Wednesday 19th April, 7.00pm on RTÉ One
On this evening’s Nationwide, the programme comes from Galway as Duffy’s, one of the world’s longest surviving circuses arrives in the city. We get a taste of circus life outside and inside the Big Top. The team meet three generations of the family behind the name and explore this magical world which continues to enthrall and delight.
Friday 21st April, 7.00pm on RTÉ One
Nationwide celebrates all that is good at the 146th running of the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse Racecourse with a prize purse of €500,000. Presenter Anne Cassin is out and about at the meeting and meets Rita Shah who on the request of her business partner, the late Oliver Brady, one of the most enigmatic characters in Irish racing, has raised nearly €750,000 to donate a gene sequencing machine for the Mater Hospital. This machine will identify potential life threatening conditions early and save lives through intervention. Anne also speaks to racecourse manager Peter Roe about running an event of this size and why it is called the race of people. She will also speak to some of the ladies who have dressed up for the event.
Fairyhouse is steeped in 146 years of history and the Dreaper family, who train not too far from Greenogue, Kilsallaghan have an impressive history when it comes to Irish Grand National wins, with Tom Dreaper Senior winning ten Irish Nationals and his son Jim the winner of four. The family have continued the great training tradition that included the greatest national hunt racehorse of them all, Arkle. Reporter Helen McInerney takes a trip down memory lane.
Finally Mary Fanning goes behind the scenes at Cullentra Stables, in County Meath the home of Ireland’s most exciting young racehorse trainer Gordon Elliott and travels with his team to Thurles Racecourse.