manchan.com - TV Documentaries

NO BÉARLA 2 (2008) - Last year in *No Béarla* (2007) Manchán Magan journeyed round Ireland trying to survive through Irish alone, this year in No Béarla 2 (2008) he looks more deeply at why it was so difficult for him. See clips here Producers: Brian Reddin, Rossa Ó Sioradán, Manchán Magan, Dearg Films. Director: Brian Reddin.
NO BÉARLA (2007) No Béarla is a four part series in which Manchán Magan attempts to live his life (eat, travel, socialise, find accommodation, shop, etc) through Irish. It is a journey to find out whether the 1.6 million people who claim they can speak Irish in the national census really can and whether one can survive in Ireland today without speaking a word of English. © Dearg Films RTÉ/TG4 Click for clips & info Begins: January 7th 9.30pm, TG4 (repeated Wednesdays7.30pm) Producers Brian Reddin, Manchán Magan Director Brian Reddin
The Easter Rising (2005-06) Create One Television Ltd and Fantastic Films are preparing to make a one-hour drama documentary telling the story of the Easter Rebellion centered around Stephen's Green, the College of Surgeons and the Shelbourne Hotel. The story will be told through the words of its central participants and accidental eye-witnesses. Actors, using the words of real-life participants – British, Irish Rebels and neutral observers – will take us through the fight, from the first fanatical declarations of a Republic, to the arrival of the war-weary British troops from the Front, and the eventual executions of the rebel leaders. A visceral sense of the fear, excitement, hope and terror evoked by vicious urban warfare will be recreated. Evocative scenes of the occupation of people’s homes, the killing of civilians, the fear of the British soldiers, the hunger of a city under siege, the burning of Dublin and the eventual surrender by the rebels will be reconstructed and filmed in an impressionistic style using Super 8 film and genuine archive footage. Producers: Ruán & Manchán Magan Create One Ltd John McDonnell, Fantastic Films
EUROPE – THE NEW FRONTIER, a 6-part series, RTE (2004) Manchán Magan sets out on a 13,000km journey through the 10 new EU Accession States exploring their culture and assessing the challenges and opportunities they face. On this journey from the arctic expanses of the Baltic States to the sun-lapped beaches of Malta and Cyprus, Manchán Magan explores the quixotic ambition of the European Union and questions its plan to create the world's first civilised utopia. This is a personal exploration and in depth analysis of the people, perspectives and cultures of the new Eastern frontier of Europe, from: fanatical cultural revivalists in Estonia; ex-revolutionary pizza makers in Lithuania; horse-skiers in Poland; disillusioned coal miners in the Czech Republic; Danube barge captains in Slovakia; Roma gypsies in Hungary; anarchists in Slovenia; anti-abortionists in Malta; and Turkish blacksmiths in Cyprus. Directors: Ruán Magan, Traolach O’Buachalla Music: Ronan Coleman Producer: Adrian Lynch, Animo TV Clips from Europe: the New Frontier: (Apologies, clips not currently available) 1. Poldiski, Estonia 2. Tallinn, Estonia 3. The Setu Minority, Estonia 4. Bar in Riga, Latvia 5. Vilnius Revolution, Lithuania 6. Gdansk Rebuilt, Poland 7. Gregor the Farmer, Poland 8. The Black Madonna, Poland 9. Cool Warsaw, Poland 10. Zacopane, Poland 11. Gdansk Shipyards Poland
THE STRUGGLE, a 1-hour documentary, RTE (2003) ‘Sighle Humphreys, society belle and crack-shot Irish rebel, was my grandmother. In her house on Ailesbury road was a secret room in which the Irish rebel leaders, Michael Collins, de Valera, etc, hid out,’ explains the presenter, Manchán Magan ‘In Nov 1922 the house was raided by Free State Soldiers and the IRA leader, Ernie O’Malley came out shooting. In the ensuing gun battle my great-grandmother was shot through the brain, yet survived. One man died. Who killed him – my granny or Ernie?’ Producers: Manchán & Ruán Magan, Wonderland Ltd John McDonnell, Fantastic Films View clips1 & clip 2 View entire film
GLOBAL NOMAD: China 6-part series (2003) (Manchán sa tSín) Irish writer and global traveller Manchán Magan explores the modern face of one of the world’s most intriguing countries – China. Wandering the length and breadth, from its smoke-stack cities, to the remotest, rural regions; meeting the people and exploring their lives. For the past 5000 years China’s doors have remained resolutely locked, now as her isolation comes to an end, Manchán sets out to get to know her. The series offers an absorbing look at the oldest surviving culture on earth, from its great cities to its most remote villages. We vist Yunnan province, which borders Tibet; the Yangtze River, home of the Three Gorges Dam; the wealthy commercial centre of Taiwan; the far-flung province of Xinjiang; and Shanghai, China’s most cosmopolitan city. The fruit of a years' work by the Magan brothers, Global Nomad: China is a window on another world. (Download clip here) “When China wakes, it will shake the world,” Napoleon See Clip 1, Clip 2 , Clip 3 Producers: Manchán & Ruán Magan, Wonderland Ltd Music: Ronan Coleman.
