Mo High Nelly Álainn

A celebration of a reliable means of transport and an icon of former times in Ireland – the High Nelly.

 

The High Nelly is a symbol of former times in Ireland. It revolutionised life not just in rural areas but also in towns and on city streets. It was a means of transport to school and to work, to sporting fixtures and to dances, to church services and to romantic liasions. Modern bicycles have attained a high degree of sophistication but very few will give the long years of service that the High Nelly bicycles have given.

This documentary takes a fond, nostalgic look at the old bicyle and what it meant to the lives of some of its avid fans from various parts of the country. JoeMolloy is a careful custodian of his late mother’s bike. He speaks fondly of how it made her queen of the roads around her native North Connemara in the 1950s and 60s. He recalls the role the High Nelly played during the Black and Tan era as a means of transporting important dispaches among members of the IRA.

Beartlaí Seoighe and Seamus Ó Droma recall the major impact the issuing of bicycles had on Garda and Army life. Máire Ní Loideáin reminisces about the High Nelly and the role it played in her own romantic life. Brian Marron and his father John speak of the connection their family has had with the bicycle over the years. It also features Michael Watters and Joe Conlon.

The documentary includes High Nelly fans from the Trim area who feature in the dramatic re-constructions, as well as the legions of faithful followers who take part in the Sculogstown High Nelly cycle in Co. Meath every June.

A Scannáin Dobharchú production.

 

Mo High Nelly Álainn will be broadcast on TG4 on Sunday November 18th at 21:30 and repeated on Monday November 19th at 20:00.