2005, 52 Mins
On Friday 22nd of March 1895 in the small Tipperary village of Ballyvadlea, RIC constables discover a badly burned body in a shallow grave. It is the body of Bridget Cleary, a 26-year old woman who had met her death at the hands of her husband only days before. His motive? He believed she had been taken away by the Fairies. This film explores the events surrounding the horrific burning of Bridget Cleary, the massive impact it had on the country at the time and the local tensions that still exist today.
A Wildfire production for RTÉ in association with Bord Scannán na hÉireann/Irish Film Board and The History Channel
Making excellent use of newspaper reports and transcripts of the trial the documentary asked the right questions, shedding light on the social and cultural climate in which the murder took place.
The story was evocatively told, making excellent use of locations, recreated testimonies and atmospheric camera work.
An absorbing Hidden History documentary. Alternately chilling and blackly comic, the programme had the disorientating feel of a demented Oirish Horrir movie.