TV not to miss
Mná na Mara
TG4, 8.10pm
Welcome repeat of the series about Irish women involved with the sea. First up is Grace O’Sullivan from Tramore, Co Waterford, filmed with Greenpeace searching for illegal fishermen in the Mediterranean. Also included are Kerry woman Susan Feirtéar fishing for salmon in Alaska and navy engineer Niamh Ní Fhátharta.
Dragons’ Den
BBC Two, 9pm
A new series of the British show has a fresh crop of budding entrepreneurs trying to sell their business ideas to Theo Paphitis and co. Among the participants for this opening episode is a woman with a novel idea for children’s parties, a man who’s capitalised on grants for solar power and a mind-changing massage service. There’s also a new dragon in the shape of Hilary Devey, a businesswoman who made her fortune through Pall-Ex, a palletised freight network.
Lughnasa Live
RTÉ One, 9.30pm
The ancient festival of Lughnasa has been revived and rebranded in recent years, and RTÉ is getting in on the harvest-time act with a broadcast from the Iron Age fort of Craggaunowen, Co Clare. Grainne Seoige presents a show that will have the likes of John Creedon delving into the folklore of the occasion, Paul Flynn cooking for the 200-strong live audience and Moya Brennan and Sharon Corr playing music.
Cogar: Claíocha Clocha
TG4, 9.30pm
Pam Ayers used to have a poem lamenting the drudgery of building stone walls: “Of all the appalling callings, dry stone walling is worst of all.” In this documentary, however, we see how the creation of such walls requires immense skill, and has left parts of the Irish countryside with a unique legacy. It looks at the walls through several different perspectives, from the craftsmen who create them, to the writers who’ve been inspired by them.
Dealbhóir na hImpireachta
TG4, 11.15pm
Another interesting documentary from the Irish-language broadcaster. John Henry Foley rose from the slums of Dublin to become a major sculptor in Britain and an acquaintance of Queen Victoria. His works include the Albert Memorial in Hyde Park, London, and the statue of Daniel O’Connell in Dublin.
The Jewish People: A Story Of Survival
RTÉ Two, 7.55pm
Fascinating documentary from US network PBS about the how Jews have survived all sorts of oppression through the millennia. From the Roman Empire through the Spanish Inquisition and up to the modern Holocaust, we see how Jews have endured when other ethnic groups disappeared.
Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model
Sky Living, 9pm
It’s week five and the competition proper finally gets off the ground with the 12 finalists moving into the Top Model house. For the first time ever, there are two Irish contestants trying to impress Elle Macpherson and her judges. 19-year-old Joanne Northey, below left, from Greystones, Co Wicklow, was selected from the Dublin auditions, while lucky Dublin student Hannah Devenne, right, was spotted by Macpherson in a clothes shop. Can they at least get past the first elimination?
Scannal
TG4, 7.30pm
The series revisits the furore caused by RTÉ’s shortlived 1978 drama, The Spike. Launched as a 10-part series, it attempted to tell the gritty tale of life in a tough secondary school. Critics hated it, but its axing after episode five had nothing to do with taste. After a chorus of complaints about bad language and other offending aspects of the show, the final straw was a scene involving a naked woman posing for an art class. Oh, the scandal!
An Samhradh Linn
TG4, 8.30pm
Síle Ní Bhraonáin continues her travels around the country this summer. Tonight she’s checking out traditional music, hears interesting stories and history from Marie Rohan in Foynes, and visits chef Angel Pirev in the Mustard Seed Restaurant in Adare.
The Redemption Of General Butt Naked
More4, 10pm
Before you chortle at the title, take a minute to read about its subject. General Butt Naked was the nickname of Joshua Milton Blahyi, a Liberian warlord responsible for the slaughter of about 20,000 men, women and children. By his own admission he also carried out human sacrifices before going into battle, often of children he’d kill with his own hands. However, as we see from this documentary, he had a visit from Jesus and has since turned to God, leading a new life as an evangelical preacher. “The devil made me do it,” emerges as his classic excuse as he expresses remorse for his past sins. Brutal but fascinating.
Munster Under 21 Hurling Championship Final
TG4, 7.15pm
Limerick v Cork from the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. These days, the U21 championship is often seen as a better indicator than the minors of prospects for the health of future senior teams.
The Code
BBC Two, 9pm
The second episode of the series exploring the patterns in the world around us begins in the North, with the hexagonal columns of the Giant’s Causeway. This is used to show the extraordinary order found in nature — from rock formations to honeycomb and from salt crystals to soap bubbles. Host Prof Marcus du Sautoy also reveals the mysterious code that governs the apparent randomness of mountains, clouds and trees and explores how this also could be the key to the success of splatter painter Jackson Pollock.
The Tenements
TV3, 9.30pm
Even in this post-Tiger era, it’s difficult to imagine that Dublin was home to some of the worst slums in Europe. This new four-part series fronted by Bryan Murray looks at their incredible history. Descended from tenement dwellers himself, the actor begins by looking at the origins of these overcrowded dwellings. Death rates were comparable to the Third World and, despite the myths, many of the landlords were well-to-do Catholics. Incredibly, it wasn’t until well into the 20th century that the last of the tenements was replaced.
Mob Stories
Sky Atlantic, 10pm
It’s Mafia Month on Sky Atlantic, and this show features five mob insiders talking about what life is really like inside the infamous crime syndicate. Among them is Frank Minucci who has renounced a life of crime, and sold much of what he owned to buy his way out, eventually becoming a preacher. Another interviewee is Fat Jackie Dinorscio, talking from prison where he is serving 30 years for drugs offences, having refused to give information in exchange for a reduced sentence. Subjects covered include the way that the stereotypical mafia code imported from Sicily has been replaced by a more individualistic approach, leading to a increased lack of trust between Mafiosi.
Six Feet Under
Sky Atlantic, 9pm
This superb show set in a funeral home never quite managed to reach the brilliance of the first series, but the third season still provides more than enough quality to include it on your watch list. Michael C Hall continues to excel in his pre-Dexter role, while guest stars in this series include James Cromwell and Kathy Bates.
The Album Chart Show
Channel 4, 12.10am
Elbow feature in a special edition of the show filmed at the Koko venue in Camden, London. The band perform songs from their album Build a Rocket Boys! and also chat about their music.
For One Night Only
RTÉ One, 9.30pm
Gay Byrne has been wheeling out the giants of the Irish music scene for this series, and they don’t come much bigger than Daniel O’Donnell.
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