Documentary maker Ronan writes for Culture about this week's RTÉ Documentary on One production – listen to Feminist Dress above.
At the end of every RTÉ Documentary On One, we ask listeners to get in touch if they have any ideas that they think would make interesting documentaries
Siobhán Sweeney, a scientist living in Cavan, wrote one line to us: "Are you interested in a wedding dress that has been worn, unaltered, by 10 individual brides in the last 50 years?" Of course, we were intrigued and got in touch.
Siobhán explained that her mother, Sheila O'Reilly, had hand made the dress in the early 70s for her sister, Maura. Then, some of Maura’s sisters wore it for their weddings, then some of the next generation of brides wore it. Daughters, nieces, cousins – Sheila's granddaughters.
And there were nice resonances. Siobhán and her daughter, Síle both wore it up the same aisle in their local church in Cavan – and both stopped into the same local pub, with it on, on the way to their wedding receptions.
Siobhán had her wedding reception at the same hotel her niece, Ciara, had hers. And, a waitress there worked at both receptions – 36 years apart – and recognised the dress.
Siobhán says the dress is "magic".
It’s made from white, lace crochet squares and can be adjusted to fit all sizes of brides in the family – from one who’s 5’4" to one who’s 5’9".
And all shapes too. "It’s been worn by virgins, an expectant mother and a mother of two," Siobhán says, "women at any stage of life – it's a feminist dress."
Which is appropriate, because the brides who wore it describes the woman who made it – their mother and grandmother – as a feminist. Sheila lived on an isolated, small farm but when she got access to a car, she found the ICA – Irish Countrywomens Association.
There she learned political debating as well as crafts skills and got to associate with other women.
The dress and its endurance, for Siobhán, represents her mother’s "dogged determination to get things done". It also represents, "family and female genius".
For us, on the Doc On One, it represents a chance to tell the story of a group of women in a that family and how their lives – and weddings – have changed over the past 50 years. And, they helped us tell that story in a fun, thoughtful and articulate way.
And then, there's the dress, a clever piece of dress-making with no pattern used. "Nana made it out of her head", says one of the brides.
And for Siobhán, the dress is, as the priest said to her when she approached the altar on her wedding day: "fabulous!"
Listen to more from Documentary On One here.
