June 6th

‘Brightly Smile and Sweetly Sing’ is a collection of one-off documentaries on the history, culture and poetry of Ireland. They include a look at the extraordinary work of The Book of Kells from the middle ages as well as a film on the unknown story of African American slave Frederick Douglass and his escape to Ireland in 1840 that fortified his spirit in his fight to end slavery.

Also a work on contemporary poet Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill who writes her haunting and other-worldly poems in Irish.

Each film segment is introduced by a special guest and presenter who will give a short but informative background talk into that part of Irish history and culture.