WATCH: Trailer released for NORAID: Irish America & the IRA documentary

Dublin's PushPull Media have confirmed that their NORAID: Irish America & the IRA documentary will be screening on RTÉ One on April 23 and 30, with the accompanying trailer suggesting it's going to be a fascinating watch.

For the benefit of younger Hot Press readers, NORAID (Irish Northern Aid Committee) was formed in 1969 by Michael Flannery, an Irish War of Independence veteran from Offaly who relocated to New York during the late 1920s. When The Troubles flared up, he started raising money in the States which he claimed was going to the families of imprisoned IRA members. Collection buckets were a common sight in bars in not only New York, but also in other cities like Boston and Chicago that had significant Irish-American populations.

In 1981, however, a U.S. District Court Judge maintained that: "The uncontroverted evidence is that [NORAID] is an agent of the IRA, providing money and services for other than relief purposes." Those claims will doubtless be teased out in the upcoming two-parter.

NORAID: Irish America & the IRA.

Our two-part documentary comes to @RTEOne on the 23rd & 30th April 2025 pic.twitter.com/i8BZPuUWoZ

— PushPull (@PushPull_Media) February 28, 2025