An Teorainn

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
Teorainn is a new four-part Irish Language documentary series on the dramatic history of the border and its impact on Ireland north and south for almost 90 years.

It is the story of a moment in time when three very different men were chosen to implement Article 12 of the Anglo-Irish Treaty – The Boundary Clause. These three men were Justice Richard Feetham of South Africa as Chairman representing the British Government, Eoin MacNeill, Minister for Education representing what was then known as the Free State Government and J.R. Fisher, a Unionist newspaper editor representing the Northern Ireland government.

This first of four programmes examines the defining events that led to the creation of the border in 1920, and the little known story of the establishment of the controversial three-man Boundary Commission.

In the second programme, the precarious and emotionally charged early deliberations of the three-man Boundary Commission, appointed to redraw the highly contentious border in 1924 are revealed.

The third programme in the series re-examines the difficult and controversial proceedings of the Boundary Commission in 1925, and the enduring tensions between north and south from the 1930s to the 1960s.

The final programme in the series charts the intense final days of the Boundary Commission to its sensational collapse in 1925, and explores the legacy of the border from the start of the Troubles to the present day
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The series has a vast range of contributors which include Jarlath Burns, teacher and Gaelic games analyst for BBC and TG4; Eamon Mallie, journalist; Eoghan Harris, Senator and journalist; Joe Kernan, GAA football manager and newspaper columnist; Nell McCafferty, Journalist; Éamon Ó Cuív, T.D.,The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs; Peter Quinn, former President of the GAA; Nelson McCausland MLA, The Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure; Dr Éamon Phoenix, Political Historian; John Gray, historian and Paddy Cole, musician.

Fiona Keane, director says; “Working on ‘Teorainn’ has been a journey - first a journey into the past, to an incredibly interesting and signifi cant period in our history, and secondly, a journey along an invisible line - tracing the border from Newry to Derry and all points in between. Over a six month period, in the course of making these four programmes, I was privileged to meet and
spend time with some amazing people - the historians who have spent years trying to understand this difficult and fascinating period, and some of the ordinary people who live and work along the border today, who were willing to share their stories and memories.

“I knew little about the border region before I began to research this project, but I have learned a great deal about this unique and fascinating region, and the character and strength of border dwellers. I hope viewers will share something of this same experience, as they journey along the border, and back to 1924, and the hidden history that is the story of the Boundary Commission.”

Teorainn is a DoubleBand Films production for BBC Northern Ireland and TG4, supported by the Northern Ireland Screen Irish Language Broadcast Fund and Sound & Vision at Broadcasting Authority of Ireland Initiative.