The Tenements (TV3)

JP Liz V1

For more than 100 years, Dublin harboured some of the worst slums Europe has ever seen. Grossly overcrowded tenement houses were breeding grounds of hardship, hunger and disease. Like many Dubliners, Bryan Murray, the presenter of this series, is descended from tenement dwellers and in this opening programme he sets out to discover how the tenements first arose. Guided by experts like Catriona Crowe, the Senior Archivist at the National Archives of Ireland, and Professor Diarmaid Ferriter of University College Dublin, he explores what the slums were like when they were at their height 100 years ago and traces their origins back to the Act of Union of 1801. He then reveals that some of the worst slum landlords were local Catholic property owners (not Anglo-Irish aristocrats, as is often supposed) and that the living conditions of tenement dwellers remained appalling, right the way up until the middle of the 20th Century.

Starts tonight at 9.30

mikemac

Bump for this, just starting but looking good

If you've seen Strumpet City you may enjoy this

iMax

Missed the first half hour, but it's great. I grew up inner city in the early 70s & knew families in tenements then.

There really should be a tenement museum like the one in NYC here.

Roanmore

Liked the start of it so I Sky + it, looks interesting, is it a different slum every week?

Heroditas

Strumpet City and Farewell Companions are two of my favourite books.
Enjoyed the programme. Absolutely shocking that Dublin was full of slums up until relatively recently.

leddpipe

can anyone provide a link for this show?

mikemac

You didn't search very hard

http://www.tv3.ie/shows.php?request=specials

Sir Gallagher

Really enjoyed it, i found Brian Murray's accent a little jarring though. Anybody who enjoyed tonights program should buy the Strumpet City DVD, its available in HMV.

Callan57

Excellent production although I find Brian Murray somewhat grating to listen to.

shinny

Sir Gallagher wrote: »

Really enjoyed it, i found Brian Murray's accent a little jarring though. Anybody who enjoyed tonights program should buy the Strumpet City DVD, its available in HMV.

Yes, I thought the same. I had to put it aside though because I really enjoyed it otherwise.

A Disgrace

Nice show, what's wrong with his accent btw?

Heroditas

A Disgrace wrote: »

Nice show, what's wrong with his accent btw?

Ireland's answer to William Shatner! He completely hams it up.

DeepBlue

An interesting series. Does anyone know how many episodes are in it? Presumably the usual 3?
Bryan Murray seems to be acting as a presenter rather than just being a presenter. It comes across as a bit forced - most noticeably when he was feigning immense interest in that photographs being shown on the projector.
Fortunately he didn't overpower the story however.

mikemac

Heads up for this, on shortly tonight

It's such an interesting topic I hope this reality TV aspect doesn't let it down.

DeepBlue

To answer my own question this is a 4 part series.

SEPT 23 1989

Very upsetting watching about the fathers bringing their dead babies up to Glasnevin,my grandfather worked in a shop in Harolds Cross and when he was opening up early in the mornings he used to see fathers cycling up to Mount Jerome carrying shoe boxes tied up with string:(

bobbyholly321

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Very upsetting watching about the fathers bringing their dead babies up to Glasnevin,my grandfather worked in a shop in Harolds Cross and when he was opening up early in the mornings he used to see fathers cycling up to Mount Jerome carrying shoe boxes tied up with string:(

I have watched the Tenements series so far and I have enjoyed the historical aspect however, the reality part of the show leaves a lot to be desired and I feel it is NOT true to form. The people of the Tenements could never afford to spend 10euro in a special bakery for bread, in fact even nowadays who can spend so much on such an item.In those hard times, stale bread, bruised vegetables and pigs feet, sheeps heads etc were the order of the day. The Tenement dwellers did NOT have the comfort of sleeping bags, blazing fires all day long, heavy woolen coats and the money to purchase ample amounts of sausages, rashers etc to make a coddle. My father was a tenement dweller and as such my siblings and I were brought up listening to the stories of the tenements. People were starving, some didn't even have shoes on their feet. Sanitary conditions were apalling. The poor people lived in damp squalid conditions, so unlike what the WINSTONS portray in the mini serious. I think the reality part of the show will astonish the actual people that once occupied the delapadated buildings now known as "The Tenements". I appeal to TV3 to remove all the trimings which in my mind ruin the show. Otherwise, this is a fantastic programme. MAKE IT REAL!!!