NASC A 6-part documentary series, for TG4 (2002) Six Irish Craftspeople journey to six remote regions of the world to meet with local craftspeople and share techniques. The documentaries follow the Irish craftspeople as they communicate through their craft with Inuit kayak builders, Ladakhi basket makers, Coptic weavers, Indian mud builders, Cretan potters and Italian pipe makers. The result is an testimony to the power of the craft tradition to survive into the modern age, and a insight into the common links between people throughout the world. Clips 1, clip 2 Basket maker, Joe Hogan, in Ladakh Currach builder, Pádraig Dineen, in Greenland Potter, Louis Mulcahy, in Crete Weaver, Lisbeth Mulcahy, in Egypt Uillean pipe maker, Eugene Lambe, in Italy Architect, Tom de Paor, in Tamil Nadu. Music: Ronan Coleman. Producer: Manchán Magan. Directors: Ruán Magan, Traolach O’Buachalla. Create One
MANCHÁN IN TENERIFE 1-hour documentary (2001) An exploration of the Guanche culture of Tenerife and the cave-dwelling islanders who strive to preserve their traditions in the face of mass tourism. Manchán joins Segundo Demofilo and his family as they journey from their hilltop village to Santa Cruz for the raucous celebrations of the Burning of the Sardine. An in-depth insight into the rich culture that lies beyond the well-known sun-seeker’s paradise. Music: R Coleman. Producers: Ruán & Manchán Magan
The Global Nomad: Middle East a 6-part series (2000) (Manchán sa Mhean Oirthear) Manchán Magan journeys through the Middle East exploring the civilizations and cultures of Turkey, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt. The programmes provide intimate glimpses into the lives of people who live beyond our daily experience. Celebrated by critics and viewers alike, this is not a travel series in any traditional sense: the Global Nomad documentaries are an intimate engagement with the people and cultures of our world. Clips one Producer/director: Ruán Magan Music: R. Coleman
MANCHÁN USA - a 4-part series, for TnaG (1999) An eight thousand mile journey along the Pacific Coast of North America, from alternative communities in the Rockies of Canada to the cave-dwelling Tarahuamaran people of the Sierra Madres in Mexico. In the course of his journey, Manchán joins a Native American Pow Wow; meets gold-miners in the Mojave; dances with New-Agers in BC; investigates the repercussions of nuclear experiments in Oregon; explores the world of RV owners in San Diego; meets smugglers in Tijuana; and finally in a remote canyon in Central Mexico gets to know a hunter-gatherer tribe who have retreated from the modern world in order to preserve their pre-Columbian culture. See clip 1, clip 2, clip 3 Producer/director: Ruán Magan, Create One Ltd
MANCHÁN UM NOLLAG – 2-part series on Christmas traditions in remote cultures.
MANCHÁN IN ÉIRINN – 4-part series on alternative Ireland (1998)
MANCHÁN I MEIRICEÁ THEAS – 2 part celebration of Ecuador, Peru and Columbia (1997)
MANCHÁN SAN INDIA – a fresh, raw, 2-part reflection on the essence of India (1996)