Two new programs to be aired this season on RTÉ are to focus on Fermanagh natives.

Three-part series, Quinn Country will air in the autumn and focus on former Border billionaire Seán Quinn, his rise and his fall.

Quinn Country is the story of a man who personified Ireland’s boom and subsequently, its bust. Reflecting on his remarkable rise and fall, in this three-part series, the words of Ireland’s former richest man – once worth five billion euro – reverberate around his 15,000 square foot house, “I made mistakes. The biggest was to invest in a bank”.

Quinn Country is produced by Fine Point Films, a Belfast based production company founded by Emmy-nominated journalist and producer, Trevor Birney. Mr Birney is a native of Fermanagh and a former journalist with The Impartial Reporter and UTV. Sunday Independent journalist and former Impartial Reporter deputy editor Rodney Edwards is also involved in the Quinn Country production.

The late Barney Curley is the subject of new documentary program, Yellow Sam. The Irvinestown man will feature unseen interviews from before his death, the extraordinary story of the racehorse owner and punter, Barney Curley – from his tough origins as a Catholic in Fermanagh, through his audacious betting coups and his charitable decision to “give a little back” by donating all of his winnings to charity and die penniless.

RTÉ’s Group Head of Factual Seán Mac Giolla Phádraig said: “This may be our most exciting Factual line-up to date. Despite an incredibly challenging year for production, the teams internally in RTÉ and at the many independent companies we work with, have truly excelled and delivered a wonderful selection of documentaries and factual programming for the new season.

“There are so many highlights for viewers: from Conor Ferguson’s beautiful tribute to his much-missed wife Keelin Shanley, to Nuala Cunningham and Gerry Gregg’s landmark documentary series on the Magdalene Laundries, Ireland’s Dirty Laundry. Our documentary line up is also full of one-off gems: from the charm of Alex Fegan’s The Irish Wedding to Ken Wardrop’s Cocooned, which charts the experiences of Ireland’s over-70s as they navigate their way through the pandemic.

“This season will also see more documentary series in the schedule than ever before, with series like Quinn Country, which charts the rise and fall of entrepreneur Sean Quinn and Crimes and Confessions, which re-examines some of the cases investigated by the murder squad in the 1970s.

“We’re very grateful to the producers who have worked tirelessly to deliver this great range of programmes and look forward to bringing them to our audiences – on radio and television – to enjoy over the coming months.”