Seven-part podcast unravels the wild world of ‘GPO Girl’ Samantha Azzopardi

Listeners across Ireland and the globe have been gripped by the story of the life of a young woman with more than 100 identities documented in new RTÉ Documentary on One podcast Finding Samantha

A young girl found wandering the streets of Dublin, a teenager deported from Canada and a woman with stories of sustained sexual abuse at the hands of many as well as kidnapping charges, prison time, and fraud. Could all of these stories and more than 100 identities be traced back to just one person? The RTÉ Documentary on One team have spent two years investigating the life of Samantha Azzopardi.

In 2013, Gardaí are called to O’Connell Street in Dublin city centre to find a distressed and seemingly abandoned girl wandering in front of the GPO. As suspicions rise that she’s a victim of a serious crime, everyone scrambles to help her, however a month-long investigation by the Irish authorities reveals almost nothing about her. As time goes on it’s clear that in addition to her connections to Ireland Samantha has a seemingly long and troubled history in Australia.

Over the course of the 7-part documentary series, the RTÉ Documentary on One team lead by Nicoline Greer and Sharon Davis speak to law enforcement from across the world, judges, health care workers, friends and victims to tell the gripping story of Samantha’s deception.

Episodes 1 – 5 of the Finding Samantha are available now on the RTÉ website, Spotify and Apple Podcasts, with episodes six and seven dropping on Tuesday May 30th and Tuesday June 6th.

The podcast has reached the number one spot on Apple Podcasts, and in a first for an RTÉ podcast, the number one spot on Spotify in Ireland. The podcast has reached audiences in more than 100 countries to date and has hit the number four spot on Apple in Australia and the number three spot on Apple in New Zealand, both firsts for a podcast from RTÉ.

Speaking about the RTÉ Documentary on One podcast, programme-maker and presenter, Nicoline Greer said: “When Samantha Azzopardi left Ireland after being the ‘GPO Girl’ many people might think that was the end of the story. But we have discovered that Samantha Azzopardi has touched the lives of hundreds of people – including young children – leaving many of them feeling deeply betrayed and traumatised. We delve into what might be going on for her – and what could possibly be done to help her.”

During the making of this series, Samantha also began to draw the production team into her world.

Freelance podcast producer and presenter Sharon Davis said: “It’s not often you get to tackle a mystery like this. Searching for a woman with over 100 aliases can do your head in. Trying to understand why she does what she does was a huge challenge. For someone who has spent her life trying to avoid the media, who in fact depends on not revealing her true identity, I was amazed when Samantha started to engage with me online, not as some fictitious character but as herself.”

Finding Samantha is written, recorded and produced by Sharon Davis in Australia and Tim Desmond and Nicoline Greer in Ireland. Liam O’Brien is the executive producer of the series.

Congratulations to all our nominees and winners at the Irish Animation Awards which took place in Galway on Saturday night.

Six RTÉ Kids productions won awards and they can all be found on RTÉ Player.

The winners are:

Best Writer for an animated series: Tales From Dún Draíochta (Lusmore and the Rapping Fairy, Trevor Courtney)

Best Animated Kids Series 6+: Tales From Dún Draíochta (Igloo Animations, Trevor Courtney)

Best Writer for Preschool Animation: Odo – Doodle Song (Ishai Ravid & Sixteen South)

Best New Irish IP: Odo – Reggie (Colin Williams & Sixteen South)

Best Animated Preschool Series: Circle Square (Kavaleer Productions, Wyndley Animation)

Kids Choice Preschool: Fia’s Fairies (Little Moon Animation, Vanessa Robinson, Eoghan Garvey)

Photo credit: Andrew Downes

The RTÉ Concert Orchestra brings ‘The Delta Blues Project’ to the UCD Festival, with honorary Master of Ceremonies Morgan Freeman.

Featuring the music of Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, BB King, Ray Charles and Eric Clapton. 

