ILBF documentary tells the story of how a Belfast Doctor returned home to his sweetheart
Date Posted: October 3, 2022
A new Irish Language Broadcast Fund documentary, Litir Ghrá ón Dara Cogadh Domhanda, tells the remarkable story of how Dr Frank Murray made a promise to his fiancée Eileen O’Kane that he would return home from World War 2. The film produced by Strident Media will air on BBC Two Northern Ireland on Sunday 9th October at 10pm and TG4 on Wednesday 12th October at 9:30pm.
This is a love story that transcended thousands of miles and a war. It was the love between a Belfast doctor and his sweetheart that prevailed despite the horrors of a Japanese prisoner of war camp and years spent apart.
They wrote extensively to each other and it is through these letters that their story is brought to life giving viewers an insight into their world, their love and the horrors faced by Murray as he battled to keep his promise to Eileen.
They met at the Gaeltacht in Rannafast in 1929. But a lifelong romance didn’t look promising early on and they went their separate ways after university. Frank left for Birmingham after qualifying from Queen’s in 1937. After she finished, Eileen, who was born just off the Falls Road in Belfast, would go on to work in Loreto Grammar School in Omagh. When war broke out, Frank joined the British Army as a medic and would end up in Singapore.
A Christmas card in 1940 rekindled their love and regular letters helped their long-distance romance blossom. The story is told through dramatisations based on these letters, with contributions from Eileen and Frank’s children, historians, psychologists and military experts. Viewers get an eyewitness insight into the fall of Singapore, Frank’s imprisonment in a Japanese POW camp and the anxious wait for Eileen back home, not knowing if her man was dead or alive.
Litir Ghrá ón Dara Cogadh Domhanda tells their inspirational story. Frank would become the Commanding Officer in a prisoner of war camp in Northern Japan after the capture of Singapore. Many didn’t survive but Frank would lead his fellow prisoners through disease, torture, starvation and slave labour. At the end of the war, it would be to Dr Frank Murray that the local Japanese soldiers would surrender.
As they made the long journey home from the Far East, Eileen took nothing for granted and prayed hard that Frank would make it safely home across the vast Pacific Ocean, the wide prairies of Canada, and the Atlantic to make their rendezvous on the dockside at Larne in November 1945. They last saw each other in 1937.
Litir Ghrá ón Dara Cogadh Domhanda was produced and directed by Gerry Gregg and was Executive Produced by Mairéad Ní Nuadháin and Kelda Crawford-McCann for Strident Media; Áine Walsh for Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund; Proinsias Ní Ghráinne for TG4 and Karen Kirby for BBC Northern Ireland.
I gclár faisnéise úr de chuid an Chiste Craoltóireachta Gaeilge insítear scéal iontach Frank Murray a chuaigh isteach sa Chór Leighis Ríoga le linn an Dara Cogadh Domhanda agus a gheall d’Eileen O’Kane, a fiancée a casadh air i nGaeltacht Thír Chonaill, go bhfillfeadh sé ar an bhaile. Is iad Strident Media a léirigh Litir Ghrá ón Dara Cogadh Domhanda agus beidh sé ar siúl ar BBC 2 TÉ Dé Domhnaigh 9ú Deireadh Fómhair ar a 10in agus ar TG4 ar an Chéadaoin 12ú Deireadh Fómhair ar a 9.30in.
Is scéal grá é seo a sháraigh aistir i gcéin agus cogadh domhanda. An grá fada buan a bhí ag dochtúir as Béal Feirste agus a ghrá geal dá chéile ainneoin uafáis campa cimí cogaidh Seapánach agus na mblianta a bhí siad scartha ó chéile.
Scríobh siad chuig a chéile go han-rialta agus is trí na litreacha seo a thugtar léargas dúinn ar a saol, ar a ngrá, agus ar na huafáis a d’fhulaing an Muiríoch agus é ag streachailt chun a ghealltanas d’Eileen a chomhlíonadh.
Is i Rann na Feirste a casadh ar a chéile iad in 1929. Ach ní raibh an chuma ar an scéal go mairfeadh an cumann óir d’imigh siad dhá chosán éagsúla i ndiaidh a bheith ar an ollscoil. D’imigh Frank go Birmingham i ndiaidh céim a bhaint amach ar Ollscoil na Banríona in 1937. B’as Bóthar na bhFál Bhéal Feirste d’Eileen. Rinneadh múinteoir scoile di agus chuaigh sí ag obair i Scoil Ghramadaí Loreto ar an Ómaigh. Nuair a thosaigh an cogadh, chuaigh Frank isteach in arm na Breataine mar dhochtúir agus cuireadh go Singeapór é.
Cárta Nollag in 1940 a d’athmhúscail a gcion ar a chéile agus ba mhór an cuidiú iad litreacha rialta le lasair an ghrá a fhadú. Déantar léirithe drámatúla de chuid de na litreacha seo agus insíonn clann Eileen agus Frank a gcuid féin den scéal chomh maith le hionchur ó staraithe, síceolaithe agus saineolaithe míleata. Faigheann an lucht féachana léargas finné súl ar thitim Shingeapór, ar an seal a chaith Frank i gcampa cimí cogaidh Seapánach agus ar an imní a bhí ar Eileen sa bhaile, gan fhios aici cé acu beo nó marbh a bhí a leannán.
Insíonn Litir Ghrá ón Dara Cogadh Domhanda a scéal spreagúil. Rinneadh Oifigeach Ceannais de Frank i gcampa cimí cogaidh i dTuaisceart na Seapáine i ndiaidh ghabháil Shingeapór. Bhí go leor de na cimí nár éirigh leo teacht slán ach bhí Frank i gceannas ar a chomhchimí i rith ama ainneoin galair, céasta, gorta agus sclábhaíochta. Ag deireadh an chogaidh, is don Dr. Frank Murray a ghéill na saighdiúirí Seapánacha áitiúla.
Nuair a thug Frank faoin aistear fada ón Chianoirthear, níor ghlac Eileen leis go bhfeicfeadh sí arís é ach ghuigh sí go dúthrachtach go dtiocfadh sé slán trasna an Aigéin Fhairsing Chiúin, trí mhachairí fada leitheadacha Cheanada agus anall ón tAigéan Atlantach le go gcasfaí ar a chéile arís iad ar ché Latharna i mí na Samhna 1945. Ní fhaca siad a chéile ó bhí 1937 ann.
Ba é Gerry Gregg a léirigh agus a stiúraigh Litir Ghrá ón Dara Cogadh Domhanda agus ba iad Mairéad Ní Nuadháin agus Kelda Crawford-McCann na léiritheoirí feidhmiúcháin do Strident Media; Áine Walsh don CCG; Proinsias Ní Ghráinne do TG4 agus Karen Kirby do BBC NI.
