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Director
Arthur McCaig
Credits
Producer: Arthur McCaig
Category
Documentary
A Song for Ireland is one of eight documentaries made in Northern Ireland by Irish-American filmmaker Arthur MacCaig. It traces a history of Ireland through music and explores how the nation’s musical heritage has been influenced by its long and tumultuous political struggle, one in which music and rebel songs became cultural weapons in its anti-colonial resistance. The film uses archival footage to chronicle key points in Irish history – the 1916 Rising; the birth of the Civil Rights movement in Northern Ireland in 1969; the IRA hunger strikes in 1981 and the unfolding of the peace process in 2001 – interweaving interviews with, and performances by, Irish and Irish-American musicians. Filmed in Derry, Belfast and New York City, A Song for Ireland features music from Chris Byrne, Declan McLaughlin, Eileen Webster, Pol McAdaim, Maria Cahill, and the Wolfe Tones. Brendan ‘Bik’ McFarlane, an IRA leader imprisoned during the Eighties, and later a composer and singer, performs a number of songs with the group Tuan and discusses the historical and political roots of Irish music. Notes by Sunniva O'Flynn
55 minutes, Northern Ireland, 2001, Colour
ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH 16:00, 20:55
BALTIMORE 18:30
IO CAPITANO 13:20
JEANNE DU BARRY 13:10, 18:10
PERFECT DAYS 13:30
THAT THEY MAY FACE THE RISING SUN 15:40, 20:45
THAT THEY MAY FACE THE RISING SUN Q&A (PREVIEW) 18.30
THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE 20:40
THE ZONE OF INTEREST 16:10
The IFI is supported by The Arts Council