A new documentary, produced by Strident Media, tells the story of Dr Frank Murray and his then fiancée Eileen O’Kane.
Frank, a Belfast doctor, made a promise to Eileen that he would return home from the Second World War. This is the story of that promise, revealed in love letters that are now brought to life to reveal their long-distance romance and how this promise was kept.
Dr Murray served as a medic in the Second World War and was deployed to Singapore where he was eventually taken prisoner of war. The documentary covers Frank’s perspective of the fall of Singapore and his time as a prisoner of war of the Japanese, including becoming the Commanding Officer in a camp in northern Japan.
The documentary has been filmed with contributions from Eileen and Frank’s children, historians, psychologists and military experts.
You can watch Litir Ghrá ón Dara Cogadh Domhanda on BBC Two Northern Ireland, or the BBC iPlayer, on Sunday 9th October at 10pm and TG4 on Wednesday 12th October at 9:30pm. The documentary is broadcast in the Irish Language with English subtitles available.
If you would like to read more about the documentary you can read this article on Northern Ireland Screen in both Irish and English.
If you would like to read more about Dr Frank Murray, you can read more about Gaeltacht to Galicia: a Son’s Tale, a book written by Paul Murray (Frank’s son), here.
RFHG 