The House That Vanished: 1. The Vanishing

Limelight

BBC

Fiction, Drama

4.4 • 698 Ratings

🗓️ 5 July 2021

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Mystery based on the true story of one man’s search for justice on a remote Irish island, blending documentary and drama.

When Neville Presho returns to Tory Island after many years overseas, he gets the shock of his life – his house has vanished. All that remains is a bathtub, lying upside down on the shore. Neville first came to the remote Irish island in the 1970s and made a documentary about the islanders' traditional way of life, their culture and language. Neville felt warmly welcomed – now, he faces a wall of silence.

Some talk mysteriously of a whirlwind and a strange glow in the night sky, others say Neville would be better off not asking. No one will tell him what happened, not even the island’s King. Neville sets out on a search for justice, but his quest will come at great personal cost. Neville ...... Tony Flynn Fiona ...... Fo Cullen Mary Meehan ...... Carol Moore Patrick Doohan ...... Seán T. Ó Meallaigh Patsy Dan ...... Mark Lambert Father O’Neill ...... Niall Cusack Man 1 ...... Lalor Roddy Woman ...... Megan Armitage Man 2 ...... Desmond Eastwood Film Crew ...... Michael Patrick

Presented by Siobhán McSweeney Written by Jan Carson Produced by Conor McKay and Michael Shannon

A BBC Northern Ireland production for Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2021.

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:04.7	From BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds, this is The House That Vanished.
0:10.3	I'm Sivon Max Sweeney.
0:11.7	Episode 1, The Vanishing.
0:18.3	Ireland, 1994.
0:24.3	A small ferry is making its way out to sea.
0:28.9	On board is Neville Prechow and his family.
0:33.0	You should be able to see the island now. Can you see the harbour yet, Fiona?
0:36.7	I can't see anything past you stumping about. Sit down, Neville.
0:38.1	I know they're excited,
0:41.6	but you're getting the children all worked up. We should take them out on deck, Fiona.
0:47.8	I don't think my stomach will let me. That was the longest nine miles of my life. I'm not as used to the sea as you. Neville hasn't seen his house for eight years. He's been on the other side
0:53.7	of the world, living in New Zealand.
0:55.9	Why don't you take me David out? He's dying to see the house.
1:00.2	Right, son. You make sure and remember this.
1:03.7	Oh, the pair of you. Be careful out there.
1:08.1	The house is on a remote island nine miles off Ireland's northwest coast.
1:13.8	It's called Torrey.
1:15.5	There's the island, Davy.
1:17.3	It's been around for thousands and thousands of years.
1:20.2	Imagine that.
1:21.5	Over there, on the eastern side, there's a line of big spiky rocks called Ballard's soldiers.
	...

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