Monday 26th June, 7.00pm on RTÉ One
Tonight, Nationwide travels to the medieval town of Fethard in County Tipperary for the opening of a brand new visitor centre which celebrates Tipperary’s long Equine History. The new centre known as ‘The Fethard Horse Country Experience’ was opened recently by Andrew Lloyd Webber who has a Castle outside the town. The programme also hears about tourism in the area and the hopes for the future of this town which is rich in horse heritage. Mary Kennedy takes a walk around the 14th century medieval walls which are some of the most impressive in the country.
Wednesday 28th June, 7.00pm on RTÉ One
This evening’s programme is about the Irish poet, Francis Ledwidge, who was killed 100 years ago next month at the Third Battle of Ypres during World War 1. He was 29 when he died. Nationwide takes a look at his life in Slane at the turn of the last century, as farm labourer, road worker and struggling poet, his patronage by Lord Dunsany, who introduced him to the literary world, and his unrequited love for a local girl, Ellie Vaughey. The programme hears his poetry and of his war experiences in his own words. The programme also features the voice of Seamus Heaney, who championed Ledwidge as an important Irish poet, and from a dedicated local committee who have succeeded in keeping Ledwidge’s memory alive.
Friday 30th June, 7.00pm on RTÉ One
On this evening’s Nationwide we are in 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 three generations of the family behind the name and explore this magical world which continues to enthrall and delight.