Irish Traditional Music On Screen
By its very nature, Irish traditional music resists the trends of fashion. Undeniably though, it is experiencing a major cultural moment, both within Eire and far beyond with musicians such as Lankum, John Francis Flynn and The Mary Wallopers charting a new course for the genre. Celebrating both the past and present of this lineage, Kiln Cinema looks at musicians who have shaped these forms into new shapes without sacrificing their timeless core. Featuring documentaries and fiction films, we bring you all the pleasures of a trad session in your local, a chance to commune and feel uplifted by the power of song.
Dónal Lunny
Wednesday 1 April
As a founding member of Planxty, The Bothy Band and Moving Hearts, Dónal Lunny played a central role in reviving and transforming Irish traditional and folk music for new generations.
In this film, music fuses with the personal arc of Dónal Lunny’s biographical journey, bringing the artist onto the big screen. It explores how pivotal moments in his creative and personal life intersected with major cultural, political and historical shifts in Ireland and across the world. The film also features rare and powerful performances, including a moving reunion with Christy Moore (Planxty, Moving Hearts).
Trad
Wednesday 8 April
We are delighted to be joined by director Lance Daly for a Q&A.
Winner of the Audience Award at the Galway Film Fleadh, Trad is a film about the value of tradition as much as it is about the need to deviate from it. Shona (Megan Nic Fhionnghaile) is a fiddle prodigy, but is pulling away from the confines of her mother and the local music scene in Donegal. A spark flies from a troupe of anarchic musicians (including Aidan Gillen) and she and her brother soon find themselves on a tour across Ireland’s rural clubs and pubs, a journey neither will forget.
From the director of Black ’47 Lance Daly, this is a film full of the pleasures of music and the invitation to our grandest selves it offers. Part road movie, part coming-of-age story, but playing very much its own tune, it features some brilliant musical turns as a star-making performance from Megan Nic Fhionnghaile.
North Circular
Wednesday 15 April
A powerful portrait of Dublin and its incredible musical heritage, North Circular is a must for anyone who wants to fall in love with Ireland’s capital and the bands taking reshaping the traditional music scene. Following the route of the North Circular road, it captures – in stunning black and white cinematography – a city at a crossroads. As well as moving folk music performances from some of Dublin’s best performers (including Lankum, Lisa O’Neill and John Francis Flynn) we hear the stories that hold communities together. Humane and honest, showing how place and culture are indivisible, North Circular is the perfect tribute to a gem of a city.