Documentary on One - RTÉ Documentaries

The story of Christine and Dominic Meenagh; a visually impaired couple. Their son Declan is also visually impaired. They go through their daily routines and the history of their health and disability. Christine works as a telephonist and Dominick is a house husband. Featuring the positives and difficulties of their lives. (First Broadcast 1990)

We Irish think we handle death better than most. But two Limerick women, Sinéad and Katie, don’t necessarily agree. They want to explore death in a humorous, yet deadly serious way. By holding a series of workshops, they invite people to share their hopes, fears and experiences of death, which they do, just not in the way you'd expect... (2016)

A look at the struggles for men and women on social welfare. Unfairly called ‘spongers’, these unemployed people talk about what it is like to be ‘on the dole’. Qualified teachers and tradesmen reveal the complexities of the welfare system and the difficulties they have in trying to find work. Irish emigrants to the U.K. talk about having to work abroad while leaving family at home. (First Broadcast 1978)

Between 1953 and 1983, Kieran Patrick Kelly from Rathdowney, Co. Laois, preyed on vagrants on the London Common and across the London Underground Tube. In fact, he didn't just prey, he murdered. The question is how many? It’s said he could have murdered up to 31 people. Could this be true? Robert Mulhern attempts to unravel this curious tale (2016)

In the mid 1990s, Jeff Buckley was set to become as big as Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen,. But he died tragically aged just 30. With over 4 million record sales to his name, Jeff remains a huge musical figure. Ahead of what would have been his 50th birthday (Nov 17th 2016) Steve Cummins explores Jeff’s largely unknown connections to Ireland.(2016)

On Nov 5th 1946, the ESB erected the first pole of rural electrification. This was the beginning of a promise to bring electricity to every home in Ireland. 70yrs after this momentous change in modern Ireland, we piece together the story of rural electrification, including tales of fear and hope and love and loss as the nation illuminated. (2016)

Katie Cooke is from Dublin. At age 9 she developed epilepsy and suffers about 15 seizures every day. Since leaving hospital at 17 in a wheelchair, she has used running to help her recovery and deal with her illness. She now runs marathons. Despite long-term stays in hospital and frequent seizures, Katie wants to live as normal a life as possible. (First Broadcast 2016)

The Documentary On One team selects extracts and short documentaries from their online archive to mark the spookiest night of the year. From being buried alive to making your own coffin. Bodysnatchers who are snatched by death and horror movies that are a scream to watch. (2016)

In the 1980s, many young Irish people emigrated to America due to unemployment. Paddy O’Gorman speaks to emigrants in New York, who have travelled to find work and many of them are in the country illegally. There are difficulties in finding work and accommodation, but many of the people love their new home. (First Broadcast 1986)

A 2016 Hollywood movie tells the story about Irish soldiers besieged in Congo in the 1960s. Some years earlier, radio producer, Tom McGuire spoke to survivors of the battle. They told of the confusion around their role and the UN's failure to learn lessons from their ordeal. (2004)

Each July 12th, large parades are held by the Orange Order and Ulster loyalist marching bands across Northern Ireland. Streets are bedecked with British flags and bunting, and large towering bonfires are lit. Roisin Boyd investigates this ancient tradition and asks why it's a flashpoint of conflict in Northern Ireland each year. (Broadcast 1987)

The unravelling of a story of an orphaned Irish boy lost in South Africa in the 1880s, who it's told was cared for by a local tribe, until he was found by a man who then traced his family back to Ireland. Could this be true and how could it happen? (2016)

The seanachai or storyteller has been part of the Irish folk tradition for years. In 1992 in The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Co. Down in Northern Ireland, ‘yarnspinners’ from the North and South and the U.K. gathered. The storytellers are reawakening the old spirit of the turf fire, the oil lamp and the wild craic around the fire. With recordings of funny and poignant stories. (First Broadcast 1992)

Kidnapping has had a devastating effect on families in Ireland for decades. This documentary looks at cases of men and women in Northern Ireland and in the South, who have gone missing. Often the mystery remains unsolved and families have to deal with the aftermath. Some instances are political in nature and some are simply missing persons. (First Broadcast 1982)

When Gardai entered a chalet on Mayo's Northwest coast in April 2014, they found a scene of desperation and solitude. Scattered amongst the rubbish lay the body of Marsha Mehran, 36. Marsha, an Iranian born, international bestselling author was a recluse and died alone. How did Marsha come to die at the foothill of Croagh Patrick? (Broadcast 2015)