Documentary maker Angie Mezzetti tells the story behind this week's remarkable Documentary On One production, A New Niamh - you can listen to the programme in full below.
A few years ago, I was teaching some students TV production in DFEi in Dun Laoghaire.
As part of the course, they were practicing street interviews around the town. Most people scurried by, trying to avoid the TV camera but then we met Niamh. She flung her arms open and said ’What do you want?" Then she performed her own poem ‘Wobbly Bits’ without a second thought and gave a great interview.
When I spoke to Niamh afterwards, it turned out she had a life story worth telling. We became friends and she did a spot on a community radio show with me composing a poem a week with ease. Niamh is a comedienne and has a large loyal group of followers on Facebook where she does live interactive rants about things that bother her. About 2 years ago Niamh made a written post that even surprised me. She made a very unusual public vow. Niamh had decided to give up shoplifting for Christmas.
Listen to Documentary On One - A New Niamh below:
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It was a simple pledge on Facebook and she did it for her grandson’s sake. His name is Jake and she adores him and he lives abroad with his mother. Niamh had in been in prison for a short time many years ago when her son was small and she doesn’t ever want another small boy to see her in prison again.
"We send each other presents and cards and I don’t want any of his cards coming to Mountjoy Prison."
She wants him to know a new Niamh: The one who writes poetry, does stand-up comedy and is famous on Facebook for making people laugh. She wants him to know she loves him just as much as his other granny.
But it won’t be easy. Stealing is profitable even thrilling at times. Her former clients are always asking for things especially coming up to Christmas. "Are you going to Smyths, Niamh? They want Mac make-up and slimming tablets."
Niamh grew up in South County Dublin. Family life was not always easy. The neighbourhood was tough too so Niamh had to harden up early on. Niamh’s own mother lived in an orphanage as a child and was such a beautiful singer that she was invited to go on Opportunity Knocks -a talent show from 1950s and 60s, but the nuns prevented her from doing it. Niamh herself spent a short time in care as a teenager. Her son spent time in care too, which she still finds upsetting to think about.
Niamh became a drug addict after her son was born and her shoplifting was partly to support her habit although she actually began taking little things like perfumed notepaper when she was seven years of age.
As part of the documentary, Niamh brought me around shops with her. "I won’t do it, but I will show you how its done" she assures me and I know she means it. It’s amazing to see how differently shoplifters view the world, all the time looking for opportunities to hide from CCTV, to drop things into a bag, or to avoid security staff.
There’s no nuns locking me up. My door is open, I can go wherever I like. It’s me that’s stopping me. It is paralysing fear and it comes from addiction.
Even on the street one day as we were recording in Dun Laoghaire, Niamh spotted another shoplifter walking towards us, as bold as brass with two duvets under his jacket. She pointed him out and he was gone in a flash but I would never have noticed on my own.
Stopping shoplifting and turning over a new leaf is a struggle for Niamh. Getting through Christmas is especially tough. "It’s like when you’re having a baby, it’s like the last push of labour to go from the old world to the new world." Her mother may have lost out on her chance to be a famous singer on Opportunity Knocks however Niamh is determined that she is not going to waste her opportunity to change.
"I see my mam in me and I don’t want to be sitting on my sofa at 64 saying ‘Oh I had a great chance to go to Trinity College, to go to this to go to that. There’s no nuns locking me up. My door is open, I can go wherever I like. It’s me that’s stopping me. It is paralysing fear and it comes from addiction. When you’ve been messing around with that stuff for so long and that’s been such a part of your life you get scared of the person that doesn’t do drugs. Will I still be me? Of course I will still be me. I’ll just be a better version of me."
Niamh is determined – but will she succeed?
Find out in Documentary On One - A New Niamh - Saturday, December 9th. on RTÉ Radio 1 at 2pm.
Opportunity Knocked - a poem by Niamh Mooney
Mother, mum, ma, mammy, my ma
Born with the voice of an angel
Destined to be a star
Opportunity Knocks
Came knocking for my ma
They said what she could be
She didn’t even have me
.
In her delight
She told the nuns
They locked her away,
They took her fun
When I look in the mirror
I see her every day
And it makes me mad what the nuns did that day.
.
Now opportunity, is at my door
And I am paralysed by fear
I can’t open the door
I love my ma with all my heart
I need her now
Like I did before
.
She sang me to sleep every night as a kid
She wrote me a song
Oh Yes she did
She loves me and my sisters
With all of her heart
But those awful nuns
They tore her dreams apart.
They showed off her talents
When the visitors came.
But when they were gone
Things went back to the same.
Beatings and shaming
Were part of their reign.
.
But my mam survived
Though she never forgot
When opportunity knocked
The Locked
The Door.
Listen to more from the Documentary On One team here.
