Finglas TV mini-series nears completion

The first rough cut of ‘A Finglas Story’ – a three part mini-series on the recent history of Dublin’s northside suburb – has just been completed. The BAI-funded programme, for Dublin Community Television (DCTV) will be broadcast on the Virgin Media platform later in the year. It charts the journey of Finglas from a small, country village in the first part of last century through its rapid and dramatic growth as Dublin Corporation rolled out an ambitious housing scheme to clear the inner city tenements and up to today.

“It’s been an emotional experience,” said Declan, who directed and co-produced the series. “My Dad came to Finglas in the 50s, along with the first wave of newcomers, and we were interviewing people of his generation who brought that time to life for us. In a way, it gave us an insight into Mam and Dad’s world that we didn’t really have before.”

The series contains interviews from a variety of Finglassians, including literary figure Dermot Bolger, RTE news journalist Samantha Libreri and The Brilliant Trees musician Tony Barrett.

“To be honest, I’m a bit exhausted after the editing,” admitted Declan. “The hardest thing has been deciding what to cut out. There’s such a vast wealth of information that an. hour and a half only scrapes the tip of the iceberg.”

The film maker expects to have the three half-hour episodes ready for screening in May.

“The Community Section of Dublin City Council in Finglas have been very supportive, along with Finglas Credit Union, so we’re hoping that we can have a public screening in the area for those that were involved, ” he explained. “It’s a Finglas story, made by Finglas people for Finglas people so that would be only appropriate.”