RTÉ documentary on Christy Ring to air in December

The cast list of contributors is a who’s who of Cork GAA

Gerry Nelson, the director of the RTÉ documentary on Christy Ring, which will air in December 2020

The obsession that lies at the heart of genius.

Just one of the killer lines in the forthcoming RTÉ documentary on Christy Ring - and one courtesy of Irish Examiner columnist and podcast host Paul Rouse.

Director Gerry Nelson, fresh from The Game: The Story of Hurling, was an obvious choice to helm the project.

“Finding what made Ring tick was the key. When the documentary ‘Ringy’ was made, and it’s a great documentary, they were able to interview a lot of Ring’s contemporaries.

“Here we’re trying to analyse what it is that makes a great player great. Ring grew up in a tough time in Ireland with few opportunities, so was this his opportunity? Or was it that he clearly discovered he was good at hurling and he just became focused on the game?

“That’s where the Paul Rouse quote comes in, and Ring became immersed in hurling, going to games in east Cork on the crossbar of his father’s bike to see the creme de la creme - and then going home to practice what he saw.” 

In the course of making the documentary, Nelson was careful in selecting contributors. The cast list is a who’s who of Cork GAA.

“Christy (Ring) junior was crucial, as was John Fitzgibbon. There’s an emotional scene with Dónal Óg Cusack and his father, while the likes of Jimmy Aherne, Dónal O’Grady, Frank Murphy, Gerald McCarthy, and Ray Cummins were outstanding. And Denis Coughlan’s emotional tribute is another highlight.

“For someone who was a shy person Ring made a huge impression on people, obviously. A lot of those we interviewed filled up, literally, talking about him, the connection was so strong.” 

Nelson also pays tribute to those who backed the project from the outside, a list with an understandable Cork tinge (“UCC in association with Bank of Ireland, Clonakilty Food Co., Port of Cork, the O’Flynn Group, Amarenco Solar and Cairde Chorcaí were hugely supportive” he says).

Ring “lived in scrapbooks” compared to the modern player, says Nelson: “Current players you can find at the touch of a button on Youtube. Someone who played in the forties and fifties is different. We knew that this was the last chance, really, at finding what is left of Ring and completing the archive.

“So we got some amazing film footage from the US covering the 1950s - stuff that’s never been seen before. I discovered, hidden in a US archive house, unique colour footage of the 1953 All-Ireland final.

“Also, accessing the (audio) tapes the late Paddy Downey made was a godsend. Those included Willie John Ring, Eamonn Young, Jim Young, Jack Lynch, Sean Hill, Rita Ring and Patricia Horgan, who was there when Ring died. David Ring, who’s the family historian, was another huge help to us all the way along.” 

The result will be available to view on RTÉ in December, with the transmission date yet to be finalised. The documentary goes from Ring’s birth to his involvement as a selector on the Cork three-in-a-row side of the seventies.

- You can purchase the Irish Examiner's 20-page special publication to mark the centenary of Christy Ring's birth from our epaper site.