Today, we, the Irish public, were given more information about Enda Kenny's new Irish-language television programme about disused train lines. You might remember there was a kerfuffle about the programme last summer, as many people wondered aloud why the former Taoiseach was presenting a programmes about disused train lines in Irish, and for whom.
The programme, we learned today, is entitled Iarnród Enda and it premieres Easter Monday. We were given some details about the show, as well as a fascinating promotional photograph, via a press release. There are more questions than answers, and we thought we'd voice them here.
Question 1: who thought of the name?
Because it's brilliant. You, sir or madam, deserve a raise. It's almost as if someone realised how beautiful the words Iarnród and Enda are beside each other and then decided they need to make a TV show about train lines with either Enda Kenny and sports psychologist Enda McNulty.
Question 2: is it actually a programme about a murder investigation in Iceland and not a show about trains?
The promotional photograph of a bedraggled Kenny beside his bike has the windswept grit of a Scandanavian cop drama. Is the programme not actually about disused train lines but actually the tale of a former Taoiseach who has retired from a life in politics and resettled in a Norwegian fishing village only to discover the fishing village is full of dark secrets and probably Nazis?
why ... why is Enda Kenny starring in an Icelandic murder mystery. https://t.co/dhqTJmDob2
— Eoin Daly (@eoinmauricedaly) March 30, 2021
Question 3: Does this programme exist in the extended Line of Duty universe?
Some people on Twitter wondered if Enda Kenny is playing Ted Hastings in this photograph, or one of his cousins. Which got us thinking: is it possible that Iarnród Enda is not actually about Ireland's long abandoned train routes, but in fact Enda Kenny is actually investigating bent guards in rural Mayo? Maybe?
“There’s only one thing I’m interested in and that’s catching bent coppers.”👮♂️ pic.twitter.com/41OoUPtzyp
— Mark Tighe (@MarkLTighe) March 30, 2021
Flash forward episode of Line Of Duty sees Ted retired and living in isolation in Connemara..... https://t.co/M7XYrSCCXi
— JTMoomin (@JTMoomin) March 30, 2021
If you had any actual questions about the show, this press release should prove helpful.
Iarnród Enda, a new Irish Language Broadcast Fund series about the long-abandoned railway routes of Ireland, airs on Monday 5th April at 8:30pm on RTÉ One. The six-part series was produced by Sonas Productions.
In this new series Enda Kenny explores the story of a once modern transport system, the railway routes that became engraved into the countryside, transformed the landscape and shaped the evolution of the entire island. Railway expanded the way we saw ourselves in the world, influencing the course of subsequent historical, social and political events.
Discovering riches along the way, human and cultural, Enda marvels at the shoots of new growth emerging as sections of old lines regenerate as small, narrow-gauge tourist trains bring the magic and romance of steam to life.
Other routes, re-imagined, emerge from the landscape with a fresh vigour re-purposed into greenways attracting walkers and cyclists from home and abroad as a new, health-oriented tourist industry puts down roots where naught but dereliction and abandonment previously held sway.
If you thought you knew all there was to know about Enda Kenny after his 45 years in Dáil Éireann – be prepared to be surprised. This iteration reveals a man happy on his bike, relaxed in himself and comfortable in the company of those he encounters along the way. A good listener, he’s at his happiest meeting new people or old friends and is never slow to call in for a chat or a story, a tune or a song.
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