely recorded pre-lockdown, and uncovers some fascinating Irish links to that ‘One small step.’ Producer Shane Hannon takes us on journey from the Texan Hill Country to the Dunsink dump, and from rural Indiana to a moon-themed housing estate in Coolock. The programme was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television License Fee. CREDITS: Picking Up Some Dust was Produced and Narrated by Shane Hannon. Sound design by Rachel Hannon. Mastered by Neil Kavanagh. With thanks to all the contributors.

 ‘Angels of Mercy’ produced by Grainne McPolin, which explores the story of the women who left Ireland to train and work as nurses in England across the second half of the 20th Century and were an often overlooked but important element in the development of the UK National Health Service.  We will hear how these young women began lives in a whole new world “I remember there were two Malaysian and three English girls living there as well, but the rest of us, we were from every corner in Ireland; we worked hard and we played hard and as a nurse you see life, you see death and also everything in between..” Angels of Mercy is a story told through the experiences of five Irish women of different generations who made their careers in nursing in England between 1950 and 1980.  In addition, historians Professor Louise Ryan, Professor Jennifer Redmond and Dr Sarah O’Brien give context to the women’s narrative Presenter and producer Grainne McPolin worked as a nurse herself in England and brings her own experience to t

Documentary On Newstalk celebrates Ireland’s cycling Greenway. On Your Bike, is an exploration of Ireland’s first greenway, the Westport to Achill route.  Seen through the eyes of a group of social cyclists who travel it in a day, the programme also tells the history of the former rail line, and explores the lives of the diverse range of people who work, live and cycle along its route. On Your Bike was originally broadcast on Newstalk on Sunday 8th October 2017. CREDITS: ‘On Your Bike’ was edited and produced by Brian Gallagher.  The programme was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television License Fee.

 Producers Maurice Kelliher and Shaun O'Boyle explore a global effort to improve brain health and reduce the impact of dementia, in "New Knowledge" In Ireland, more than 55,000 people are living with dementia. In this documentary, we visit the Global Brain Health Institute in Dublin, and meet researchers who are looking for new ways to support people living with dementia, to better understand its causes, and to plan for a future where dementia is on the increase.  "New Knowledge" was produced by Maurice Kelliher and Shaun O'Boyle, and was supported by a grant from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, as part of the Sound And Vision Scheme. New Knowledge Transcript

"Letters from Midwinter" provides a rare insight into the private conversations of women in Ireland between 1970 and 2020, through their personal letters. Produced, written and narrated by Susan Dennehy. The Researcher and Script Editor was Joanna Marsden. The programme was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television License Fee. Additional support was provided by An Post.

This week on Documentary on Newstalk - to mark the 60th anniversary of the Irish Wheelchair Association Newstalk is broadcasting "A Boy From The North West".  Producer Susan Dennehy and writer Joanna Marsden team up to tell the story of Donegal-man Jack Kerrigan. Paralysed in a diving accident in 1949, he was one of the first wheelchair users to participate in Irish society and one of the members of Paralympics Ireland's first team in 1960. It is a poignant account of what it was like to be a wheelchair user in Ireland in the 50s & 60s. Jack’s memoirs are read by Mikel Murfi and original music is by Andrew Synott. The programme was made with the support of the BAI, Sound and Vision Grant.

This new radio documentary explores what happened when a physicist asked, “What is Life?” All life on this planet has something very important in common: DNA. It’s packed into every cell of our body, filled with instructions and tools for those cells to do what they need to do. It carries important information from one generation to the next, just as it did from the beginning of life throughout evolution to every living thing on the planet today. ‘What is Life?’ examines the impact of a series of public lectures given by Erwin Schrödinger in 1943 in Dublin, when he attempted to understand the chemistry of life and inheritance. "What is Life?" was produced by Maurice Kelliher and Shaun O'Boyle, and was supported by a grant from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, as part of the Sound And Vision Scheme.

