The new Irish language series follows Kenny as he explores Ireland’s long-abandoned railway routes; Iarnród Enda airs on Monday, April 5th at 8:30pm on RTÉ One.
The six-part series was produced by Sonas Productions and received funding from the Northern Ireland Screen Irish Language Broadcast Fund (ILBF).
The series was one of 16 projects selected to receive funding from the fund in 2020. The remit of the ILBF is to promote the production and broadcast of quality Irish language content for an audience in Northern Ireland and beyond and to help grow the Irish language production sector in Northern Ireland.
In this new series Enda Kenny explores the story of a once modern transport system, the railway routes that became engraved into the countryside, transformed the landscape, and shaped the evolution of the entire island. Railway expanded the way we saw ourselves in the world, influencing the course of subsequent historical, social and political events.
Discovering riches along the way, human and cultural, Enda marvels at the shoots of new growth emerging as sections of old lines regenerate as small, narrow-gauge tourist trains bring the magic and romance of steam to life.
Other routes, re-imagined, emerge from the landscape with a fresh vigour re-purposed into greenways attracting walkers and cyclists from home and abroad as a new, health-oriented tourist industry puts down roots where naught but dereliction and abandonment previously held sway.
Kenny served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, and spent 45 years in the Dáil; serving as leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017. The new series promises to show a unseen side to Kenny with this iteration revealing “a man happy on his bike, relaxed in himself and comfortable in the company of those he encounters along the way. A good listener, he’s at his happiest meeting new people or old friends and is never slow to call in for a chat or a story, a tune or a song.”
Iarnród Enda airs on Monday, April 5th at 8:30pm on RTÉ One.
