Queen's Film Theatre

Traditional Music on Screen Queen's University Belfast Fleadh Programme As part of the campus-wide Fleadh at Queen's celebrations, a free exhibition will take place at Queen's Film Theatre (QFT), offering visitors a unique opportunity to explore traditional music through the lens of film and archive. Drawing on the rich resources of Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film Archive, the exhibition presents rare and fascinating footage that captures traditional music, musicians and cultural life from decades past, allowing audiences to experience the tradition in a completely new way. Explore the Archive Through historic film recordings and archival material, visitors can discover: Traditional musicians and performers from previous generations Rare footage from communities across Northern Ireland Historical perspectives on music, culture and everyday life Unique audiovisual records of Ireland's living traditions The exhibition provides a compelling insight into how traditional music has been documented, preserved and shared through moving image. Part of a Wider Fleadh at Queen's Programme Alongside the exhibition, Queen's University Belfast will host a wide range of Fleadh-related activities throughout the week, including: Film screenings Exhibitions Talks and discussions Cultural events and performances For full programme details, visit: https://www.qub.ac.uk/events/fleadh Discover traditional music through the archives and experience Ireland's cultural heritage from a fresh perspective at Queen's Film Theatre.

Blending ‘fictional’ re-creation, archive footage and musical performance, Pat Collins’ film about traditional Irish singer Joe Heaney is no conventional biopic. Like Collins’ acclaimed Silence, Song of Granite is both audacious and perfectly accessible as it chronicles Heaney’s life from boyhood in 1940s Connemara to fame and further exile in North America, from the mid-1960s to his death. The harsh landscape combined with the myths, fables and songs of his Connemara childhood helped shape this complex and fascinating character. Enigmatic and complex, Heaney’s devotion to his art came at huge personal cost. Featuring performances from Lisa O'Neill, Damien Dempsey, Seamus Begley and sean nós singers Micheál O'Confhaola and Pól Ó Ceannabháin, the film is an intense exploration of music and song.

Ian Lynch, Ye Vagabonds and The Henry Girls create interpretations of songs from the Inishowen Song Project, Donegal. When singers Ian Lynch (Lankum), Ye Vagabonds and The Henry Girls are invited to create their own interpretations of songs from the Inishowen Song Project, the audience is invited into a vast collection of local singers and songs, documented over 40 years from within the community itself. Framed within the stunning landscape of this area of north Donegal, these new performances, atmospheric archival recordings, and interviews with key community figures, demonstrate how songs pass from singer to singer, while also asking the question of why we sing. This screening will be introduced by director Bob Gallagher.

Belfast-born director Kathryn Ferguson charts Sinéad OʼConnorʼs phenomenal rise to worldwide fame in the award-winning Nothing Compares. Focusing on O’Connor’s prophetic words and deeds from 1987 to 1993, the film presents an authoritative, richly cinematic portrait of this fearless artist through a contemporary feminist lens. Underpinned by an interview with Sinéad herself, in which she reflects on events in her own words, Ferguson's doc is innovative and boundary-pushing and shines a new light on O'Connor’s artistry, impact and legacy. After the screening, director Kathryn Ferguson will be in conversation with Film Hub NI's Sara Gunn-Smith as they explore Sinead's contribution to Irish music and cultural impact beyond the hits. Part of the Naughton Gallery’s SCREEN/PRINT series in collaboration with QFT and UsFolk, through which illustrators are commissioned to create new posters for films which have inspired or influenced their practices. Attendees will receive a free poster by Irish illustrator Fiona McDonnell.

Soul singer Dana Masters traces the story of Ottilie Patterson, who for a dazzling few years in the late 1950s and early 1960s was the rising star of British popular music. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, County Down-born Ottilie Patterson was the rising star of British jazz and blues music. As an acclaimed singer with the Chris Barber Band, she and the band were at the forefront of the Trad Jazz scene packing out jazz clubs all around Britain, and relentlessly touring Europe and America. Soul singer Dana Masters recounts the story of the "Godmother of British blues" Ottilie Patterson from her beginning in Muddy Water's blues club in Chicago, her time as the acclaimed singer with the Chris Barber Band to her sudden disappearance from the music industry.

This new feature documentary tells the story of the master piper from his work with Irish supergroup, Planxty, to his groundbreaking orchestral work in The Brendan Voyage. The film explores Liam’s remarkable reputation as a musician, revealing his extraordinary relationship with the most mystical instrument in the Irish canon – the Uilleann pipes. An inherited tradition, Liam’s deep understanding and mastery of his instrument brought the unique sound to the wider world – to the ears of many for the first time. Interviews with his wife Jane and their friends reveal the thoughtful and private man away from the stage – a man who had a deep affinity with the Irish landscape, and a special love of horses. Featuring Irish musical icons, such as Christy Moore, Dónal Lunny and Andy Irvine, as well as international musicians Mark Knopfler, Ralph McTell and Donovan.

An access all areas look at the life and career of renowned accordion virtuoso Sharon Shannon, featuring esteemed collaborators and exclusive behind-the-scenes moments from her gigs. From humble beginnings in rural county Clare to sold out venues in Tokyo, Sharon’s remarkable story and career-defining moments are highlighted, including her time with The Waterboys, her record breaking 1991 self-titled debut album, her role in A Woman’s Heart and the unexpected global success of Galway Girl. Along the way, friends and collaborators help tell her story with contributions from Adam Clayton, Imelda May, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Mike Scott, Paul Brady, Steve Earle, Francis Black, Donal Lunny, Mary Coughlin, Lisa Canny and Mundy. Tradfluencer is a tribute to a musician who has spent a lifetime bringing people together through the universal language of music. It’s a celebration of a living legacy still unfolding as Sharon continues to inspire new audiences around the globe, redefining what traditional Irish music can be in a modern world.

A teenager in recession hit 1980s Dublin tries to adjust to a new way of life and impress a mysterious girl by starting his own band in John Carney's brilliant toe-tapping Irish comedy. After Once and Begin Again, John Carney returns to Ireland for the third of his musical stories. Young Dubliner Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) is struggling to adapt to a new school until he meets the beautiful and super-cool Raphina (Lucy Boynton). In an effort to impress her he joins a band, finding he has an unexpected flair for songwriting. Before long he’s reinvented as ‘Cosmo’, the star-turn for a flamboyant synth-pop act, and becomes fully immersed in a world of music that transcends all his other family problems.