BLÁTH NA HAOISE
TG4, 2023

What happens when you give the oldest generation in a town cameras and basic training on filming to capture snippets of their lives? What is so special about people in the Winter of their lives? What have we to learn from their experiences? Why is it so important to capture these people, many of whom are the last generation of Irish speakers from one of the smallest Gaeltachts in the country: An Rinn, Co. Waterford?
Red Shoe Productions received BAI funding in September 2019 for “Bláth na hAoise /Age is a Work of Art." The landmark bilingual observational documentary will reveal what it is like to be old in Ireland in the 21st century and will follow a year in the life of one of the busiest centres in the country catering for our older generation. We have exclusive access to the Déise Day Care Centre in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, its members, staff and volunteers led by the passionate and dedicated Day Care Centre Manager Margaret Coffey. We will travel beyond the walls of the centre to places of personal and historical relevance to our lead characters to hear their compelling and untold stories. Through daily activities a deeper story of our aging population is revealed through self-shot footage. This ground-breaking film will form part of our national legacy and give us a chance to deal with universal themes of age and loss. A glimpse of a dying Ireland for generations to come.
Waterford Arts Council has also provided great support to us in the making of this documentary.