Documentary on One Podcast · RTÉ

30 Acres: 03 - The Prisoner

·39 min·2 clips
On live TV, Iseult says the residents have had enough and Holly announces they have taken Sean Granite hostage.
1. Documentary on One Podcast’s “30 Acres: 03 - The Prisoner” follows the 30 Acres ghost-estate dispute in a fictionalised RTÉ drama-documentary frame. 2. Sean Granat narrates the story as Colm, while Holly, Glenn, Iseult, Pat, Alastair Crowe, and Cillian Ó Chachnaith drive the conflict in different ways. 3. The episode asks what happens when a housing protest, a hostage situation, and a live TV debate collide in 30 Acres. 4. Holly abducts Sean Granat in a jeep, and the group panics when a shot sounds and everyone thinks he has been hit. 5. The false alarm is explained as Ballymalu relish, but Sean still ends up gagged and bound in Glenn’s bomb shelter. 6. Five days after the residents release the “30 Acres Says No” manifesto, reporters arrive at the estate and the story becomes national news. 7. Pat searches for Sean in a private helicopter while Alastair Crowe joins the search and starts talking about business arrangements. 8. Glenn treats Sean’s wound with improvised medicine, including iodine, horse pills, and ketamine, while Sean complains about the treatment. 9. Sean asks Colm to pass a message to Pat and then starts reflecting on regrets, including the “Slimmin’ Plan” and leaving things undone. 10. The shelter scenes turn increasingly domestic as Sean and Glenn talk about PlayStation, FIFA, GAA games, and television. 11. Sean later tells Glenn that they “lost the run of it” and that the 30 Acres project got “too greedy.” 12. Holly struggles to prepare Iseult for a live debate and cannot even name the Irish Prime Minister, which shows how unsteady the group is. 13. Aesolt drinks from a hip flask of wild garlic, thistle, elderberry, and alcohol before agreeing to speak for the residents. 14. Holly tells Aesolt that the manifesto’s strongest material was hers and says the residents’ homes are worth fighting for. 15. Sean’s condition worsens at one point as he itches, scratches, and starts blaming the wrong pills for his symptoms. 16. The episode shows Alastair persuading Pat with references to company law, co-directorships, and the future development of the estate. 17. The tone mixes mock-documentary narration, rural farce, and escalating ethical discomfort as Colm becomes more embedded in the residents’ lives. 18. The pace is fast and staged like a rolling field report, with interviews, scene-setting narration, and improvised confrontation. 19. Best for listeners who like Irish satire, housing disputes, and improvised ensemble drama. 20. Skip it if you want a straightforward factual documentary without comic chaos.

As heard by us

A ghost estate story where eviction, control, and opportunism tighten the screws.

30 Acres: 03 - The Prisoner turns a ghost estate into a tight pressure cooker, with eviction, property control, and opportunism all pushing against the same patch of ground. It stays close to voices and practical detail, and that choice gives the episode a firm, lived-in feel.

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Why you'd press play

If you want a ghost-estate fight with eviction pressure, bitter jokes, and a very odd family-business mess, press play now.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
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