Twenty women from the Dingle gaeltacht look back on their lives and the changes they have witnessed from childhood to the present day. The accounts they give are intimate, recalling their personal lives but their memories and experiences extend beyond the personal. Collectively, they provide a commentary on the changing face of Ireland. These women, who are familiar with the hedge schools and the famine from the first hand accounts of their grandparents, now connect with their grandchildren on their mobile phones. In their youth, healing relied on the use of herbs and such traditional healers as the bonesetter; today they have medical centres and home help. They have seen the arrival of radio, television, flush toilets and the page-three pin-up; new-found affluence and political, clerical and local scandal. They have taken much in their stride, and their vitality and resourcefulness continue to glow.

Author Biography

Brenda Ni Shuilleabhain was a school principal for twenty years before turning to television production. She has directed such documentaries as Do Mhargadh Deanta - on matchmaking - and Treigint, on marital desertion, as well as a diverse range of other features:She was script translator for Duil, a short film nominated for a Short Film Oscar in 2004. Brenda makes regular appearances as a commentator on television and radio, writes regularly for Foinse and has contributed to The Irish Times and other national print media