The new film will pay tribute to the late broadcaster.
Keelin Shanley’s husband Conor Ferguson has opened up about the death of his wife in a new documentary titled Keelin Shanley: Faraway, which is set for release this month.
The documentary will provide a closer look into the life of the RTE journalist who passed away from cancer in February 2020.
The short film will also feature a never-before-seen interview from Keelin as well as several intimate moments from her life, such as when she first held her newborn baby girl.
Speaking about the exclusive interview, her husband told RTE Guide that while he had reservations about including it, he decided it was the right decision in the end.
“It is quite a short interview,” he said. “Some two hours or so, but Keelin covers a lot of ground.”
Keelin’s memoir There is a Light that Never Goes Out previously gave readers an insight into her career and personal life and was published after her death.
“The memoir helped her to reflect on her past and the work that she had done,” Conor said. “She agreed to do the interview even though it wasn’t in her nature to be confessional or talk herself up.
“But it gave her an opportunity to look back on her life in RTÉ. I think it is an amazing thing to have, to have someone speaking from the grave as it were. She is not well in that final interview but she is empowered, in charge of her own story.”
Before her death, Conor says Keelin encouraged him to use his “own instinct” when creating the film.
He went on to say that Keelin herself would probably have been “mortified” about all of the attention and exposure but that he wanted the documentary to provide viewers with a true reflection of their relationship.
“I know that the memoir forced her to open herself up and she got a lot from that. So I hope that she would be moved by the film’s message of resilience,” he said.
He added that he wished to show her as a “normal person, a very devoted mother, a caring sister to her family”.
Keelin Shanley: Faraway, Still Close, airs Monday 8 November on RTE One.
