Documentary on One Podcast

It’s Christmastime at 30 Acres and Glenn, Iseult and Holly are hiding out in Glenn’s bomb shelter with their hostage, Sean Granite. Alistair Crowe plans to strike a deal with Holly, sidelining the others, so that he can advance his plan to sell the 30 Acres estate. If he can secure the release of Sean Granite, his government contacts will support him to establish a prison on the site. However this will depend on Sean - and Sean is a much changed man after his period of captivity at the hands of the 30 Acres Says No campaign.CastBarbara Bergin, (Iseult)Shane Casey (Glenn)John Colleary (Sean)Philippa Dunne (Pat)Barry Murphy (Alistair)Stefanie Preissner (Holly)Colm Tobin (Colm)Aidan O'Donovan (TV Presenter/Priest)Produced by Kevin Brew for Drama On One with Kevin Reynolds and Gorretti Slavin. Produced by Liam O'Brien for Documentary On One with Tim Desmond, Ronan Kelly, Nicoline Greer and Shauna McGreevy. Sound Design by Damian Chennells. Audio product support by Nigel Wheatley and Áine McManus. Design by Niamh McKeown. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The developer of 30 Acres, Sean Granite, was once a titan of the construction industry. Now he’s a prisoner in Glenn’s jeep as it hurtles across the mangled roadways of the estate. The kidnapping wasn’t planned, and Holly, Iseult and Glenn have to figure out what to do next. Their 30 Acres Says No manifesto, issued in response to the repossession order on their homes, has gone viral.RTÉ’s Prime Time are planning a live broadcast from Holly’s home. Pat Granite launches a search operation for her missing husband, unaware that some of those participating know exactly where Sean is. Alistair Crowe offers advice to Pat, as he attempts to assert an interest in the Granite Empire. Glenn’s DIY approach to medical treatment brings unforeseen side-effects, as does the appearance of a clearly drunk Iseult on live television.CastBarbara Bergin, (Iseult)Shane Casey (Glenn)John Colleary (Sean)Philippa Dunne (Pat)Barry Murphy (Alistair)Stefanie Preissner (Holly)Colm Tobin (Colm)Aidan O'Donovan (TV Presenter/Priest)Produced by Kevin Brew for Drama On One with Kevin Reynolds and Gorretti Slavin. Produced by Liam O'Brien for Documentary On One with Tim Desmond, Ronan Kelly, Nicoline Greer and Shauna McGreevy. Sound Design by Damian Chennells. This episode also featured the RTÉ Concert Orchestra with Director/Leader Mia Cooper. Audio product support by Nigel Wheatley and Áine McManus. Design by Niamh McKeown. Publishing weekly.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holly, Glenn and Iseult have received repossession letters. Soon all three will be evicted from their homes. But they’re not giving up without a fight. They cobble together a manifesto for their new campaign - 30 Acres Says No. Their first meeting is in Glenn’s survivalist-themed man-shed, complete with a stash of iodine tablets and a hoard of 1916 memorabilia and weapons. Holly searches for her uncle, Sean Granite, the developer of 30 Acres, in the hopes of reversing the repossession order. Then Holly learns that her uncle fudged the paperwork related to the purchase of her home. It would be probably better for everyone if she left Glenn’s antique revolver where it belonged, but she hasn’t.CastBarbara Bergin, (Iseult)Shane Casey (Glenn)John Colleary (Sean)Philippa Dunne (Pat)Barry Murphy (Alistair)Stefanie Preissner (Holly)Colm Tobin (Colm)Aidan O'Donovan (TV Presenter/Priest)Produced by Kevin Brew for Drama On One with Kevin Reynolds and Gorretti Slavin. Produced by Liam O'Brien for Documentary On One with Tim Desmond, Ronan Kelly, Nicoline Greer and Shauna McGreevy. Sound Design by Damian Chennells. Audio product support by Nigel Wheatley and Áine McManus. Design by Niamh McKeown. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

December 2009. Colm is an investigative reporter for RTÉ, assigned to the story of an enormous ghost estate called 30 Acres. Only three inhabitants remain on this barren wasteland; Holly, Glenn and Iseult. Holly is an entrepreneur intent on re-launching her salon as an alternative tourist venture - the world’s first ghost estate tour. Glenn loves the freedom of life on the vacant estate, hunting otters in the moonlight. Iseult has finally found the seclusion she craves. But the developer of this unfinished housing project, Sean Granite, is bankrupt. A government-appointed liquidator, Alistair Crowe, is on the scene, with dastardly plans to evict Holly, Glenn and Iseult. It seems like their days on the 30 Acres estate are numbered. Or are they?CastBarbara Bergin, (Iseult)Shane Casey (Glenn)John Colleary (Sean)Philippa Dunne (Pat)Barry Murphy (Alistair)Stefanie Preissner (Holly)Colm Tobin (Colm)Aidan O'Donovan (TV Presenter/Priest)Produced by Kevin Brew for Drama On One with Kevin Reynolds and Gorretti Slavin. Produced by Liam O'Brien for Documentary On One with Tim Desmond, Ronan Kelly, Nicoline Greer and Shauna McGreevy. Sound Design by Damian Chennells. Audio product support by Nigel Wheatley and Áine McManus. Design by Niamh McKeown. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a combined project of a podcast series and TV documentary, First Conviction was over 15 months in production. In this bonus episode - and in a first for RTÉ - we give an insight into how the entire production was made through all of those involved. Hosted by Aoife Hegarty (Deputy Editor, RTÉ Investigates), we hear from Tim Desmond (Producer, RTÉ Documentary On One), Philip Gallagher (Director, RTÉ Investigates), Pamela Fraher (Reporter, RTÉ Investigates), David Doran (Editor, RTÉ Investigates) and Liam O’Brien (Series Producer, RTÉ Documentary On One). We also hear from our host Ruth Negga and composer Mel Mercier.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.