Hands (TV series)
Hands was an Irish television documentary series broadcast by RTÉ between 1978 and 1989, covering traditional Irish crafts.[1][2][3][4]
Hands | |
---|---|
Title card | |
Genre | documentary, biography |
Written by | Benedict Kiely Ray McAnally |
Directed by | David Shaw-Smith |
Narrated by | Benedict Kiely |
Composers | Jolyon Jackson, Paddy Glacken, Matt Molloy |
Country of origin | Republic of Ireland |
Original languages | English, Irish |
No. of episodes | 37 |
Production | |
Producer | David Shaw-Smith |
Running time | 24–27 minutes |
Release | |
Original network | RTÉ1 |
Picture format | 576i (SDTV) 16:9 |
Audio format | Mono |
Original release | 1978 – 1989 |
Chronology | |
Followed by | In Good Hands |
External links | |
Website |
Production
Creator David Shaw-Smith began with Telefís Éireann in the 1960s, working as a cameraman with Gerrit van Gelderen and became an independent filmmaker in the early 1970s. he and his wife Sally, an illustrator, travelled Ireland in a VW van recording traditional craftsmen.[5]
Episode list
# | Broadcast Date | Title | Narrator |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 17 April 1978 | Wool Spinning | Seamus Ó Cathaín |
2 | 3 July 1981 | Irish Patchwork | Seamus Ó Cathaín |
3 | 11 April 1983 | Irish Lace | Mairead Reynolds |
4 | 11 May 1989 | Irish Embroidery | Linda Ballard |
5 | 18 March 1980 | Donegal Weavers[6] | Ray McAnally |
6 | 19 June 1981 | Dublin Woolen Mill | Ray McAnally |
7 | 24 April 1979 | Donegal Carpets | Ray McAnally |
8 | 15 May 1979 | Tailor | Benedict Kiely |
9 | 4 March 1985 | English Silk | Alec Taylor |
10 | 1 May 1978 | Carriage Building | Seamus Ó Cathaín |
11 | 1980 | Cavan Cabinetmakers | Benedict Kiely |
12 | 5 June 1981 | Cavan Cooper | Ray McAnally |
13 | 11 March 1980 | Chair Maker John Surlis | Benedict Kiely |
14 | 1988 | Dublin's Viking Longship | Éamonn Mac Thomáis |
15 | 1989 | Harp Making | Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin |
16 | 1983 | Hurlmaking | Diarmaid Ó Muirithe |
17 | 1991 | Irish Spinning Wheel Making | Ben Kiely |
18 | 1988 | Shannon One Design | Ben Kiely |
19 | 1980 | Carley's Bridge Potteries | Ray McAnally |
20 | 1987 | Belleek Potteries | Benedict Kiely |
21 | 1983 | Clay Pipe Works | Diarmuid Ó Muirithe |
22 | 1980 | A Dublin Silversmith | Éamonn Mac Thomáis |
23 | 1989 | Powers of the Metal | Diarmuid Ó Muirithe |
24 | 1981 | Stone | Éamonn Mac Thomáis |
25 | 1983 | Dublin's Workhorses | Éamonn Mac Thomáis |
26 | 1979 | Shoe Making | Ray McAnally |
27 | 1981 | A Dublin Bookbinder | Dr. Maurice Craig |
28 | 30 May 1983 | The Saddler | Brian McSharry |
28 | 1978 | Curraghs | Seamus Ó Cathaín |
30 | 1989 | Rushwork | Seamus Ó Cathaín |
31 | 1978 | Basketmaking | Andy O'Mahony |
31 | 1981 | Wexford Thatcher | Diarmuid Ó Muirithe |
33 | 1980 | Fermanagh Country | Benedict Kiely |
34 | 1978 | Stoneground | Andy O’Mahony |
35 | 1982 | A Dublin Candlemaker | Éamonn Mac Thomáis |
36 | 1983 | Of Bees & Bee Skeps | Diarmuid Ó Muirithe |
37 | 1989 | Lighthouse Crafts[7][8] | Dick Warner |
Legacy
Hands has been described as one "Ireland’s favourite" television programs, and has been rebroadcast several times to the extent that it is one of the "most broadcast" RTÉ productions.[9][10]
Harvey O'Brien, in his The Real Ireland: The Evolution of Ireland in Documentary Film (2004), said "The series was marked by its close-up observation of the techniques involved, and though lacking an explicit social commentary always gave the sense that these skills were gradually disappearing.".[11]
For over 20 years, the original film sat in tea chests in a barn in Creagh, County Mayo. In March 2013 archivists packed all 1,800 film cans into storage containers and brought them to the RTÉ Archives.[10]
In 2015, it was revisited in the series In Good Hands.[12]
References
- O'Brien, Harvey (22 March 2018). The Real Ireland: The Evolution of Ireland in Documentary Film. Manchester University Press. ISBN 9780719069079 – via Google Books.
- "Old hands at film-making".
- Byrne, Terry (1 January 1997). Power in the Eye: An Introduction to Contemporary Irish Film. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810832961 – via Google Books.
- "BM/E's World Broadcast News". Broadband Information Services. 1 May 1982 – via Google Books.
- "About - Hands".
- "DONEGAL WEAVERS ARE 'IN GOOD HANDS' WITH NEW RTE SERIES! – Donegal Daily". www.donegaldaily.com.
- "Hands Series - Cottageology - Irish Cottages & Culture". 5 May 2010.
- "Others - Hands".
- McLysaght, Emer (4 August 2013). "What's the greatest episode of Irish television, ever?". The Daily Edge.
- Cummins, Steve (5 April 2012). "RTÉ Revisits 'Hands' Series, GMarsh Begin Production". The Irish Film & Television Network.
- O'Brien, Harvey (22 March 2018). The Real Ireland: The Evolution of Ireland in Documentary Film. Manchester University Press. ISBN 9780719069079 – via Google Books.
- "Watch In Good Hands on RTÉ Player".