New film shows the ancient roots to traditional heritage
DROGHEDA’S hosting of the largest, and arguably the most successful, Fleadh in the festival’s history was no fluke.
The centuries-old roots of traditional music, dance, poetry and singing in the town grow deep, a fact which is highlighted in a new feature-length documentary from a local director.
“Drogheda’s Trad Roots” is a local first of its kind documentary from Seán Ó Cearrúlláin, showcasing and celebrating traditional Irish culture, heritage and arts in our historical town from the last 100 years.
“Drogheda is not generally linked to the traditional Irish culture, well, certainly not in the public domain anyway,” says Sean, who runs SkyHigh Productions.
“North Louth would be more well-known, with a lot of prominent singers, songwriters and musicians, and I felt we were somewhat overlooked, and wanted to showcase the history and wealth of talent we have here.”
The documentary features personal interviews and sharing of memories with some of our town’s most prominent and influential people involved with Trad: whether it be dance, music, song, poetry or language.
Running to 105 minutes, the feature length film that gives an all-encompassing perspective of Trad in our locality stemming back to the 19th century and coming full circle to today’s 21st century modern Drogheda.
“I was lucky to be able to talk to some of the most important people on the local scene, with memories and experiences from people like Stuart Carolan sharing fond memories of his late grandmother, the wonderful Mary Ann Carolan from Tinure,” adds Sean, whose own family have their roots in trad.
“I’ve also got a special interview with the family of the late Roger Ryan who reignited Trad in the town back in the 50’s; with a young musician called Oisín Dillon, from Bettystown, who now travels the world playing and singing Trad; the Brannigan Sisters sharing their memories of growing up in the Trad circle and how it has benefited their lives, plus an interview with Tony Walsh, an Uilleann Piper originally from Lusk who now resides in Drogheda and enjoys participating in the Slow Sessions at Drogheda Comhaltas.”
Of course, Sean also hears from Lolo Robinson, largely responsible for bringing the Fleadh to Drogheda for two years, sharing memories of her journey in Irish Dance and the impact it has had on the youth of the town.
The film was a labour of love for Sean, who received no funding for the project and shot over 16 hours of footage!
“I have enough for an entire series and recorded some amazing live music tracks that I would eventually love to release too,” he says.
“The film has something for everyone to be shared far and wide, showcasing our local pride to be uniquely Irish, and uniquely from Drogheda, so I hope as many people as possible will watch and enjoy.”
Visit www.shpcreativemedia.com/trad to watch “Drogheda’s Trad Roots.