Sunday June 11th at O’Reilly Hall, UCD, Dublin | The Delta Blues Project (rte.ie)

The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is continuing the celebrations of its 75th anniversary by bringing the gritty and heartfelt sounds of Mississippi Delta Blues to the UCD Festival in June.

A collaboration between the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and US-based jazz and blues impresario David O’Rourke, The Delta Blues Project features the music of blues greats, including Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker and BB King, as well as music from those inspired and influenced by the blues, such as Ray Charles and Eric Clapton.

Academy Award Winning Actor Morgan Freeman will serve as honorary MC to set the scene for this extraordinary musical collaboration. Freeman is co-founder and co-owner of Ground Zero Blues Club, which is considered the #1 Blues Club in the World and is located in Clarksdale, Mississippi the proverbial ‘Birthplace of the Blues’.

The first half of the concert features music by the extraordinary trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, recently voted ‘Trumpeter of the Year’ by the Jazz Journalists Association, and whose latest album, The Art of Intimacy Volume 2: His Muse, shot to Number 1 in the jazz charts this year.

The second half of the concert showcases music from the Mississippi Delta and features blues vocalist and guitar player Anthony ‘Big A’ Sherrod, a regular performer at Freeman’s Ground Zero Blues Club, as well as legendary drummer Lewis Nash and award-winning pianist Caili O’Doherty.

Introducing some of today’s finest American jazz and blues musicians to Irish audiences, the Delta Blues Project provides a unique opportunity to hear jazz and blues greats performed in stunning new orchestrations by David O’Rourke.

‘The Delta Blues Project’ is on Sunday June 11th at O’Reilly Hall, UCD, Dublin. Event details and tickets (€35 with service charge €1.90) are available at RTÉ Orchestra | Home (rte.ie).

RTÉ and Screen Ireland have announced the eight Storyland projects which are in development (see below). Since its inception over a decade ago, Storyland has acted as a launch pad and support for Irish writing, directing, producing, and acting talent throughout Ireland to develop and further their careers. This is part of RTÉ’s ongoing strategy to increase its development in drama output, by investing in the Irish creative industry and showcasing the best of Ireland by filming right across the country. This strategy also supports the employment of hundreds of people across the industry, in order to bring more Irish drama series to television, and importantly to RTÉ Player where scripted series dominate viewing.

Of the eight dramas developed, three single dramas of 25 minutes duration will be commissioned for production and will be broadcast on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. The three winning projects will be announced next week and will roll straight into production.

The eight stories tell of a young woman meeting the man of her dreams, a futuristic motel where people go to end their lives, a dying woman intent on marrying her son off, a young father with artistic aspirations, a woman struggling to make a decision on her pregnancy, neighbours thinking about embarking on an affair, a mother and son’s tangled relationship and cocaine smugglers hoping to leave their pasts behind.

Following on from RTÉ’s recent homegrown drama hits including Kin, Smother and The Dry, which all have local storytelling at their core, the chosen eight dramas in Storyland feature stories that will resonate with Irish audiences and give a platform to an impressive standard of diverse and exceptional talent.

David Crean, Acting Head of Drama RTÉ, said: “This announcement follows on from the success of last year’s Storyland on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player where Mustard, Balor Hall and Every Five Miles had an enormous impact. The point and purpose of Storyland is to foster new talent both in front of and behind the camera and we’re very excited help develop eight new dramas, with eight new teams. Three of these dramas will be on our screens in the Autumn and I can’t wait to share them with Irish audiences.”

Andrew Byrne, Head of Television at Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, said: “We are delighted to continue Screen Ireland’s partnership with RTÉ on Storyland and our congratulations to the eight finalists selected this year. Storyland is an incredible opportunity to showcase original and diverse new voices, and we’re looking forward to working closely with the RTÉ team on the next stages of development – right through to seeing the final three projects on our screens later this year.”

Find out more about the eight selected projects in the Editor’s Notes below.

STORYLAND 2023 FINALISTS

Falling for the Life of Alex Whelan (Pure Divilment Pictures)

Writer Nell Hensey

Producer Claire Mooney

A young Chinese Irish woman meets the man of her dreams at a foreign language film club. She discovers the next day through social media that he has died. Piecing together who he was through his online life, she begins to wonder what could have been.

