TG4 documentary explores Irish ties to Native American history

TG4 will air Éire agus na Chéad Náisiúin on Sept. 17, a documentary that examines the complex roles Irish immigrants played in Native American history, according to Donegal Live. The program highlights Donegal-born seanchaí and memoirist Micí Mac Gabhann, best known for his posthumously published memoir Rotha Mór an tSaoil. Gabhann emigrated to the United States in the 1880s and worked in Montana’s mines.

Produced by Ronin Films with funding from the ILBF and Coimisiún na Meáin, the film includes perspectives from Irish historians and First Nations voices. It explores connections ranging from trade and alliances to displacement and conflict, including the Baker Massacre and the Battle of Little Bighorn. Contributors such as Mohawk elders Kay Olan and Tom Porter, Choctaw artist Waylon Gary White Deer and Lakota historian Dakota Wind Goodhouse reflect on the legacies of Irish involvement in Indigenous history.