Say Yes to the Dress Ireland
Monday, RTÉ Two, 9.30pm
We've watched the original US version; we've seen the UK version, but now at last we can watch our own version of the hit TV series in the comfort of our own honeymoon suite. Say Yes to the Dress Ireland follows a bevy of Irish brides-to-be as they hunt down the perfect gúna for their big day.
Expect the tafetta to fly as the women rifle through the huge selection of wedding dresses at Vows bridal store in Cork. The store’s vast couture section is stocked to the rafters with stunning dresses from around the world, but which one will the bride-to-be choose? And will the mammies and the bridesmaids say yes? They may need some help from a wedding expert, and who better than Peter Kelly – aka Franc, Ireland’s celebrity wedding planner – to guide the girls and help them make the right choice.
Anthony Foley: Munsterman
Monday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
It’s been a year since the sudden, shocking death of Munster rugby head coach Anthony “Axel” Foley, and the pain and loss is still keenly felt by his family and friends, and by the wider Munster rugby community. Anthony Foley: Munsterman tells the story of the man whose life mission was to bring Munster rugby back to its glory days, but who sadly died of a heart attack at 42 just as his dream was starting to become a reality. The documentary goes back to his career as a player, when he captained a Munster team to Heineken Cup victory in 2006, and looks at his time as Munster’s head coach, inspiring his players with his vision of greater glory. An array of top Irish sports stars pay tribute, including Ronan O’Gara, Paul O’Connell, Keith Wood, Conor Murray, Simon Zebo, CJ Stander, Peter O’Mahony, Keith Earls and Jerry Flannery, and there are also moving tributes from Axel’s family and close friends. Even if you’re not a Munster fan, you will be moved by this lovingly made documentary.
Salon Confidential
Monday, RTÉ Two, 10pm
Where do you go to get all the gossip? Why, to your hairdresser’s, of course. There’s something about getting your hair done that breaks down the barriers between stylist and customer, and prompts them to reveal their most intimate secrets to each other. Or, more often than not, somebody else’s most intimate secrets. Salon Confidential goes inside Ireland’s hairdressing salons to earwig on some of the conversations, which cover such topics as love, loss, children and childbirth, ageing, money, dating, sexism, health, diet, body image and anxiety. Sorry, not sport – this is a hairdresser’s, not a barbershop. So, you get your highlights done, and you find out who Mrs so-and-so is having an affair with – what’s not to like?
And the best of the rest this week ...
13 Billion Light Years from Birr
Thursday, RTÉ One, 10.15pm
So, you want to find where the universe began. Turn right at the next crossroads, past the pub and it’s down on your left - you can’t miss it. 13 Billion Light Years from Birr is a one-off documentary that highlights the Offaly town’s huge place in the cosmos. Birr is where the secrets of time and space are soon to be unlocked, when a new, advanced radio telescope is constructed at Birr Castle, part of an array spread right across Europe that will be powerful enough to look almost as far back as the Big Bang, and study the formation of stars, galaxies and black holes and nebulae at the birth of the universe. Jonathan McCrea and Prof Peter Gallagher of Trinity College Dublin present this mindblowing journey through time and space – and the backroads of Co Offaly.
Below the Surface
Friday, RTÉ Two, 10pm
A heavily armed gang hijacks a metro train in Denmark, holding 15 passengers hostage. Their ransom demand? Four million euro. (Seems a bit of a small amount for such a high-stakes operation – is Dr Evil in charge?). Below the Surface is a tense new Danish drama series – so you can expect a mounting body count as hostages are dispatched, agonising tension as the Danish police negotiate with the hijackers, and of course lots of politics, as government officials bicker over how to deal with the situation, and the media come under scrutiny for their portrayal of the hostages and their families. After acclaimed Danish dramas Borgen and The Killing, this series has a lot to die up to.
An Teorainn
Tuesday, RTÉ One, 7pm
Everyone's worried about the return of a hard Border in the wake of Brexit, and a new two-part documentary, An Teorainn takes to the air to give a visually stunning picture of what we might lose if physical boundaries are to return. The programme visits some of the most scenic parts of the Border, and meets the people who live and work in and around the Border areas. We start at lovely Carlingford Lough, which has seen its share of cross-border conflict since the days of Queen Maeve.