The Quiet Ocean (Tile Media)

Writer Barry Smyth

Producer Fiona Kinsella

The Receptionist of a futuristic motel where people go to end their lives falls in love with a newly arrived guest.

Paddy (Cluster Fox Films)

Writer Thomas Connors

Producer Tiernan Williams

Mrs Connors is dying, but before she does, she will get her son Paddy hitched. It may take a village to raise a child, but it requires a halting site to get an idiot married.

Far (EZ Films)

Writer Shannon Welby

Producer David Power

A young woman back home in rural Ireland struggles to decide whether to keep her pregnancy, while uncovering her trusty brother’s dark devotion to a far-right group.

The Cousin (MDV)

Writer Stevie Russell

Producer Michael Donnelly

A young father is accepted into a prestigious art college and must tell his cousin he is leaving a life of crime behind.

The Arrangements (Copper Alley Productions)

Writer Jack Hickey

Producer Lara Hickey

Neurotic Neighbours Ben and Maggie, disillusioned with their respective marriages, embark on a tentative affair – only to discover their care-free spouses might have beaten them to the punch…

Human Tupperware (Pale Rebel Productions)

Writer Joanna McClurg

Producer Tamryn Reinecke

Living together in rural Northern Ireland, a queer, socially anxious young man and his stubborn, disabled mother thirst for independence and purpose. Their tender but tangled relationship is increasingly corrupted by the technology they rely upon to escape limitations of their modest lives.

Wrapped ( (Pipedream Productions & Alfonso Films)

Writer Tracy Martin

Producer Claire McCabe

Two Irish women travel through airport security with thousands of euro worth of cocaine strapped to their bodies, hoping to leave their past behind.

 

To Whom It Concerns, on this Friday night’s Late Late Show… 
 
For this very special show, President Michael D. Higgins has invited Ryan to join him in Áras an Uachtaráin for their final Late Late interview together. President Higgins has been a regular guest on The Late Late Show throughout his presidency, joining Ryan at key moments over the past 14 years. This Friday the President will share his thoughts about where the nation is at, as we move on from the Centenary commemorations and why we must never forget the lessons of the past. 
 
In a very special Late Late Toy Show reunion, some of the show’s favourite kids from over the years bid Ryan a fond farewell behind the biggest moments from the nation’s favourite night of the year. He has dressed up as everything from a lobster to a candlestick and is ready to don the Christmas jumper yet again. 
 
From celebrity walkouts, family reunions and kids that inspired a nation, Ryan remembers that Toy Show magic one more time. As well as a catch-up with our now ‘not-so-little’ stars, viewers will also be treated to a Toy Show performance which has been kept entirely under wraps from Ryan. 
 
The greatest trad super-group ever will assemble to give Ryan a send-off that he will never forget, including Andrea Corr, John Sheahan (The Dubliners), Moya Brennan (Clannad), Steve Wickham (The Waterboys), Sharon Shannon, Andrew Hendy (The Mary Wallopers), Jim Lockhart (Horslips), Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (Altan), Colm Mac Con Iomaire (The Frames), Niamh Dunne (Beoga), Jim Higgins (The Stunning), Mike Hanrahan (Stockton’s Wing), Ciarán Owens (The Tumbling Paddies), Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh (Aeons), Frankie Gavin (De Dannan), Maureen Codd (Cuckoos Nest), Shayan & Shahab Coohe (Nava), Debbie Byrne and Tara Howley.
 
One of Ireland’s latest breakthrough singer-songwriters Cian Ducrot with a very special performance to mark the occasion.
 
PLUS, there will be more familiar faces dropping in and much, much more surprises in store for the audience at home, and for Ryan– but shhh don’t tell Ryan!
 
