From the wilds of Donegal to the battlefields of Spain and Stalin’s Gulags. This is the story of love, great tragedy and reconciliation within the Goold Verschoyle family.
The Goold Verschoyles owned the manor house on the main street of Dunkineely, a small village in Donegal. Our story focuses on the three brothers of the family, Neil, Denis and Brian. Theirs is a story full of intrigue, espionage in Stalin’s Russia and romantic love.
The Goold Verschoyle brothers lived in a period of great political turmoil, not only in Ireland but in Europe all of which touched the family. Piecing together information from M15 and KGB files and original letters from the family we trace the story of this idealistic and independent thinking family. We also take a journey to Moscow where we meet Piotr, the surviving son of Neil. When his father was deported from Russia in 1938, Piotr was sent to an orphanage. They would not meet again for 22 years. In that time, his father ceaselessly campaigned for better working conditions for the common people in both Ireland and England. During the war he ended up interned in the Curragh for his political agitation.
Through a series of interviews with nephews and sons of these men, we discover the political beliefs that rendered the family asunder and caused the brothers to go their separate ways.
Reporter: Róisín Duffy
Produced and Directed by: Geraldine Creed
Series Producer: Betty Purcell