Monday, Oct 16th 9.35 RTÉ 1
From Amazon to Meals on Wheels, Deliveroo to Blood bikes, this documentary gives a special insight into these valuable services.
What is the journey of an Amazon parcel before it reaches us? Who is at the other end of our Deliveroo order? How do we deliver post to our islands? With a cast of characters to share their stories, this documentary will answer all these questions… and more.
Delivery services are not new – from messenger boys to the travelling shops of rural Ireland – bikes, cars and vans have been used to get provisions and goods to consumers for decades. But technology now makes it super easy for us to order a broader range of goods and services than ever before.
And could drone delivery disrupt the traditional models? The documentary features Irish company Manna Drone Delivery who are currently delivering coffees and groceries from the skies above Balbriggan.
The documentary brings us behind the scenes at Amazon’s fulfilment centre in west Dublin to see how millions of items are picked, packed and shipped across Ireland and Europe. It’s a serious logistical operation run with military precision.
But the documentary also highlights how in this increasingly fast paced world, some deliveries still need the human touch, looking at the work of volunteer delivery drivers like Blood bikes and Meals on Wheels.
Characters featured include
Jack O’Callaghan
Jack volunteers for Blood bikes, delivering blood samples and urgent test results between hospitals out of hours. He usually works the nightshift from 7pm to 6 am. Viewers will get an opportunity to see how Blood bike services make such a difference to patients and their families. “ No matter how much stresses you have in your life, if your nearest or dearest is sick…just get that person fixed, one way or the other”.
Dave Scullane
From Nenagh in Co Tipperary, Dave delivers for the company The Lunch Bag. We join Dave as the travels to primary schools around Ireland in the dead of night, delivering school lunches for kids.
“I’ll be doing about a 10 hour round trip. You don’t have the hustle and bustle of day time traffic… Everyone needs time apart from their husbands or wives, this is my quiet time!”.
Carmel Moran and Maureen Quinn
Friends Carmel and Maureen deliver Meals on Wheels to people around Castlebar, Co. Mayo. Both retired, Carmel and Maureen have been volunteering for a number of years. As Carmel says “ It’s not
just the food. They want to chat, and that’s what it’s all about for us”. As part of their route they pay a visit to 91 year old Ann Bourke, who loves seeing the meals on wheels gang land on her doorstep.