Host Ryan Tubridy said: “Tomorrow night is going to be a night of endings for sure, but beginnings for definite. While I will be saying a lot of goodbyes for my last Late Late Show, it will also be a night of gratitude. Gratitude to all the people I have worked with and continue to work with and their families. And enormous gratitude to the guests, the artists, the singers, and the ‘doers’ who have come through the door and graced us with their presence.
And of course, my greatest gratitude to my family who have been so loving and patient and my greatest supporters. They are the ones to whom I dedicate my last show. They are my constant. I love them so much and I want them to know that.
 
“I also want to say thank you to the viewers who stuck with me, with us and with the show for the past 14 years. The viewers’ loyalty, decency, kindness and generosity has taken my breath away on a weekly basis. I sit looking at my desk this morning at about 300 or 400 cards and letters from people I don’t even know, that have come from all around Ireland and in some cases all around the world.
 
“I am humbled, I am grateful, and I am excited because this is the end of one phase of this extraordinarily exciting life I have had so far. I will be turning the big 5-0 on Sunday so, it’s the perfect time to look ahead and welcome a new chapter. Until I am ready to share that next chapter, I am going to take some time off, I will reflect and process it all. My final words about my final Late Late Show are ‘Thank You’.”

Showcasing snapshots of how European conservationists are working to stem the tide of a biodiversity crisis and climate change one step at a time, Back from the Brink returns for a third series on June 4th. Presented by Derek Mooney, the documentary shows how from the return of the wolf to Rome, to turning the Swedish Moose into a TV star, nature conservationists throughout Europe are fighting back, and delivering remarkable results in the fight to protect Europe’s wildlife and biodiversity.

The series sees Derek go on a journey across Europe to find out how smart human intervention can bring Europe’s wildlife Back from the Brink. In Ireland, Derek worked with John Lusby of Birdwatch Ireland (pictured above tagging barn owl chicks) to tell the remarkable story of how the farmer’s friend – the barn owl – is making a comeback for the first time in decades. 

In Portmagee in South Kerry, Lucy Hunt of marine NGO Sea Synergy and a local fisherman may have discovered a lost native oyster bed which could have a huge positive impact on biodiversity in the area. In episode one, the series looks at agriculture and the impact of industrial farming and how farmers across Europe are embracing ancient techniques to help secure a stable future and play their part in reversing the climate crisis. Part 2 examines how nature can fix itself with a little help from humans.

In Germany, conservationists are teaching an almost extinct species to fly to its traditional migration grounds. While in Rome, Derek finds out why the Wild Boar is back in the suburbs of the eternal city. In Scotland, scientists are building the ideal location for the re-release of the endangered Scottish Wildcat. In Berghausen in Southern Bavaria on the Austrian border, Derek meets Corinna Esterer, a woman who is responsible for reintroducing the Northern Bald Ibis. Derek also travels to Granada in Spain to investigate how irrigation ditches built by the Arabs over a thousand years ago are being used by farmers to combat drought.
 
Derek Mooney said:“Very often when we hear news about wildlife that is negative, focusing on the declines In populations or the imminent extinction of a species. It’s right that we know this but it’s also reassuring and uplifting to focus on the positive relationships between humans and animals. That’s what Back from the Brink is about. In these two episodes we will meet people who really do care about the plight of wild animals and with a bit of luck, their stories will inspire others.’’ 
 
Back from The Brink episode one airs RTÉ One at 6.30pm on June 4^th

RTÉ PUBLISHES THOUSANDS OF EARLY RADIO RECORDINGS ONLINE 

Over 5,300 RTÉ radio recordings from the 1927 – 1970s now available online 

Rare insight into the voices, sounds and topics from our past 

RTÉ Archives | Acetate Disc Collection (rte.ie)

Highlights include:  

• Opening of the Cork radio station 6CK (1927) 
• Maud Gonne Recalls Evictions (1947) 
• Provincial News Round Up (1957) 
• Sean McBride jokes about the merits of radio (Wexford Festival 1952) 
• Christmas in Amiens Street (1949) 

RTÉ is delighted to announce the publication of some of its earliest radio recordings from the RTÉ Archives, which are now available online for the public to enjoy.  

