John O’Regan created Reeling in the Years, which first aired in 1999, and has subsequently produced the series.

The show – inspired by the BBC series The Rock ’n’ Roll Years, which dates from the 1980s – mixes archive material with music and has grown into something quite extraordinary, tugging at the public’s heart strings in a unique way. 

The key to the success of the series lies in its clever editing, and O’Regan gave a masterclass in this TV craft, offering an exceptional insight into the production process.

Each of the 58 episodes covers the national and international events of a single year, but O’Regan emphasised that he includes interesting, small events as well as the major, headline-hitting happenings in the series. 

These feature the ordinary and often anonymous individuals who are the warp and weft of Ireland’s social history, whether happy or sad, celebratory or grieving.