Belmullet doctor to star in new erris fm radio series

A new two-part documentary on Erris FM will follow the story of young Tom Kelly from his school days in Glenamoy through his time in college and university to his many years as a rural family doctor serving the people of Erris.

Entitled Young Kelly, the series gives a unique insight into the lives of country people in the early years of the Irish state. It follows the story of a young Tom Kelly as he strives to qualify as a doctor, his gaining experience abroad and his returning to his native Belmullet to serve as a family doctor for more than 60 years.

In the programme, Dr. Kelly recounts his early days in Glenamoy, his years at college and university, his experience as a doctor in England and Wales, and his eventual return to medical practice in Belmullet in 1951, where his uncle, another Tom Kelly, was already an established family doctor.

Dr. Kelly illustrates clearly the high levels of poverty in Erris in the ‘40s and ‘50s and how this impacted on health, infant mortality, childhood diseases and the poor outcomes of adult disease.

The two-part documentary is produced by Tony Conway for Erris FM and is presented by Tom McAndrew. Part one of Young Kelly will be broadcast at 11 a.m. on Friday, January 30, and repeated on Saturday, January 31, at 7 p.m. Part two will be broadcast the following weekend, on February 6 and 7, at the same times.

To keep up to date with the broadcast times for these and all programmes, check out errisfm on Facebook or telephone (097) 81079. You can tune in to Erris FM every Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on 90.8 FM and via the website www.errisfm.com.