'Wait A Minute Mr Postman', from the Love Stories series produced by RTÉ's Archive Production Unit, has been shortlisted for the prestigious FIAT/IFTA International Television Archive Awards.
The programme, which was nominated by the RTÉ Libraries and Archives Unit, is one of only three shortlisted from the original 22 nominations.
The other programmes in competition are Martin Scorsese's 'Bob Dylan - No Direction Home', a PBS (USA) and BBC (UK) co-production, and 'Knud Rasmussen, The Great Danish Greenland Explorer', produced by Danmarks Radio.
The 25-minute 'Wait A Minute Mr Postman' contains 1960s and 1970s footage from the RTÉ Archives along with footage from Archie Raeside, a contributor who was the first photographer/ cameraman to go to the Congo.
The theme of the programme is 'Love Letters', the medium through which many budding romances flourished in those decades.
Raeside and his beloved Bernie were two sweethearts for whom love letters set the scene for a lifelong romance - from local hops to cross-continent protestations while Archie was on a UN peace mission in the Congo.
The second story, that of Joan and Vincent, is of a relationship that began by letter and the photograph that would clinch their life-long romance.
The jury commented that the programme was: "...distinguished by its editing, the good combination of archive material to illustrate the story, accompanied by a suitable music soundtrack, and the newly filmed interviews with the couples telling their stories now."
The FIAT Award 2006 is a worldwide unique competition for TV programmes, produced and transmitted in 2005.
The final screening of the three programmes will be on Saturday 28 October in Madrid, where the award will be presented at the closing dinner on Monday 30 October.
