Hands (TV series)

Hands was an Irish television documentary series broadcast by RTÉ between 1978 and 1989, covering traditional Irish crafts.[1][2][3][4]

Hands
Title card
Genre	documentary, biography
Written by	Benedict Kiely Ray McAnally
Directed by	David Shaw-Smith
Narrated by	Benedict Kiely
Composer(s)	Jolyon Jackson, Paddy Glacken, Matt Molloy
Country of origin	Republic of Ireland
Original language(s)	English, Irish
No. of episodes	37
Production
Producer(s)	David Shaw-Smith
Running time	24–27 minutes
Release
Original network	RTÉ1
Picture format	576i (SDTV) 16:9
Audio format	Mono
Original release	1978 (1978) – 1989 (1989)
Chronology
Followed by	In Good Hands
External links
Website

Production

Creator David Shaw-Smith began with Telefís Éireann in the 1960s, working as a cameraman with Gerrit van Gelderen and became an independent filmmaker in the early 1970s. he and his wife Sally, an illustrator, travelled Ireland in a VW van recording traditional craftsmen.[5]

Episode list

#	Broadcast Date	Title
1	17 April 1978	Wool Spinning
2	3 July 1981	Irish Patchwork
3	11 April 1983	Irish Lace
4	11 May 1989	Irish Embroidery
5	18 March 1980	Donegal Weavers[6]
6	19 June 1981	Dublin Woolen Mill
7	24 April 1979	Donegal Carpets
8	15 May 1979	Tailor
9	4 March 1985	English Silk
10	1 May 1978	Carriage Building
11		Cavan Cabinetmakers
12	5 June 1981	Cavan Cooper
13	11 March 1980	Chair Maker John Surlis
14		Dublin's Viking Longship
15		Harp Making
16	1983	Hurlmaking
17		Irish Spinning Wheel Making
18		Shannon One Design
19		Carley's Bridge Potteries
20	1987	Belleek Potteries
21		Clay Pipe Works
22	1980	A Dublin Silversmith
23	1989	Powers of the Metal
24		Stone
25		Dublin's Workhorses
26	1979	Shoe Making
27		A Dublin Bookbinder
28	30 May 1983	The Saddler
28	1978	Curraghs
30		Rushwork
31		Basketmaking
31		Wexford Thatcher
33		Fermanagh Country
34		Stoneground
35		A Dublin Candlemaker
36		Of Bees & Bee Skeps
37		Lighthouse Crafts[7][8]

Legacy

Hands is still widely referred to as one of the greatest Irish TV series of all time.[9][10]

Harvey O'Brien, in his The Real Ireland: The Evolution of Ireland in Documentary Film (2004), said "The series was marked by its close-up observation of the techniques involved, and though lacking an explicit social commentary always gave the sense that these skills were gradually disappearing.".[11]

For over 20 years, the original film sat in tea chests in a barn in Creagh, County Mayo. In March 2013 archivists packed all 1,800 film cans into storage containers and brought them to the RTÉ Archives.[10]

In 2015, it was revisited in the series In Good Hands.[12]

References

1. O'Brien, Harvey (22 March 2018). "The Real Ireland: The Evolution of Ireland in Documentary Film". Manchester University Press – via Google Books.
2. "Old hands at film-making".
3. Byrne, Terry (1 January 1997). "Power in the Eye: An Introduction to Contemporary Irish Film". Scarecrow Press – via Google Books.
4. "BM/E's World Broadcast News". Broadband Information Services. 1 May 1982 – via Google Books.
5. "About - Hands".
6. "DONEGAL WEAVERS ARE 'IN GOOD HANDS' WITH NEW RTE SERIES! – Donegal Daily". www.donegaldaily.com.
7. "Hands Series - Cottageology - Irish Cottages & Culture". 5 May 2010.
8. "Others - Hands".
9. McLysaght, Emer (4 August 2013). "What's the greatest episode of Irish television, ever?". The Daily Edge.
10. Cummins, Steve (5 April 2012). "RTÉ Revisits 'Hands' Series, GMarsh Begin Production". The Irish Film & Television Network.
11. O'Brien, Harvey (22 March 2018). "The Real Ireland: The Evolution of Ireland in Documentary Film". Manchester University Press – via Google Books.
12. "Watch In Good Hands on RTÉ Player".

External links

• Official YouTube channel