Students from Wexford and Kilkenny schools to feature in new RTÉ documentary

Irish Independent

a day ago

Over five years in the making, the series is a landmark documentary production, exploring the evolution of Gaelic football from its inception to the modern day, and the invaluable contribution which the sport has made to Irish life.
Filmed in cinema-quality 4K, the series also features the final television interviews conducted with GAA stalwarts Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, Kerry's Seán Murphy and Mick O'Dwyer, Dublin's Jimmy Gray and Mayo's John O'Mahony and Dr. Mick Loftus.
Chronicling how the game has changed through more than a century of rebellion and revolution, bitter rivalries, triumphs, upsets and comebacks, the series is both a celebration and exploration of a unique arm of Irish life. Its unique story is told through the testimonies of players, managers and expert commentators, captivating archive and stunning visuals.
Hell for Leather: The Story of Gaelic Football tells the story of a game born out of necessity, dreamt up by a nation in search of a social identity and something that could challenge the pre-eminence of foreign games. Gaelic football later took root in the northern counties and became a truly all-island sport - a game of and for the Irish people.
A sport with a presence in just about every village in Ireland, Gaelic football has a hugely important legacy, and this is the story of that legacy. The entire series consists of over 80 interviews conducted with, among others, Michael Murphy, David Clifford, Jack McCaffery, Juliet Murphy, Shane Walsh, Brian Fenton, Mick O'Connell, Cora Staunton, Joe Brolly, Tony Hanahoe, Colm Cooper and Briege Corkery. It also features contributions from managers past and present - Jim McGuinness, Padraic Joyce, Seán Boylan and Kevin McStay.
Meanwhile, school children from Catherine McAuley Junior School, New Ross Educate Together and Marymount NS The Rower feature in the series, with players from Rathgarogue Cushinstown GAA also included.
Produced by Crossing the Line Productions, one of the producers, Siobhán Ward is a native of The Rower in south Kilkenny, and is proud to have worked on the series from her hometown, and to see the local areas and participants also included in the production.
The first episode, The Renaissance, will see Brian Fenton fighting back tears as he details his love of the game, while David Clifford's magical feet are revealed in slow motion and Shane Walsh kicks the paint off the gable wall at his family home. The series debut takes the viewers from these modern magicians on a journey back in time, to the rough and tumble origins of Gaelic Football. Through rebellion and civil war, it exploded like a prairie fire to become the most played game in Ireland.