WESTMEATH, Ireland–A credit’ union here is being featured as part of a series on this country’s public service broadcast network. Mullingar Credit Union will be the focus of an eight-part series called “The Borrowers” on Radio Television Ireland, better known as RTE.
“The fly-on-the-wall programme will take viewers behind the scenes and into a credit union loan office, for the first time ever on Irish television,” the Westmeath Examiner reported. “Viewers will see real Mullingar Credit Union members applying for loans, and hear all of the unique reasons behind the loan applications.”
“Popular loan officers” Rose Cosgrove and Colette Dolan are being prominently featured, as are the stories of borrowers in the markets in which Mullingar Credit Union has offices.
“We are very excited for everyone, but especially our members and the Mullingar community, to see The Borrowers,” Tom Allen, manager of Mullingar Credit Union, told the Westmeath Examiner. “The programme really showcases our ethos and our commitment to the community, and the way our loan officers go above and beyond every day to help our members achieve their dreams and goals. From Christenings, to the first day at school, to going to college, to buying a first car, to the dream wedding, to home improvements, to farm or other business loans, to funerals, we are always here for our members every step of the way, and it’s fantastic to see this highlighted in the series.”
‘Unusual Loan Requests’
Allen added viewers will also get to see some of the “more unusual loan requests” the credit union receives.
“Each of the eight episodes is at times heart-warming, entertaining and tear-jerking – viewers will not want to miss a moment,” Allen told the Examiner.
The series was filmed and produced by Alleycat Films, an award-winning documentary and television production company.
Des Anderson, director and executive producer with Alleycat Films, told the Westmeath Examiner “The idea for this series first came to me when I was sitting across from a loan officer in my local credit union and applying for a loan. realized that in that situation, you end up more or less telling the loan officer your life story and chatting about how your life is going. It struck me that this was something unique, and I knew it would make for a great television series.”
‘Most Secretive Room in Country’
Anderson said the series will offer a “peek” into what he called “the most secretive room in the country – the credit union loan office.”
The first episode will air in Ireland on April 16 and features Gary O’Shea and his father, Eugene,
“who are squabbling over a car in Mullingar; Thomas, who needs private surgery to save his sight; and country music singer Michael, who is hoping to make it in Nashville.”