A portrait of Brazilian immigrant life in Ireland today and how the town of Gort, Co. Galway has coped with a huge influx of Brazilian workers and their families.
Formerly a sleepy west of Ireland market town, Gort in Co. Galway is now Ireland's 'Little Brazil'.
If the Brazilians were to leave Gort it would be like a wedding party that finished early
according to community worker Frank Murray. The town of Gort has become a centre point for the 20,000 Brazilians who have come to live and work in Ireland over the last few years. One person in three in this Galway town is Brazilian.
Gort's Brazilian story started ten years ago when the town of Villa Fabril, a small rural village in central Brazil, was devastated by the collapse of their local meat plant, owned by the major international beef company Reiboi. Over 900 men and women were left with no work.
The closure triggered a totally unexpected wave of emigration that would in time completely transform everyday life in the market town of Gort. Within months of the shut down, the company's Cork born export manager Jerry O'Callaghan had stepped in and set in train a series of events that would change forever the lives of many of the redundant workers and their families.
At first, just a trickle of young men left Villa Fabril but within a year a rapidly growing exodus of Brazilian emigrants was heading for Ireland to work not just in meat factories but also on farms, building sites, shops, factories and nursing homes.
The documentary 'Little Brazil, Gort, Ireland' produced by Caroline Bleahen and presented by Jim Fahy tells the sometimes heart warming, at times heart breaking, story of the first generation of factory workers from Villa Fabril who set out to build new lives for themselves in Ireland.
Filmed in Brazil and in South Galway the documentary is both a portrait of Brazilian immigrant life in Ireland today - mirroring many of the past experiences of Irish emigrants to England and the US - and an analysis of how the town of Gort has coped with a huge influx of South American workers and their families.
Title: |
Little Brazil |
Clip Duration: |
00:14:55 |
Material Type: |
Video |
Clip Title: |
Little Brazil |
Information: |
This documentary 'Little Brazil, Gort, Ireland' was presented with a 'Silver Angel Award' by the California-based 'Excellence in Media' Foundation. Presented to films and television programmes "of outstanding moral, ethical or social impact". The programme was described as "a wonderful piece of television programming". |
Local Keywords: |
Emigration, Brazil, Brazilians, Factories, Meat, Gort, County Galway, Anapolis, Jerry O'Callaghan, Dermot Duffy, Renaldo Dias de Assumcao, Luciano de Castro, Brenno Ramos, Leandro Lopez, Vilton Gomes, Angelia Maria Gomes, Maria Amanso Barbosa, Maria Josie Barbosa, Mary Cal |
Coverage: |
Ireland |
Topic: |
Society and Social Issues |
Contributor(s): |
Jim Fahy (Reporter), Caroline Bleahen (Producer) |
Publisher: |
RTÉ |
First Broadcast Channel: |
RTÉ One |
Broadcast Date: |
05/10/2006 |
Production Year: |
2006 |
Country of Production: |
Ireland |
Original Identifier: |
06D01296 |
IPR Restrictions: |
Rights Reserved - Free Access |
Rights, Terms and Conditions: |
Copyright RTÉ. This material may not be replicated in any form or manner without the prior express permission of RTÉ. Any form of reproduction in print, television, video, multimedia, web site or other electronic media or any form of dissemination for commercial or non-commercial use must be licensed by the RTÉ Archives. If you wish to licence video or audio clips, still images or text, or would like further guidance please contact us. RTÉ Archives are committed to respecting the copyright of others and have attempted to source and credit the copyright owners of all material used here. RTÉ would like to hear from any copyright owners who are not properly identified here so that the necessary corrections can be made. If you feel your copyright has not been respected please contact us. |
Item Type: |
part/extract |
Colour: |
Colour |
Sound: |
Mono |
Aspect Ratio: |
16:9 (widescreen) |
Language: |
English (eng) |
Original Language: |
English (eng) |
