About the Show

In 2007, RTÉ television embarked on a unique experiment when they began to follow the lives of 12 children and their families from birth until six years of age. Presented by psychologist David Coleman, the third series of 21st Century Child follows the children and their families in a radically altered Ireland. The series takes an intimate and candid look at what it means to be a parent, grandparent and child in modern Ireland. Our 21st century mothers, fathers and grandparents open up about the challenges and rewards of raising a family in post boom Ireland where their children's futures are now cast in a very different light.

We are living through extraordinary times and 21st Century Child provides a unique opportunity to find out how ordinary families are living through a time that history will view as having had a huge impact on the shape Ireland is to take in future years. These children were all born at the tail-end of the boom before house prices dropped, when the construction industry was still booming and the future seemed bright. Now as these families face a stark new reality, they offer us a unique window into their lives.

Our parents open up about issues such as depression, unemployment, relationship problems, the struggle to have it all, financial strain and the pressures of modern family life. They are ordinary families with universal experiences to share.