Culture and family at the centre of new RTÉ travel series
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents’ homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from all over the world. A new RTÉ programme, BackStory, which airs on Monday 8 June at 8.30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, follows four Irish young people whose parents are immigrants to Ireland, as they travel back to their parents’ ancestral homeland. Over four episodes, each young contributor and their parents travel to Zimbabwe, Moldova, Peru, and Sri Lanka, exploring how reconnecting with the culture and family traditions brings them closer with their parents, learning more about themselves along the way.
Episode 1 features 30-year-old singer-songwriter Siobhan McClean – who goes by Shiv – as she travels with her mum Tambu to Zimbabwe, where Shiv lived until at the age of five, when the family moved to Athy, Co. Kildare. Known for supporting Lana Del Rey in Dublin in 2023, Shiv reconnects with family in Zimbabwe. Through food, music, language, and culture, she rediscovers the emotional ties that connect her to the land of her birth.
The second episode sees 32-year-old professional boxer Victor Rabei from Dublin and his mum Rodica travel back to Moldova to reconnect with family and explore the complex history of the country and their heritage. They moved from Moldova to Ireland in the 2000s when Victor was nine. Returning to Moldova, Victor learns about the lasting impact of the Soviet era on the landscape, architecture, and people. Through walking in his mother’s footsteps, he discovers more about where he came from and considers its relevance to current times.
In Episode 3, 30-year-old graphic designer Patrick Kelleher from Maynooth, Co. Kildare and his mum Patty travel to Lima in Peru to explore his heritage, from bustling city streets all the way to the beautiful landscapes of the Andes. Patrick learns more about his Irish dad, who has passed away but who had a lasting positive impact on the local community where he stayed in Peru. This has a profound effect on Patrick, as he and Patty cope with grief while also looking to the future with hope.
In the fourth and final episode, 23-year-old medical student Mindulee Seneviratne and her father Ramesh return to Sri Lanka to explore the vibrant street markets of Colombo, the Sacred City of Kandy, and the lush landscapes of this tropical island. Ramesh moved to Ireland over 20 years ago and raised his family in Wexford. Mindulee has gone on to become Miss Wexford and compete to become Miss Ireland, representing her culture by wearing a sari. She is currently completing medical exams at the University of Limerick. In returning to Sri Lanka, she seeks to learn more about her father’s family, as well as trying out traditional dance and cooking practices. Through this journey, the bond she has with her dad Ramesh grows even stronger.
For each of the four young people, this is the trip of a lifetime as they go back to where their stories began.
The first episode of BackStory airs Monday 8 June on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player at 8.30pm.
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Kate Smyth, RTÉ Communications Lead