The Irish Pub is the much-acclaimed documentary which got a brief screening in cinemas some months ago. Check it out for mirth and melancholy by the quart, at 9.35pm on RTÉ One. GAA 2015 on TG4 at 8.30pm has highlights of Sunday's Munster Hurling Final and the Leinster Football Final. The Last Days of Vietnam recalls the tumoultous events of the early 70's as America withdrew. That's at 10.00pm on BBC 4.
The Irish Pub, 9.35pm RTÉ One
Aside from exploring the oddities and endearing peculiarities of our Irish hostelries, the documentary The Irish Pub colaterally manages to tell the history of Ireland, as told in song and in anecdotes that process politics, sport, religion and famine. These pubs reach out not just to every Irish person today but to the Irish of 50 years ago, 100 years ago and even as far back as 500 years ago, as well as to the millions of Irish abroad. More specifically, the much-acclaimed documentary (which enjoyed a brief cinema release in this country last autumn) meanders from Connemara to Carlow, from Monaghan to West Cork, from Louth to Limerick, tracking captivating conversations at every location. In O’Shaughnessy’s, Glin, we behold a confession box standing in the middle of the pub. As you do.
The Irish Pub
Last Days of Vietnam, 10.00pm BBC 4
Documentary which combines footage from Saigon in April 1975 with contemporary reflections from those who were there. During the chaotic final weeks of the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army closes in on Saigon as the panicked South Vietnamese people desperately attempt to escape. On the ground, American soldiers and diplomats confront the same moral quandary - whether to obey White House orders to evacuate US citizens only - or to risk punishment and save the lives of as many South Vietnamese citizens as they can. The events recounted in the film mainly centre on the US evacuation of Saigon, codenamed Operation Frequent Wind. Vividly annotating one of the most haunting images of the Vietnam War, that of dozens of South Vietnamese struggling to climb the steps to a rooftop helicopter as Saigon fell, Last Days in Vietnam is a moving and visceral insight into this key moment in history. Also in the realm of dark Americana, you could check out Inside the Ku Klux Klan at the same time, 10.00pm, on Channel 4. Makin’ your mind up time.
Last Days of Vietnam
GAA 2015, 8.30pm TG4
Welcome repeat of highlights of weekend action in hurling and football. Two much-anticipated encounters yesterday as Dublin were up against Westmeath in the Leinster Senior Football Championship final, while Tipperary met Waterford in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship final.
