A new documentary about the life of Irish screen icon Maureen O'Hara will air on TG4 on Christmas Day at 9:00pm, with its director Brian Reddin telling RTÉ Entertainment that he has wanted to make the programme since he met the acting great by chance in his teens.
Maureen O'Hara - Banríon Hollywood is billed as "the definitive account of the life and career of our first movie star". Maureen O'Hara passed away in 2015 and the new documentary marks the 100th anniversary of The Quiet Man star's birth.
"I have always been a huge fan of Maureen O'Hara," director Brian Reddin told RTÉ Entertainment.
"When I was a teenager on a visit to Glengarriff in Cork, she walked into a pub I happened to be in and I approached her and told her how much I admired her work.
"I sat down and began to discuss her movies and career. We ended up talking for over three hours and it was an amazing experience. She was the first movie star I ever met and she was so kind and generous with her time. It left a lasting impression on me.
"When I started making documentaries, she was always high on my list of subjects and this year I finally got to make it."
Reddin said that what he discovered about Maureen O'Hara's achievements took even him by surprise.
"I thought I knew everything about Maureen O'Hara, but as soon as I started digging into her life - the scope of her achievements was staggering. I had no idea she had achieved so much.
"Aside from her amazing career onscreen, Maureen was also an accomplished singer, a respected businesswoman and a champion of women's rights.
"The list of firsts associated with Maureen is staggering. She was the first Irish person to retain Irish citizenship after becoming an American citizen. She was one of the first actresses to bring a libel action against a tabloid and she was the first actress to win. She was the first woman to be a President and CEO of a scheduled airline in the United States and she was the first Irish Hollywood superstar."
"I was lucky to have met her," Reddin added. "Luckier still to have spent time with the people in her life, her friends, her co-stars and her family. She was an amazing woman and we must never forget her or her achievements."
Maureen O'Hara - Banríon Hollywood, Christmas Day, TG4, 9:00pm