Centenarian Joe Veselsky takes us on a personal journey through his first thirty years, the most turbulent of the twentieth century in Eastern Europe. ‘No Ordinary Joe' is recounted by Joe Veslesky. Recorded, produced and edited by Éamon Little, with editing assistance from Ted Little. Sound mixing was by Alan Kelly. ‘No Ordinary Joe' was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the television license fee, and received a special mention from the Whickers Radio & Audio Funding Award, 2020.

Another chance to hear the critically acclaimed, award winning ‘Coma’. In a small town somewhere in Ireland, a young man lies in a coma. His daily visitors confide in him and reveal their innermost secrets. COMA was produced by Macanna Teoranta and written by Kevin McCann and Peter Murphy Sound recording by Paddy Greenan and Shane O’Connor, with mastering by Maddu Kambamettu and editing by Seamus Callagy The play was performed by Catriona O’Reilly, James McInerney, Michael Olwell, Orla Cahill, Zoe Hickey, Joanne Brennan, Hugh Leddy, Fergal McAloon, Regina Donoghue, and Sean Nulty. COMA was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland via the Sound and Vision Scheme.

Four stories of separation & reunion. Giving an insight into Ireland’s very recent history when adoption was the number one solution to pregnancy outside marriage. "A Pocket of Time - The other side of the Irish Adoption Story", originally broadcast in April 2014 and was produced by Susan Dennehy. The programme was made with the support of the BAI, Sound and Vision fund.

Originally aired in 2016, produced by Eric Moylan and narrated by former professional boxer, olympian and Limerick man Andy Lee.  This documentary examines the relationship between the Limerick and sport. A city where there is 101,000 capacity across 5 stadia for a metropolitan population of 105,000 people. What drives the passion for Ireland’s sporting capital? A City's Love Affair was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the television licence fee.

  Journalist Sinead Aherne was diagnosed with breast cancer in March of 2017.  Breast Cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women in Ireland. Most are over 50, but younger women can also get the disease too. Sinead was 32 when she was diagnosed.  Produced and presented by Sinead Ahern, ‘Breast Cancer and Me’ explores life with cancer and life afterwards. ‘Breast Cancer and Me’ originally aired on WLR and was awarded silver in the documentary category at the 2020 IMRO Radio Awards. And was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the television licence fee.

Written by Niall Murphy The Fabulous Doctor Singer is based on true events from 1950s Ireland & brings to life the main players involved in a scandalous stamp collection scam that lead to one of the lengthiest court cases in the history of the Irish state. It tells the story of the most unlikely pyramid scheme of the 20th century and the flamboyant huckster, who masterminded it Dr. Paul Singer. Starring Steve Furst, Colin Murphy & Phelim Drew and an ensemble cast featuring Cillian O'Dee, Janet Phillips, Peter Campion, Maurice O'Donoghue, Donagh Deeney, Michelle Read, Marcus Lamb, Liam Heffernan, Gráinne Bleasdale and Sean T Ó Meallaigh this black comedy recounts the tale of an outrageous scam that made fools of the Gardaí, the Attorney General, thousands of investors and the most renowned legal minds of the day. This is a Macalla Teo production; written & directed by Niall Murphy, produced by Cian Mac Cárthaigh with sound supervision by Steve McGrath and Cúán Mac Conghail as Executive Producer. Th

This weekend, Documentary on Newstalk airs the premiere of ‘The Bots’, in which IMRO-nominated producer Brian Gallagher looks at the lives of those who live, work, study, and relax in the vicinity of Ireland's National Botanic Gardens. The Bots will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday 30th August at 7am with a repeat broadcast on Saturday 5th September at 9 pm.  Using a lively mix of interviews, location recordings, sound effects and music, The Bots explores the stories behind one of Ireland’s most popular visitor attractions, The National Botanic Gardens. Director Matthew Jebb gives an overview of the role of the Botanic Gardens and explains how it hosts six hundred thousand visitors each year.  Matthew also tell of its research role, and how the blight that caused the Potato Famine of the Eighteen Forties was identified by the then director of the Gardens. Blathnaid Farrell, who grew up nearby, reminisces about the Gardens when she was a child, while librarian Alexandra Caccamo tells of a history g