User:Neilk ie/Hand (Irish TV Documentary)

About

"Hands" is a series of documentaries telling the story of Ireland's traditional crafts. They were produced by David and Sally Shaw-Smith and originally broadcast on RTE between 1978 and 1991.

These programs have received numerous awards and received much critical acclaim. The remain popular and are repeated regularly on RTE.

DVDs are available from Ireland's Traditional Crafts

Episodes

Program Title	Year	Category	DVD-Title	About
Connemara And Its Ponies	1969	Miscellaneous	Special	This remarkable, half-hour colour documentary shot in 1969, has been shown around the world. It features a year in the life of the Connemara pony, starting with never-before recorded footage of the birth of a foal in the open. It shows the famous Clifden Pony Show & the Maam Cross horse fair. It also reveals a traditional way of life in the West of Ireland that has long since gone.
Donegal Carpets	1978	Textiles	2-3	Demonstrates the process of dying wool and making a hand-knotted carpet at this well known Killybegs, Co. Donegal company.
Tailor	1978	Textiles	3-2	Features Michael Johnson, a bespoke tailor from an old family establishment in Tullow, Co. Carlow, making and fitting a suit for a customer using traditional techniques.
Basketmaker	1978	Willow, Rush & Straw	10-1	Features the Shanahan brothers of Carrick-on-Suir, the last of the old-style professional basket makers. Shows the preparation & making of traditional baskets from eel-traps to balloon baskets.
Stone Ground	1978	Miscellaneous	11-2	Marty Mill was established near Kells, Co. Meath in 1659. It is owned by the Tallon family. The film shows the waterwheel, mill machinery, millstone dressing, and the milling process.
Shoemaker	1978	Leather	13-2	Features the craft of George Tuttie from Naas, Co. Kildare. We see the making of handmade shoes from the measure, fitting up the wooden last, sewing the uppers, & building the sole.
The Weavers	1980	Textiles	2-2	Donegal Weavers. Features the work of out-weavers and farmers, providing a rare glimpse of a life style and a practice now disappearing.
Cavan Inlay Craftsmen	1980	Wood	4-2	Cabinetmakers. This fascinating film about the Robinson brothers of Milltown, Co. Cavan shows the fine craftsmanship that goes into the making of a dining room suite, including intarsia and inlay work.
John Surlis - The Leitrim Chair	1980	Wood	4-3	Features the making of the "Leitrim chair", a rustic slab and stick chair using Cleft Ash, the drawknife & the coopers mare.
A Dublin Silversmith	1980	Metal	9-2	Features spinning & raising silver, snarling, chasing & piercing, casting hollow-ware, and making a silver teapot.
Fermanagh Country	1980	Miscellaneous	14-1	This historic & unique documentary records the Mulholland family from Co. Fermanagh in a traditional Irish lifestyle long gone. It includes farming, quarrying, and making circular gringing wheels & whetstones for sharpening scythes.
Irish Patchwork	1981	Textiles	1-1	Shows a variety of clearly described techniques and examples, including a magnificent collection of antique patchwork.
Cavan Cooper	1981	Wood	4-1	A unique film about the remarkable Ned Gavin, the last of the Country Coopers, his philisophy and craft including stave-built churns & barrels.
The Saddler	1981	Leather	8-3	From the Bernies' long established family firm in Kilcullen, Co. Kildare the film shows the traditional hand making of saddles and bridles.
A Dublin Bookbinder	1981	Leather	9-1	Demonstrates the ancient craft of bookbinding including designing the covers, sewing the gathers, gilding & burnishing, tooling & restoration. Also shows collection from Marsh's library, Dublin.
The Wexford Thatcher	1981	Willow, Rush & Straw	10-2	Demonstrates the full cycle from harvesting, steam threshing, scollop-making and thatching at Cleary's town & Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford.
Woolen Mills	1981	Textiles	11-3	At the Old mill on the River Camac, Dublin we see designing, mule-spinning, blending & hand-weaving tweed, washing & finishing.
Irish Lace	1983	Textiles	1-2	The history of Irish lace including historic paintings; also sequences showing the creation of different types of lace.
