THE HEALY RAES: BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS AIRS WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 ON RT ONE AT 9:35PM
A new documentary The Healy-Raes: Blood, Sweat & Tears airs on RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm tomorrow night and follows the Healy-Rae dynasty's 50-year political dominance in Kerry. With rare behind-the scenes access to Michael and Danny Healy-Rae from their 2024 general election win to Michael's 2026 resignation as Minister of State, the film explores their political manoeuvres, family succession, their army of supporters, and unique solutions to local issues.
Filmmaker Jerry Kennelly of Local Story Films had unprecedented access to the Healy-Rae brothers, Michael and Danny, from their general election victory in 2024 through their voting pact with the current Government to Michael's first achievement of a junior Ministerial position in 2025 - and his resignation and the bitter fallout that followed in 2026. The Healy-Raes are seen in their natural habitat of farming and business ventures - and viewers will meet the lesser-known Healy-Raes who will be jockeying for position in the future. Members of the hundreds-strong Healy-Rae Army', the volunteers who power the Healy-Rae machine, explain their mission, and we see how local issues are solved, Kerry style.
The documentary features a testy interview with Michael Healy Rae filmed on June 7th last where filmmaker Jerry Kennelly presses for an explanation around Healy Rae's two U-turns firstly failing to support the Government and criticising Taoiseach Michea l Martin, for a response to the fuel crisis which he himself helped to negotiate and secondly why, nearly two months after his resignation, he blamed his brother Danny for pushing him overboard.
On the falling out Michael Healy Rae said, We always got on fine until this scud missile. Sure, God, your older brother. It isn't as though you have a hundred of them or anything like that. But when it comes to being thoughtful about what you're doing, I'd have concerns about things like that. But like, do you know, your family is your family.
He goes on to say, I'm just putting what has happened into a box. I'm putting it in the back of my head because that's what I was trained to do. And I'm going to get on with it. I'm not going to be looking behind me because I'll fall over what's in front of me, and I won't allow myself get into that trap. So I am not going to be dissecting this anymore. That's it. It's a case of ball burst, game over, get a new ball and go down the field with it. Simple as that.
In the documentary Danny and his adult children express disappointment at Michael laying the blame on the older Healy-Rae for the Ministerial resignation. His son Johnny described a row among the Healy Raes as a kind of a friendship.
Asked if there was a war in the camp Danny Healy Rae said, I see no bombs or no missiles or anything like that. We're fairly close to each other, but, nothing like that, Jerry, no.
Danny explained, What happened in the D il was a culmination of many months and I would say even years of anger and mistrust building up on people on this government and indeed the previous government. Miche l Martin wasn't listening at all and I went back a couple of months there when I asked him different questions under promised legislation, he actually made fun of me, smirked at me. Then when the protests came and when people, you know, were blaming me, I couldn't see any point in supporting the leadership any further. It was easy for me to make a decision then on a vote which concerned the government headed by Miche l Martin. I'm elected by the people of Kerry. And if Micheal Martin decides to laugh at my question on behalf of the people of Kerry, he's laughing at the people of Kerry that elected me, or smirking. And that's what he was doing and did it a number of times. So that hurt me because I knew it would be hurting the people of Kerry. I was getting disillusioned and upset and fed up with them in general because they weren't honouring their agreement.
The story of Michael's childhood dyslexia and the teacher who helped him overcome it is recounted as is an unusual sliding doors scenario by which Michael's late mother Julie suggested that ten-year-old Michael could effectively be adopted by friends of hers in New York and be educated and given a job by the Pepsi Cola franchise operator.
Michael Healy Rae said, Every political career ends in failure. Because the three things happen: you die, you retire, or you don't get elected. And every one of those is a negative outcome, as such. So every political career ends in a flop eventually. Because you're gone, and you're yesterday's news.
The Healy Raes Blood, Sweat & Tears will air on RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm tomorrow Wednesday August 19.
-ENDS-
Date: Tuesday August 18 2026
For further information:
Rayna Connery, RT Senior Communications Lead
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THE HEALY RAES: BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS AIRS WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 ON RT ONE AT 9:35PM 
