Documentary shines light on Cork family raising both Deaf and hearing children

A Cork woman’s journey trying to navigate parenthood with Deaf and hearing children is told in a TG4 documentary on Sunday. Michelle Goodwin, of Ballincollig, features in An Grá Ciúin (A Quiet Love) which airs at 9.30pm.

Presented entirely in Irish Sign Language. the programme follows three Deaf couples as they navigate life, love, and major decisions.

Among them are Michelle and her partner, Kathy, from Belfast.

The other two stories revolve around a decades-long forbidden romance between a Catholic and Protestant Deaf couple during the Northern Ireland Troubles, and a Deaf boxer and his hearing partner from Dublin facing a life-altering choice.

The 90-minute documentary is produced by Seán Herlihy, who comes from Cill na Martra, Co Cork, and Anne Heffernan.

Herlihy is Deaf and communicates through Irish Sign Language. Over the years, he has worked on several documentaries, but An Grá Ciúin was his first to receive a cinematic release, in February. Now it makes its TV debut on TG4.

“When I was growing up, I never saw anyone like me on TV or in the cinema, people who shared the same language and culture,” said Herlihy.

“Many people don’t really know or understand much about the Deaf community. With this film, we really wanted to change that.”

It offers insights into the Deaf community, their joys and struggles, but its themes are universal. Love, family, parenthood, identity, belonging, adversity and the decisions we make for the people we care about are experiences that reach far beyond any one community.

For Deaf audiences, the film offers rare and significant representation of Deaf lives, language and relationships on screen. For hearing audiences, it is an intimate window into experiences that are too often overlooked, while challenging assumptions about what Deafness means.

Some 28 members of the Deaf community were employed behind the scenes in a variety of roles

An Grá Ciúin picked up the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary at the San Diego International Film Festival, and won a Global Production Award in Cannes.