Hurley Making	1983	Wood	5-1	Starting with the selection of the Ash tree we follow traditional techniques, including use of a water-powered sawmill and the making of the sliotar (leather ball) culminating in the all Ireland final.
Clay Pipe Works	1983	Ceramics	13-1	A fascinating & rare film on the complete production of industrial clay drainage pipes and hand made Armstrong junctions, all fired in the largest beehive kiln in Ireland at Kingscourt, Co. Cavan.
Of Bees & Bee Skeps	1983	Miscellaneous	14-2	Winner of the Golden Harp of Ireland, and in the Museum of Modern Art collection, New York, this arresting & moving documentary records the traditional work of bee-keeping from making a straw skep to catching a swarm, and extracting honey.
English Silk - The Craft of Hand Block Printing	1985	Textiles	3-1	This one hour, award-winning, special shows the complete story from the life cycle & rearing of silkworms, and the rare process of reeling silk from the cocoon to traditional spinning & weaving of silk, and hand-block making & printing.
Belleek Potteries	1987	Ceramics	6-2	This one hour special tells the history of the famous Belleek Pottery, Co. Fermanagh, and shows traditional techniques including hand-modelling of Parian ware, slip casting and fettling.
Shannon Boat Builder	1988	Wood	12-1	In Lecarrow, Co Roscommon we see Jimmy Furey building a traditional lake & river Shannon boat including selection of timber, steam bending & sailing.
Irish Embroidery	1989	Textiles	1-3	Includes the social history, numerous making sequences, historical collections, and embroidery agents.
The Forgotten Sound	1989	Wood	5-2	Harp Making. In Kenmare, Co. Kerry we see the making of the wire-strung low-headed Irish harp of antiquity, including film of the historic Brian Boru harp in Trinity College, Dublin.
Carley's Bridge Potteries	1989	Ceramics	6-1	From Irelands oldest pottery Est. 1659 in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, the film features master-potter Paddy Murphy digging the clay, and throwing & firing earthenware in a coal-fired beehive kiln.
Powers Of The Metal	1989	Metal	14-3	This entertaining and unusual film shows the Power family from New Ross, Co. Wexford casting a nineteenth-century garden seat, includes other sand-casting & foundry work.
Lighthouse Crafts	1991	Miscellaneous	5-3	Filmed on some of Ireland's most famous lighthouses, including the Fastnet rock, this film captures the closing years of the lighthouse keepers, their way of life and crafts.
Irish Spinning-Wheel Making	1991	Wood	12-2	Demonstrates the construction in Carndonagh, Co. Donegal of the small or low spinning wheel, first introduced into Ireland in the 17th century for spinning flax. Includes spinning sequences.
Wool Spinning	?	Textiles	2-1	Demonstrates the big and small wheel, hand spinning and dyeing techniques.
Currachs	?	Leather	7-1	This film shows Ireland's prehistoric skin boats, their regional variations, use & construction, including the rare Co. Donegal paddled Currach.
Dublin's Viking Longship	?	Wood	7-2	This one hour programme follows the course of a community project to build a Viking Longship in celebration of Dublin's millenium. We travel with the builders from the Ship museum in Oslo, through the building sequence to the inaugural voyage.
Dublin Work Horses	?	Leather	8-1	In this film of Dublin street life we see the work of farriers shoeing the horses, and traditional harness & collar making.
Carriage Building	?	Wood	8-2	At Breen's Carriageworks, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford we see the five trades - wood-turner/bodybuilder, wheelwright, blacksmith, painter & upholsterer, that go into making traps, gigs & landaus in the traditional manner.
A Dublin Candlemaker	?	Miscellaneous	9-3	Features Rathborne, wax-chandlers, Dublin's oldest company established in 1488. Shows the fascinating processes of making hand-poured & dipped candles.
Rushwork	?	Willow, Rush & Straw	10-3	In Strokestown, Co. Roscommon we see harvesting of rushes on Lough Ree, curing and making traditional rush baskets & other items.
Stone	?	Stone	11-1	This film shows the life and work of Dublin and Wicklow Quarry men, stonecutters, masons & carvers, including the carving of decorative marble panels, and laying of cobblestones.