TV not to miss
The lead character travels to Denmark to kill a hideous troll.
Neil Jordan’s enjoyable adaptation of Pat McCabe’s novel brilliantly evokes the madness and sadness of smalltown Ireland. Watch out for Sinead O’Connor playing Our Lady.
Late enough to set your recorders for. Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones star in Michael Apted’s superb 1980 biopic of country singer Loretta Lynn.
From Here To Maternity (pictured)
Among those featured in tonight’s show are Anne Nyhan, who at 42 is expecting her fourth child. Her Pakistani husband wants to observe Muslim traditions when the baby is born. We also catch up with Rachel and Ronan, whose baby Rian was born by caesarean section. Unfortunately, he’s been experiencing a few problems and is back in intensive care in this episode. Other babies receiving full-on care are those in the neo natal ward, where specialised care has greatly upped the survival rates for premature babies. Baby Frankie, pictured left, was born 12 weeks early and has now been with the unit for 10 weeks, but is now off oxygen and his parents Anna and Leszek are hoping to take him home. We also catch up with Sarah and her son Calum, who was born in last year’s series. As well as being premature he suffered from a hernia and had to spend time in Crumlin Children’s Hospital. He’s now home and adjusting to his new life after 18 months in hospital. Superb show.
One of the great stories of Irish women abroad is that of Cyril Mooney, the Loreto nun who has done so much for education in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India. She was recently awarded the Padma Shri, India’s highest honour, for her work in educating the poor and helping to improve the general education system in the subcontinent. This documentary shows aspects of her work and forceful personality.
It tells the tale of single father and train driver Lionel, who shares a special bond with daughter Josephine. Both their lives are changing, however, and we watch them adjust to the new realities.
Brand New Dallas: The Series Preview
In September, we’ll get the pilot episode of the modern Dallas, complete with a much aged Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy. This preview whets the appetite with interviews with the cast and some clips from the new series. Even now, many of us are still trying to deal with the fact that Bobby is alive again.
Rita Wilson is often referred to as Tom Hanks’ wife, but she also has an impressive career in the film industry, with producer roles in the likes of Mamma Mia! and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. For this show, she’s off to Greece and Bulgaria to uncover her ancestry, and along the way discovers an emotional secret about her late father.
Scannal
Looks back on the infamous X case of 1992 when Attorney General Harry Whelehan secured a High Court injunction which temporarily prevented a 14-year-old-rape victim from going to England for an abortion. Whelehan talks about the case and the repercussions it had.
Even though this fine documentary was already broadcast on BBC Four, it’s a pity RTÉ has tucked it away in such a late slot. Presented by former athlete Eamonn Coghlan, it tells of how Mallow man Colm O’Connell has had a remarkable influence on Kenyan athletics. He arrived in Iten in 1976 with little knowledge of the sport —“My father did train greyhounds,” he jokes. Now the Patrician missionary is one of the most feted trainers on the planet, with 25 world champions on his CV. You won’t hear O’Connell boasting about his successes, however — in this documentary we see how he gives all the credit to the athletes themselves. Among those is David Rudisha, the 23-year-old Masai who is hoping to add Olympic gold to his world championship medal in the 800m on Thursday. We see O’Connell interacting with his young charge — one of eight of his pupils on the Kenyan team in London — gently coaxing him in a manner that’s a far cry from the more vociferous style that others adopt. A fascinating show that will also add to your Olympic enjoyment.
Harrowing documentary on the Jewish inmates of Auschwitz who were forced by the Germans to work in the crematoria, sending their fellow camp inmates to their deaths. As well as archive footage shot by the Red Army when they liberated the camp, it also features interviews with Henryk Mandelbaum, a Polish Jew who saw his entire family killed at Auschwitz before being selected to work in the crematoria.
24 Hours in A&E
This episode of the fly-on-the-wall documentary from inside a busy A&E department looks at some of the cases presenting at the hospital that are difficult to diagnose.
An Samhradh Linn
Síle Ní Bhraonáin is in Co Cork, checking out food and music in Clonakilty, dancing in Baile Bhúirne and history in Kinsale.
An American-made documentary on Bill Clinton, a president who evokes mixed memories. He helped with the peace process in the North and his presidency coincided with huge economic growth in the US, but he will also be remembered for the Monica Lewinsky scandal and failed policies in the Middle East. Journalists, staff and family are among the interviewees.
The Walking Dead
The recent announcement that series three of The Walking Dead will premiere in the US in October is a fair indication that no resolution of the zombie situation is at hand. In the meantime we’ll just have to sit back and enjoy the grisly ride as a mini-civil war erupts among some of the humans.
Repeat of the show in which Manchán Magan is on the Great Blasket delving into the history of the island.
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