‘The Real Mrs. Brown’ will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday February 25th at 7am, with the repeat broadcast on Saturday March 3rd at 9pm.

We all know the outrageous character of Mrs. Brown from Mrs. Brown’s Boys, but you may not know that Agnes’ character is based on Brendan’s mother Maureen. Maureen O’Carroll made history by becoming the first female TD for the Labour party in 1954. She was also the party Chief Whip, making her the first female whip for any party in Ireland. Maureen was a trailblazing politician raising issues that would come to prominence decades later. She campaigned on controversial topics such as illegal adoptions, the need for Ban Gardaí and the lack of women on boards. Maureen, who had 11 children, was a pioneer of consumer rights, earning her the nickname ‘The Housewife’s Choice’.

Stars of Mrs. Brown’s Boys Brendan and Eilish, along with their siblings Martha, Michael and Finbar, look back on life with their mother growing up in Dublin. The family credit their mother with giving them their sense of humour and gift of the gab! They talk about what Maureen was like as a mother and reflect on their memories of her time in the Dáíl.

Former Tánaiste and Leader of the Labour Party Joan Burton talks about how proud the Labour party are of Maureen and about the impressive legacy she left despite only having a seat for one term. Labour Party historian Niamh Puirséil looks back on Maureen's biggest achievements and describes her as being maverick of the time.

BROADCAST TIMES: ‘The Real Mrs. Brown’ will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm on Sunday February 25th at 7am, with the repeat broadcast on Saturday March 3rd at 9pm.

PODCAST: The podcast will be available at http://www.newstalk.com/documentaryonnewstalk after the broadcast. 

CREDITS: ‘The Real Mrs. Brown’ is produced and presented by Caroline Dalton, mixed by John Murphy and was funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence Fee.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: The Real Mrs. Brown is produced and presented by Caroline Dalton. Caroline currently works in RTÉ on The Ray D’Arcy TV Show. She previously worked in Newstalk, researching and producing Newstalk Breakfast with Ivan Yates and Chris Donoghue. This is Caroline’s second radio documentary, her first was ‘Radharc Luimní: Scéal Phatsy agus Jim’ about Limerick activist Patsy Harrold and her partner, Labour Party and DSP politician, Jim Kemmy.