The collection, available at RTÉ Archives | Acetate Disc Collection (rte.ie), includes over 5,300 recordings made for RTÉ Radio between 1927 (see below) and 1970s and gives a fascinating and rare insight into the voices, sounds, topics and processes involved in the creation of early radio broadcasting at RTÉ. 

Over the last three years, RTÉ Archives has been creating digital files from thousands of fragile acetate discs which contained the original recordings. 

The recordings are now preserved for the long term thanks to the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Archiving Scheme, which has now been incorporated into the recently established, Coimisiúin na Meán. 

The acetate disc is the earliest sound recording format held by RTÉ Archives. These discs were used in the production, recording and broadcast of programmes for Radio Éireann. 

Among the collection are full programmes and news broadcasts. There are also sound effects, inserts, performances, interviews and reports, all created for use in the production of radio programmes. 

Commenting on the publishing of the Acetate Collection, Bríd Dooley, Head of RTÉ Archives said: “We are delighted to open up this hugely evocative collection from the earliest decades of broadcast recording technology. It will take audiences back to the mores, sounds and voices from 1927 onwards as the new Irish State was emerging, many decades before television itself came along. It provides a unique insight our audiences can now enjoy and will be a source of important discovery for researchers, programme makers, historians and educators alike.  

“We are very grateful to Comisiúin na Meán for its support of the very specialist preservation and cataloguing development work involved under the Archive Funding Scheme, and to our partners at the Irish Traditional Music Archive who, together with our team of archive specialists, developed the catalogue and the online publication.  At the beginning of this project we had the labels and recordings, whereas now we have a rich and searchable resource. We will continue to enhance the collection as we learn more about these recordings.” 

WHAT IS IN THE COLLECTION? 

>>>FIVE HIGHLIGHTS: 

Opening of the Cork radio station 6CK (1927) 

The earliest recording from the collection features the opening of the Cork radio station 6CK on the 26 April 1927. 

“In opening the Cork station tonight, I hope to bring before the world a new and largely unexplored vein of Irish talent.” (Minister for Posts and Telegraphs J.J. Walsh) 

LISTEN HERE:  RTÉ Archives | Collections | Opening Of Cork Radio Station (rte.ie) 

Maud Gonne Recalls Evictions (1945) 

Among the Irish and international figures featured in the recordings is the nationalist and political activist, Maud Gonne. Recorded in 1945, she recalls witnessing evictions in her youth and taking part in the Land War. 

“I didn’t want to go to balls and parties anymore for I would have had to dance and eat with the evictors.”  

LISTEN HERE: RTÉ Archives | Society | Maud Gonne Recalls Evictions (rte.ie) 

Provincial News Round Up (1957) 

A local news report from with an international element that features Hungarian refugees who left their country following the Hungarian Uprising was crushed by Soviet forces in 1956. The refugees were housed at a former army camp in Knockalisheen in County Clare. The report here is from Provincial News Round Up in October 1957.     

LISTEN HERE: RTÉ Archives | Collections | Provincial News Round Up (rte.ie) 

Sean McBride jokes about the merits of radio (Wexford Festival 1952) 

The merits of radio come up in a lighthearted debate at the 1952 Wexford Festival on the benefits to mankind of some technologies. Up for discussion and comparison are the benefits of radio, the internal combustion engine and the gramophone.   

Seán MacBride jokes that they are “disastrous” for mankind. Another participant says that radio is “an invention of the devil” that has “reduced people to a moronic state”   

LISTEN HERE: RTÉ Archives | Collections | Wexford Festival : Festival Forum (rte.ie) 

Christmas in Amiens Street, Dublin (1949) 

One of a number of recordings made for the programme ‘Christmas Preparations’. 

Presenter Norris Davidson describes Amiens Street Station Christmas decorations, and interviews Mr Farrelly, Station Master, about Christmas at the station. 

