Documentary
Scheduled on
| Saturday w2 | 9:00 am | 10:00 am | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday w3 | 9:00 am | 10:00 am | |
| Saturday w5 | 9:00 am | 10:00 am | |
| Saturday w1 | 9:00 am | 10:00 am | |
| Sunday w5 | 5:00 pm | 6:00 pm | |
| Sunday w4 | 5:00 pm | 6:00 pm | |
| Sunday w3 | 5:00 pm | 6:00 pm | |
| Sunday w2 | 5:00 pm | 6:00 pm | |
| Sunday w1 | 5:00 pm | 6:00 pm |
Tagged as Documentary
In-depth radio documentaries produced by Dundalk FM's own presenters and community contributors, covering local history, sport, culture, and community life with the care and craft that only community radio makes possible.
The documentaries broadcast in this slot are produced through the Sound and Vision funding scheme, a national programme funded by Coimisiún na Meán using the television licence fee. The scheme supports the creation of high-quality radio and television programmes that deal with Irish culture, heritage, and community life, and Dundalk FM has been a consistent and successful participant in it over many years. Each documentary represents a significant investment of time, research, and skill from the volunteers and presenters who make them.
The range of subjects covered across the Documentary Hour is a reflection of the richness of life in Dundalk and County Louth. Past productions have included a major two-part documentary on the history of Dundalk FC, covering over a century of local football from 1903 to 2022, presented by Orla Crilly and Jason Kelly and featuring contributions from players, managers, and fans across the generations. Another production explored the oral history of Seatown, one of Dundalk’s most well-known areas, capturing the memories and stories of past and present residents in collaboration with Upstate Theatre Project, An Táin Arts Centre, and Louth County Museum. A documentary on St Brigid of Faughart drew on the expertise of historians and archaeologists to explore one of the most significant sacred sites in the region. Irene Kane’s documentary on the history of the Automobile Association in Ireland was praised by listeners for its quality of research and presentation, including by Dundalk people living abroad who felt it connected them to home.
The station draws on a wide pool of contributors who bring their own specialist knowledge and passions to their productions. Among them is Tara Tine, known for her work on Diary of a Ditch Witch (Facebook) and her YouTube channel, where she explores the worlds of craft, gardening, folklore, and local history. Her involvement is a good example of the kind of contributor Dundalk FM attracts, people with genuine expertise and community roots who bring depth and authenticity to their subject matter.
These are not superficial profiles or quick overviews. They are proper radio documentaries, built around interviews, archive material, location recordings, and careful editing, with the kind of depth and craft that takes months to produce. They deal with subjects that matter to people locally, covering history that might otherwise go unrecorded, stories that deserve to be told, and communities whose voices deserve to be heard.
The Documentary Hour is also an important part of Dundalk FM’s broader mission as a community radio station. One of the things community radio can do that commercial stations rarely attempt is to give ordinary people the tools, training, and platform to tell their own stories. The station runs regular documentary workshops open to anyone with an idea, and many of the documentaries broadcast in this slot have been made by first-time producers who came to Dundalk FM with a story they wanted to tell and left with the skills to tell it properly.
Whether it is local history, sport, culture, community life, or something entirely unexpected, the Documentary Hour consistently delivers programming that informs, challenges, and moves its audience in ways that only radio can.
Documentary Hour airs on alternative Saturdays on Dundalk FM 97.7. Check the schedule for broadcast times.
Documentary Hour is one of the most distinctive and ambitious slots in the Dundalk FM 97.7 schedule, dedicated to in-depth radio documentaries produced by the station’s own presenters and community contributors. Airing on alternative Saturdays, the slot showcases the kind of thoughtful, carefully researched programming that sets community radio apart from its commercial counterparts.
The documentaries broadcast in this slot are produced through the Sound and Vision funding scheme, a national programme funded by Coimisiún na Meán using the television licence fee. The scheme supports the creation of high-quality radio and television programmes that deal with Irish culture, heritage, and community life, and Dundalk FM has been a consistent and successful participant in it over many years. Each documentary represents a significant investment of time, research, and skill from the volunteers and presenters who make them.
The range of subjects covered across the Documentary Hour is a reflection of the richness of life in Dundalk and County Louth. Past productions have included a major two-part documentary on the history of Dundalk FC, covering over a century of local football from 1903 to 2022, presented by Orla Crilly and Jason Kelly and featuring contributions from players, managers, and fans across the generations. Another production explored the oral history of Seatown, one of Dundalk’s most well-known areas, capturing the memories and stories of past and present residents in collaboration with Upstate Theatre Project, An Táin Arts Centre, and Louth County Museum. A documentary on St Brigid of Faughart drew on the expertise of historians and archaeologists to explore one of the most significant sacred sites in the region. Irene Kane’s documentary on the history of the Automobile Association in Ireland was praised by listeners for its quality of research and presentation, including by Dundalk people living abroad who felt it connected them to home.
The station draws on a wide pool of contributors who bring their own specialist knowledge and passions to their productions. Among them is Tara Tine, known for her work on Diary of a Ditch Witch (Facebook) and her YouTube channel, where she explores the worlds of craft, gardening, folklore, and local history. Her involvement is a good example of the kind of contributor Dundalk FM attracts, people with genuine expertise and community roots who bring depth and authenticity to their subject matter.
These are not superficial profiles or quick overviews. They are proper radio documentaries, built around interviews, archive material, location recordings, and careful editing, with the kind of depth and craft that takes months to produce. They deal with subjects that matter to people locally, covering history that might otherwise go unrecorded, stories that deserve to be told, and communities whose voices deserve to be heard.
The Documentary Hour is also an important part of Dundalk FM’s broader mission as a community radio station. One of the things community radio can do that commercial stations rarely attempt is to give ordinary people the tools, training, and platform to tell their own stories. The station runs regular documentary workshops open to anyone with an idea, and many of the documentaries broadcast in this slot have been made by first-time producers who came to Dundalk FM with a story they wanted to tell and left with the skills to tell it properly.
Whether it is local history, sport, culture, community life, or something entirely unexpected, the Documentary Hour consistently delivers programming that informs, challenges, and moves its audience in ways that only radio can.
Documentary Hour airs on alternative Saturdays on Dundalk FM 97.7. Check the schedule for broadcast times.
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