| 1 |
The Shamrock Tenors - St Patrick's Night Concert (2024) #1532
DOCUMENTARY
Main,Disk
1 hour. BBC. Northern Irish vocal group the Shamrock Tenors bring their international hit show home to Belfast's Ulster Hall for a St Patrick’s Night celebration. This cross-community group of singers features West End stars and multi-instrumentalists who put their own modern twist on some of Irish music’s most beloved melodies. They are joined on stage by special guests and champion Irish dancers. |
| 2 |
Wicked Little Letters (2023) #1554
FILM
Disk
1h 40m When people in Littlehampton--including conservative local Edith--begin to receive letters full of hilarious profanities, rowdy Irish migrant Rose is charged with the crime. Suspecting that something is amiss, the town's women investigate. |
| 3 |
An Irish Goodbye (2022) #1470
FILM
Main
An Irish Goodbye: Directed by Tom Berkeley, Ross White. With Michelle Fairley, Paddy Jenkins, James Martin, Seamus O'Hara. In rural Northern Ireland, a pair of estranged brothers reunite following their mother's untimely death. 22 mins. BBC. Oscar winning short film. |
| 4 |
Pilgrimage (2020) #1354
DOCUMENTARY
Main
Pilgrimage (Series 3) BBC 1 hour The Road to Istanbul Episode 1 of 3 Seven well-known personalities, all with differing faiths and beliefs, put on backpacks and walking boots and, on foot and by road, set out to cover sections of the Sultans Trail - a modern-day, 2,200km pilgrimage across Eastern Europe, which starts in Vienna and ends in the historic city of Istanbul. With only 15 days to complete their pilgrimage, the group begin their adventure in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade. From here, they make their way to Bulgaria, travelling over the mountainous Balkans before arriving in Istanbul. But will this journey of a lifetime change the way they think about themselves and their beliefs? Journalist Adrian Chiles, former politician Edwina Currie, Olympian Fatima Whitbread, comedian Dom Joly, actor Pauline McLynn, broadcaster Mim Shaikh and television presenter Amar Latif live as modern-day pilgrims, staying in basic hotels and often sleeping in shared rooms. Formed just over ten years ago, the Sultans Trail retraces an ancient path taken by the Ottoman armies from late medieval times as they looked to expand their empire into Europe. From their base in Istanbul, armies made it to the city of Vienna twice before being repelled. Now, this former route of war has been turned into a path of peace, designed to promote tolerance between people of all faiths and none. In this first episode, the seven pilgrims arrive in Belgrade, Serbia, and find out for the first time who they are sharing their pilgrim adventure with. Leaving the city behind, they head into the countryside and away from the hustle and bustle. Relying on the Sultans Trail app to help guide them across Europe, Adrian, a converted Catholic, and Mim, a practising Muslim, are the first to plot their way as they look for the fortified Manasija monastery hidden in the hills. As they progress through the Serbian countryside, Amar, who has been blind since the age of 18, leads the pilgrims in the ancient tradition of scrumping. After a 5km hike, they make it to the monastery, which was fortified to protect it from the Ottoman armies. Adrian leads the group in exploring the 15th-century Orthodox Christian church. Inside, Edwina, a non-practising Orthodox Jew, and Mim discuss the existence of God. Meanwhile, outside on the ramparts of the fortress, Dom, an atheist, takes Amar, raised a Muslim, to the very top of the battlements with some nerve-racking moments! They move on and, with the sun setting, the pilgrims arrive at their overnight accommodation, a simple woodland hostel, and, in line with pilgrim tradition, bed down in shared rooms. In the morning, it becomes clear the boys have had a restless night thanks to Dom and Adrian snoring. Mim takes himself off to pray in a field near the hostel before breakfast, where Pauline, an atheist, tells the group about her upbringing as an Irish Catholic. Before they set off, the pilgrims collect their first pilgrim stamp, a record of their journey along the trail. Later that day, the group arrive in the city of Nis, where Dom and Mim explore a 16th-century mosque built during the reign of Sultan Suleiman, after whom the pilgrimage trail is named. Edwina takes Amar and Pauline to a memorial of a more recent conflict, the Crveni Krust concentration camp, a Second World War Nazi camp that held people of Jewish, Romani and Serbian origin. Here, they witness the horrors of religious and cultural persecution. After a challenging day, the group discuss the difficulties with faith and religion in the face of conflict. The next day, the pilgrims head back into rural Serbia, where Fatima, a Christian, takes the lead with the app, but the pilgrims end up lost and separated in a forest as they lose the trail, much to new hiker Mim’s annoyance. After reuniting, the pilgrims pick up the trail again and it brings them to The Church of the Virgin Mary on a special day in the Orthodox Christian calendar, the birth of the Holy Virgin Mary. The Saint’s day is celebrated with a Slava, a day-long festival that comprises of a service and meal. The pilgrims settle into the service but it is not long before Dom decides to leave. Adrian however finds the service comforting, and after it is completed, the group are invited to join the locals’ celebration meal at the priest’s top table. The experience of seeing this local community come together in the name of faith resonates with Amar, while for Mim, being surrounded by people embracing their faith gives him a new outlook on his own. |
