What to expect from the Charlie Bird, Loud and Clear documentary on RTÉ tonight
Charlie Bird, Loud And Clear is on RTÉ One tonight at 9.35pm
Charlie Bird, Loud and Clear is a heart-wrenching hour and eighteen-minute testament to the legacy of broadcaster Charlie Bird. However, it is more than that. It is an archival piece of television that references some of the biggest historical moments of the past fifty years, many of which Charlie was at the coal face of.
The documentary opens ahead of Charlie’s Late Late Show interview back in December, where he pledged he was going to climb Croagh Patrick.
Ahead of the interview, host Ryan Tubridy asks if there is anything they can do to make it easier for Charlie, to which he responds “I want you to do one thing, and it’s be yourself, and I’ll be myself too.” This exchange gives an insight into the story of Charlie’s illness, and the brave, selfless way he handles it.
Viewers will be brought into Charlie’s home, where he and his wife Claire express the true love they have for one another. Claire shares the story of how the couple met, explaining with a laugh how her and a friend used to go to the RTÉ canteen and ‘bird watch.’ “We went for a pint, he asked me out. I was 37, Charlie was 57 and when I met his daughter’s they said ‘how was your 40th? And I said, 'I’m not 40 for another three years', so he had added on a couple of years to keep the daughters in the good books”
We also meet Tiger, Charlie’s beloved dog, who has been by his side throughout his illness.
“I didn’t want a dog! I hated dogs. I gave in, and then I fell in love with him.”
Viewers will also gain an insight into the voice banking technology that Charlie is now using to communicate. The couple meets Trevor Vaugh, the Assistant Professor of Design Innovation at Maynooth University, who is assisting with the voice banking.
Charlie’s wife Claire shares how she has been tirelessly trawling through footage of Charlie, of which there is plenty, to help with the technology.
Charlie also shares his experiences in politics, and how he soaked in the turbulence of the sixties with the Vietnam War.
“I’ve never hidden the fact that I joined the Labour party, and was a young socialist.”
Charlie talks about starting out in RTÉ in 1974, and how he had no formal education.
“The day I joined the RTÉ newsroom I hid in my inside pocket a pocket dictionary, I would walk out of the newsroom, go into the toilet and into a cubicle, and look up the word I couldn’t spell.”
Charlie meets Bride Rosney in the documentary, who was a special advisor to Mary Robinson during her presidency. Charlie and Bride got to know each other during this time, share anecdotes of the historical moment Mary Robinson became the first female president of Ireland.
Charlie speaks about his involvement with the Gay Marriage Referendum in 2015, and how his book 'Climb Every Mountain - Charlie Bird's Marriage Equality Journey', went on to become a play.
Charlie talks about many of the historical events he reported on during his life, from the IRA ceasefire to the tragic Stardust fire in 1981.
Viewers can expect to see footage from all over the world, from Charlie reporting at Ground Zero in 2001, to South Africa when Nelson Mandela cast his famous vote.
Some friends and colleagues of Charlie appear in the documentary, including Joe O’Brien and Tommie Gorman.
