Cork’s Older Generation Create Hit Radio Soap Opera 'The Estate'

A unique ten-part radio soap opera, The Estate, written, developed and voiced entirely by older people from across County Cork, is now available to listen to online following a well-received broadcast on community radio.

Funded by Cork County Council and Creative Ireland, the project was led by writer, director and producer Katie Holly. Ten participants aged between 55 and 75, from Carrigaline, Fermoy, Baile Bhuirne, the Beara Peninsula, Blarney, Kinsale, Ballyhea and Charleville, came together to create the series through the Muintir na Tíre Cultural Companions programme, open calls in Cork County Libraries and Age Action groups.

The Estate tells the gripping and often poignant story of the fictional Dillon family, a group navigating change and personal struggle. With the family matriarch Lily in decline both mentally and physically, her adult children Barbara, Mags, Molly, Sean and James face the complex challenge of caring for her while trying to maintain their own lives. The storyline dives into power struggles, family secrets, and flawed decisions — all underscored by a shared desire for love, safety and fulfilment.

The project’s main aim was to give older people a platform to share their voices and life experiences with each other and the wider public. The group met weekly with Katie Holly at Cork County Hall, where they explored the art of storytelling for radio and collaboratively developed The Estate. They drew inspiration from classic Irish radio dramas, including The Kennedys of Castleross, and brought their own modern perspectives to the narrative.

Cllr. Joe Carroll, Mayor of the County of Cork, said:

“It can be daunting developing a new skill, and I commend the group for their creativity and dedication to this project. ‘The Estate’ is a heartfelt and often times humorous portrayal of family dynamics and retaining autonomy while living with dementia.”

Katie Holly, writer, director and producer, said:

“We began the writing process as a group by developing archetypes that people recognise to base our characters upon, with the individual writers creating each role with believable character traits and personalities. This progressed into group decisions about where we wanted each of the main characters to end up, and how to get them to that point by the tenth episode. I was humbled and honoured to work with this group of writers on a soap opera that I'm happy to say I am entertained by and which I enjoy listening to immensely.”

After writing was completed, the cast worked alongside producer Naomi Daly and director John O’Brien to record the series at Kitten Lane Studios in Cork City. The result is ten tightly produced thirteen-minute episodes capturing family life with warmth, wit, and emotional depth.

The Estate was broadcast on CUH FM and Bere Island Community Radio and is now available on Cork County Council’s SoundCloud channel here:
https://soundcloud.com/corkcountycouncil