Dara Ó Cinnéide documentary on murdered Kerry writer

Patrick M Foley's violent death in America

Former Kerry footballer and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta broadcaster Dara Ó Cinnéide investigates the century-old murder of a Kerry man, Patrick M Foley in 'Rian na Fola', a one-hour documentary to air on Monday 4th May at 6.30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.

Patrick M Foley, writer, historian, nationalist and native of West Kerry published two important histories of the Daingean Uí Chúis peninsula and Blasket Islands shortly after the turn of the 20th century. However, his writings, adventurous life and violent death have been largely forgotten in the mists of time.

This Irish-language documentary unearths the twists and turns of an intriguing life led by a Kerry man whose journey takes viewers back to Depression-era America, from the Corca Dhuibhne Gaeltacht in West Kerry to the dust belt of Oklahoma, revealing a life shaped by curiosity, hardship, and the shadow of violence.

Patrick M Foley emigrated to America in 1909. His travels took him through Mexico, Cuba, Niagara Falls, San Francisco, the Midwest, and the American South. It was in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, deep in the rural South, that Foley spent his final days, a place he entered and never left.

After accidentally stumbling across one of Foley’s books, Dara Ó Cinnéide was driven by curiosity and a sense of cultural duty, to uncover who Foley really was and what happened to him.

His search begins on the cliffs of Dún Chaoin in Kerry, revisiting Foley’s writings and the West Kerry landscapes that shaped them. From there, Dara crosses the Atlantic to 1920s Boston, imagining the emigrant experience during the turbulence of 1916 and the Prohibition era. From there, he travels to the ‘Bible Belt’ of Oklahoma, a region marked by prohibition-era violence and populated by figures such as Bonnie and Clyde and Pretty Boy Floyd. Along the way, Dara tracks down archival material, traces family connections, and uncovers new revelations with the help of historians, journalists, and forensic experts.

What emerges is a portrait not only of a mysterious death, but of a turbulent, adventurous life lived against the backdrop of the Great Depression, anti-immigrant hostility, and the upheaval of early 20th-century America.

Featuring stunning landscapes, archival storytelling, and Dara’s personal reflections, Rian na Fola restores Patrick M. Foley to his rightful place in the cultural record of West Kerry, as a writer and historian whose story shaped the past and whose legacy continues to echo today.

At a screening in the National Library of Ireland on Wednesday 29th April, Patrick M Foley’s granddaughters Mary McGillick and Mairéad Bolger donated Foley's original writings and documents that were sent home from the US following his death to the library’s archive collection.

Rian na Fola will air on Monday 4 May, 6.30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.

Rian na Fola is a Loosehorse Production for RTÉ, supported by the Coimisiún Na Meán Sound & Vision Fund.

Is clár faisnéise é Rian na Fola ina leanfar iarimreoir caide Chiarraí agus craoltóir le RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta Dara Ó Cinnéide ar thuras ó Ghaeltacht Chorca Dhuibhne go Meiriceá ar thóir freagraí ar mhistéir atá os cionn céad bliain d’aois.

D’fhoilsigh an Ciarraíoch Patrick M. Foley dhá leagan tábhachtacha de stair Chorca Dhuibhne agus na mBlascaodaí ag tús an fichiú aois ach faraor tá a chuid scríbhinní, scéalta eachtraíochta agus an drochbhás a fuair sé caillte le cuimhne na seacht sinsear.

Nochtfar gach cor agus casadh i scéal fíorspéisiúil an fhir sin as an Daingean sa scannán Gaeilge seo trína dtabharfar an lucht féachana ar aistear siar go dtí ré an Spealta Mhóir i Meiriceá agus ina dtabharfar saol a bhí múnlaithe ag fiosracht, ag an gcruatan agus a bhí faoi scáth an fhoréigin chun solais.

Chuaigh Patrick M. Foley, scríbhneoir, staraí, náisiúnaí as Corca Dhuibhne ó dhúchas ar imirce go Meiriceá in 1909 agus le linn a chuid taistil thug sé cuairt ar Mheicsiceo, Cúba, Easanna Niagara, San Francisco, Meániarthar na Stát Aontaithe agus na Stáit ó Dheas, agus is in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, i gcroílár na tuaithe ó dheas a chaith sé laethanta deiridh a shaoil, áit ar thug sé cuairt air ach nár fhág sé riamh.

Is trí thimpiste ar éirigh le Dara Ó Cinnéide teacht ar cheann de leabhair Foley agus ba le teann fiosrachta agus de ghrá an dualgais cultúir a bhrath sé a ndeachaigh sé ag fiosrú cérbh é Foley i ndáiríre agus céard a tharla dó.

Tosnaíonn an cuardach ar bharr aille i nDún Chaoin, é ag dul trí scríbhinní Foley agus ag tabhairt cuairt ar an tírdhreach i gCorca Dhuibhne a mhúnlaigh iad, agus as sin téann Dara trasna an Atlantaigh go Bostún áit a bhfaigheann sé léargas ar an saol mar a bhí sé sna 1920idí, samhlaíonn sé mar a bhrath an t-imirceach thall le linn na corraíola a bhain le 1916 agus le linn na ré ina raibh coisc ar alcóil sula dtugann sé aghaidh ar Chrios na gCeartchreidmheach in Oklahoma, réigiún a bhí faoi scáth an fhoréigin a bhain le ré an choisc ar alcóil agus inar mhair pearsana ar nós Bonnie and Clyde agus Pretty Boy Floyd.

Le linn a aistir aimsíonn Dara ábhar cartlainne, fiosraíonn sé ceangail teaghlaigh agus tugann sé eolas nua chun solais le cabhair ó staraithe, iriseoirí agus saineolaithe dlíeolaíochta. Ní hamháin go dtagann eolas chun cinn faoi bhás mistéireach, ach tugtar léargas ar shaol corraitheach eachtrúil a caitheadh faoi scáth an Spealta Mhóir, faoin naimhdeas i leith inimircigh agus faoin gcorraíl a bhain leis na Stát Aontaithe ag tús an 20ú aois.

Le tírdhreach taibhseach ó thús deireadh agus trí úsáid a bhaint as scéalaíocht shaibhir ón gcartlann agus as machnamh pearsanta Dhara féin cuirfear scéal Patrick M. Foley ar ais san áit is dual dó, is é sin i dtaifead cultúir Chorca Dhuibhne mar scríbhneoir, staraí agus comharsa ar mhúnlaigh a scéal an stair agus ar a bhfuil lorg a oidhreachta le brath go fóill sa lá atá inniu ann.

Ag réamhthaispeáint de Rian na Fola i Leabharlann Náisiúntana hÉireann tráthnóna inné, bhronn Mary McGillick agus a deirfiúr Mairéad Bolger, gariníonacha le Patrick M. Foley scríbhínní dá chuid, agus cáipéisí a seoladh ar ais go Corca Dhuibhne i ndiaidh a bháis sna 1930idí ar Chartlann na Leabharlainne.

Craolfar Rian na Fola Dé Luain an 4 Bealtaine ag 6.30in ar RTÉ One agus RTÉ Player.