| 5 |
Charles I: Downfall of a King (2019) #1204
DOCUMENTARY
Special
3x1 hour episodes. BBC. Historian Lisa Hilton discovers how, in just fifty tempestuous days, Charles I’s rule collapsed, laying the foundations for civil war, the loss of royal power and, ultimately, the king’s head. 1/3 Two Worlds Collide. While Charles I is in Edinburgh, Parliament passes a vote of no confidence in his rule. 2/3 A Nation Divided. Rumours of the Queen's involvement in the Irish rebellion worsen Charles's position. 3/3 The Final Showdown. The stakes are raised as Charles marches on Westminster. |
| 6 |
Brooklyn (2015) #1339
FILM
Main
Directed by John Crowley. With Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent. An Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a romance with a local. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within. |
| 7 |
Ireland's Lost Babies (2014) #850
DOCUMENTARY
Main
1 hour. BBC. In 2013 the movie Philomena was shown in cinemas across the world and earned four Oscar nominations. The film was based on the true story of Philomena Lee, who was forced by the Catholic Church to give up her illegitimate son for adoption, and detailed her journey with journalist Martin Sixsmith to find her child 50 years later. In the weeks and months after the film went out, Martin was contacted by other mothers who had their own stories to tell. Now, Martin Sixsmith goes on a journey to investigate the Irish Catholic Church's role in an adoption trade which saw thousands of illegitimate children taken from their mothers and sent abroad, often with donations to the Church flowing in the other direction. In Ireland and in America, Martin hears the moving stories of the parents and children whose lives were changed forever and discovers evidence that prospective parents were not properly vetted - sometimes with tragic consequences. |
| 8 |
100 Seconds to Beat the World: The David Rudisha Story (2014) #856
DOCUMENTARY
Main
1 hour. BBC. Documentary telling the story of Kenyan athlete David Rudisha, the greatest 800m runner the world has ever seen, and his highly unusual coach, the Irish Catholic missionary Brother Colm O'Connell. Shot over ten years, the film begins in 2005 when we first meet David as a shy 16-year-old arriving at a training camp with nothing but a dream of emulating his father's 1968 Olympic silver medal. The camp is run by the unlikeliest of coaches, missionary and amateur athletics trainer Brother Colm, who quickly spots his talent. Together they embark on a journey through injury, disappointment and terror when violence sweeps through the country in the aftermath of the 2008 election, all the way to the 2012 Olympics and the greatest 800m race the world has ever seen. With unprecedented access and featuring interviews with Seb Coe and Steve Cram, this is an epic, magical and uplifting tale that reaches far beyond sport. |
| 9 |
Song of the Sea (2014) #1089
FILM
Main
Directed by Tomm Moore. With David Rawle, Brendan Gleeson, Lisa Hannigan, Fionnula Flanagan. Ben, a young Irish boy, and his little sister Saoirse, a girl who can turn into a seal, go on an adventure to free the fairies and save the spirit world. |
| 10 |
Royal Wedding: William and Kate (2011) #824
DOCUMENTARY
Main
Prince William and Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge, have been married at Westminster Abbey in London. Around a million people lined the streets of London to catch a glimpse of the couple and hundreds of millions of people were estimated to watch the proceedings worldwide on television. The prince wore the red tunic of an Irish Guards colonel and the Duchess wore a dress designed by Sarah Burton. |
| 11 |
Ondine (2009) #285
FILM
Main
Directed by Neil Jordan. With Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda, Dervla Kirwan, Alison Barry. An Irish fisherman discovers a woman in his fishing net whom his precocious daughter believes to be a selkie. |
| 12 |
The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) #43
FILM
Main
Directed by Ken Loach. With Cillian Murphy, Padraic Delaney, Liam Cunningham, Orla Fitzgerald. Against the backdrop of the Irish War of Independence, two brothers fight a guerrilla war against British forces. |
| 13 |
Iris (2001) #486
FILM
Main
Directed by Richard Eyre. With Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent, Kate Winslet, Hugh Bonneville. True story of the lifelong romance between novelist Iris Murdoch and her husband John Bayley, from their student days through her battle with Alzheimer's disease. |
| 14 |
Barry Lyndon (1975) #1191
FILM
Special
Directed by Stanley Kubrick. With Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Hardy Krüger. An Irish rogue wins the heart of a rich widow and assumes her dead husband's aristocratic position in 18th-century England. On two disks. |
| 15 |
West Side Story (1961) #513
FILM
Main
Directed by Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise. With Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn. Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy. |
| 16 |
West Side Story (1961) #1299
FILM
Special
Directed by Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise. With Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn. Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy. Courtesy of The Daily Mail. ** Turns out this is the AUDIO soundtrack - and there are doubts about whether that works... |