LISTEN HERE: RTÉ Archives | Collections | Christmas Preparations : Station Master (rte.ie) 

Unfortunately, recordings on acetate discs do not sustain repeated playing. The content on the discs would become inaudible after being played multiple times and the discs are considered a vulnerable format. With funding from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (now Comisiúin na Meán), RTÉ Archives has completed the creation of digital files for this collection and is now making these files available to be listened to by the public. 

For more on the Acetate Collection, visit RTÉ Archives | Acetate Disc Collection (rte.ie) 

For more on RTÉ Archives, visit www.rte.ie/Archives. 

About RTÉ Archives 

www.rte.ie/Archives  

RTÉ Archives are responsible for collecting, preserving and making accessible the creative and documentary output of the national broadcaster. 

Combining hundreds of thousands of hours of moving image and sound recordings together with significant collections of photographs, manuscripts and administrative documents, RTÉ Archives contain a unique record of Irish life. 

As well as keeping these audiovisual records RTÉ Archives are looking to make more content available on an increasing number of platforms and devices. RTÉ Archives provide content for radio and television programmes, both internally and for our content partners. 

On this website we curate content from across our collections to create exhibitions while we also aim to bring new content every day from RTÉ Archives. 

To Whom It Concerns…RTÉ today announced that Patrick Kielty is to take over as host of The Late Late Show from next season. 
 
Patrick from Dundrum, County Down becomes the fourth presenter of the iconic show for its 61^st season next September. 
 
He began his stand-up career as host of Northern Ireland’s first comedy club The Empire Laughs Back in Belfast. Since then, he has built a stellar career across TV and radio, while his live stand-up tours have sold out across Ireland and the UK.   
 
His BAFTA nominated My Dad, The Peace Deal and Me saw him named UK documentary host of the year at the 2018 Grierson Awards, while his most recent film, Patrick Kielty:100 Years of Union also won an RTS award.   
Later this year sees the release of his first feature film, Ballywalter, where he stars alongside IFTA nominated Seana Kerslake.
 
Patrick Kielty said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be the next host of The Late Late Show. To follow in the footsteps of Gay, Pat and Ryan as the next custodian is a real honour and I can’t thank RTÉ enough for giving me the chance to be a part of the next chapter of such an iconic show. I’m also genuinely humbled to become part of Friday nights for so many Irish people, at home and around the world. I can’t wait to get started on one of the greatest jobs in television.”
 
Jim Jennings, RTÉ’s Director of Content said: “Patrick Kielty is undoubtedly one of Ireland’s finest comedians, a fantastic presenter with a depth of experience, and a range of talents that will bring an exciting new dynamic to the show.  Patrick’s personality and passion is sure to connect with audiences and I look forward to it bursting on to screens in September. We have very definite ideas for the show already in the works and we’ll be busy behind the scenes shaping the series for launch. We’ll be back in August to tell you all about it”.

To Whom It Concerns, on this Friday night’s Late Late Show…  
 
In a week when Ireland’s response to the ongoing refugee crisis came under intense scrutiny, Tánaiste Micheál Martin will be in studio to discuss where we go from here; the big issues facing the country, including housing; and his vision for Ireland as he leads Fianna Fáil into the next general election. 
 
Noel Gallagher will return to The Late Late Show as a guest this Friday night to talk new music, his childhood memories of Ireland, and partying with Bono. His band, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, will release their new album Council Skies in June and will perform at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham on August 27th.
 
My Therapist Ghosted Me duo, Joanne McNally and Vogue Williams are back, bigger, better and bolder than ever. We hear all about presenting jobs, basements and a significant birthday.
 
As Katie Taylor prepares to enter the ring at Dublin’s 3Arena this weekend for her first fight on Irish soil since 2016, Ryan chats to the man who helped make it happen, boxing promoter and Matchroom Sports Chairman, Eddie Hearn.
 
Master of impressions Mario Rosenstock will be up to his usual tricks. No famous face is safe!
 
Plus, we will have music from Mick Flannery and Susan O’Neill who will reprise one of Ryan’s favourite songs over the years, Baby Talk, and Frankie Gavin & De Dannan will perform Gravel Walks and The Green Groves of Erin.