RTE's feature-length documentary The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid aired last night, and it provoked a big reaction on social media.
It tells the story of one man’s battle to hold on to his way of life as the State body eyes up his 75-acre farm in Leixlip, Co Kildare.
The eccentric cattle farmer took the IDA all the way to the Supreme Court in his bid to keep his land.
In the documentary a defiant Thomas tells a supermarket worker how he’s determined to “put a stop to their gallivanting”.
The 55-year-old remains in the listed family home that’s been passed down for generations.
His neighbour is US micro-chip giant Intel and IDA Ireland, the agency responsible for attracting and retaining inward investment, wants to purchase his land but Thomas refuses all approaches, including a rumoured €10million deal.
In 2015 Thomas Reid won his Supreme Court bid leaving the IDA with a bill for €1.375million. He continues to live in his 18th century home.
Thomas has now lodged an objection against a €3.5billion expansion at the plant – the seventh Intel planning application he has opposed since 2012.
And the Leixlip farmer's remarkable story struck a chord with many people on social media.
One claimed he could perhaps be considered a "living legend", while another hailed his bravery.
Another viewer suggested that he is a "real life Bull McCabe" from John B. Keane's classic The Field.
