*Stockton’s Wing with Emma Langford.
BALLYCUGGERAN AND LABASHEEDA are to feature in a landmark international television production promoting contemporary Ireland through the medium of music and performance art.
On Easter Monday (April 18th), the second edition of ‘Ireland in Music’ will be broadcast as a one-hour TV show on RTÉ One at 6:30pm having just been beamed into homes across Australia and the United States.
Adare Manor and Navan Fort in Armagh are settings for some of the musical performances along with Labasheeda and Ballycuggeran.
Filmed last summer, Ballycuggeran on the shoreline of Lough Derg is the scene for a performance by Willzee and Luka Bloom. Labasheeda Pier and the surrounding Shannon Estuary hosts a performance of ‘Beautiful Affair’ by Ennis group Stockton’s Wing and Limerick singer-songwriter Emma Langford.
Other performers featured in the all-Ireland TV special include the Hothouse Flowers, Stephen Rea, Imelda May, Damien Dempsey, Villagers, Rónán Ó Snodaigh, Samantha Mumba, Shiv, Paddy Casey and Moxie.
The international TV version of ‘Ireland in Music’ features both Clare performances, which are also included in an extended programme to be made available on the RTÉ Player from Easter Monday. A one-hour edition of the programme to be broadcast on RTÉ One on Easter Monday will feature Ballycuggeran.
Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr PJ Ryan (IND) said the prominence of Clare in both film locations and musical performers was very positive. “This is an original and successful all-island initiative that celebrates music with strong heritage links to Irish culture set against some of the island’s most spectacular backdrops”.
With a total global viewership of five million, Ireland in Music Part 1 was a massive hit with audiences when first broadcast as a one-hour TV show on RTÉ One in 2021. It has since become an international hit broadcast on TV stations across 41 countries around the world and in 2022 has grown into a six-part TV show for global distribution.
Ireland in Music Part 2 is currently enjoying significant international success, with several TV broadcasts during the St Patrick’s Day period 2022 across Australia on SPS and in the United States on New York PBS station WLIW21 and the arts and culture streaming app and TV channel ALL ARTS.
According to Pat Dowling, Chief Executive of Clare County Council: “The international attention that this programme is receiving is wonderful for the promotion of Irish culture and Ireland as a tourism destination, particularly as we recover from the impacts of the pandemic over the past two years. Clare County Council is delighted to be able to join other local authorities in Donegal, Wicklow, Wexford, Limerick and Meath in part-funding this worthwhile initiative”.
Leonard Cleary, Director of Rural Development with Clare County Council, stated: “Showcasing contemporary Ireland and indeed the county of Clare in a way that also highlights our cultural traditions against the backdrop of stunning landscapes has proven to be a considerable national and international success”.
The project is produced by TradFest Temple Bar and Born Optimistic, and funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports & Media, Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland, Tourism Ireland NI, and the local authorities of Clare, Donegal, Wicklow, Wexford, Limerick and Meath, RTÉ and WNET.
