Central City Media are delighted to announce Irish Music documentary The Job of Songs will be available on digital download from 25th September. The film was awarded "Best International Documentary" at Galway Film Fleadh (2022).
The Job of Songs is produced by Lila Schmitz, Fengyi Xu, and Anika Kan Grevstad. It is an intimate film about the musicians of County Clare. Tourists flock to the west coast of Ireland to take in the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher, but the real treasure lies in the soulful, acoustic sounds wafting out of pubs and living rooms of the unspoiled coastal village of Doolin. Travelers from around the world gather in the local pubs to hear the traditional Irish music, which threads through the generations creating community, connection, and joy. But things are changing: facing rapid modernization at the hands of tourism, confronting depression and mental health issues, and grappling with a history of colonization and oppression, the people of Doolin turn to music to find solace.
Christy Barry shares the rich history of place and music, while lamenting the changes that tourism so quickly brings to this idyllic village. Luka Bloom seeks a legacy, while passing his adoration of music on to his sister Anne Rynne and friend Kieran O’Connell. Christy McNamara captures the area’s history in photographs, while passing on the musical tradition to the next generation. Katie Theasby longs to vitalize her music yet struggles with self-doubt, single motherhood, and depression. Each of them grapples with their own demons: fighting their fears of putting themselves out there, coping with the changes that tourism has brought to their community, and dreaming of writing the next ballad that will fill the pubs for hundreds of years.
Music has the power to bring people together. In an age where everything is speeding up in life and everything is instant, we’re missing the person that walks right in front of us. We’re lonely and we don’t know why. We’re depressed and we don’t see a solution. In this community of musicians, the artists explore what it means to exist in the old music, the long-standing tradition, and find community through the strumming of a guitar, beating of a bodhran, or sharing of a song.
The Job of Songs will be available on UK Digital Download from 25th September
The Job of Songs is produced by Lila Schmitz, Fengyi Xu, and Anika Kan Grevstad. It is an intimate film about the musicians of County Clare. Tourists flock to the west coast of Ireland to take in the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher, but the real treasure lies in the soulful, acoustic sounds wafting out of pubs and living rooms of the unspoiled coastal village of Doolin. Travelers from around the world gather in the local pubs to hear the traditional Irish music, which threads through the generations creating community, connection, and joy. But things are changing: facing rapid modernization at the hands of tourism, confronting depression and mental health issues, and grappling with a history of colonization and oppression, the people of Doolin turn to music to find solace.
Christy Barry shares the rich history of place and music, while lamenting the changes that tourism so quickly brings to this idyllic village. Luka Bloom seeks a legacy, while passing his adoration of music on to his sister Anne Rynne and friend Kieran O’Connell. Christy McNamara captures the area’s history in photographs, while passing on the musical tradition to the next generation. Katie Theasby longs to vitalize her music yet struggles with self-doubt, single motherhood, and depression. Each of them grapples with their own demons: fighting their fears of putting themselves out there, coping with the changes that tourism has brought to their community, and dreaming of writing the next ballad that will fill the pubs for hundreds of years.
Music has the power to bring people together. In an age where everything is speeding up in life and everything is instant, we’re missing the person that walks right in front of us. We’re lonely and we don’t know why. We’re depressed and we don’t see a solution. In this community of musicians, the artists explore what it means to exist in the old music, the long-standing tradition, and find community through the strumming of a guitar, beating of a bodhran, or sharing of a song.
The Job of Songs will be available on UK Digital Download from 25th September
Category
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Short filmTranscript
00:00 [Waves crashing]
00:11 The magic of the West of Ireland is the time.
00:14 It's the time that you've spent with yourself,
00:19 sitting down at the pier, watching the day go by,
00:24 taking the time to come back in and sit and wait
00:28 for the music to begin.
00:30 Very good evening to you all.
00:34 You're listening to Claire FM,
00:36 and it's Friday night's West Wind.
00:38 I'm Owen Neil, with you for the next two hours.
00:40 We'll start off with lively music.
00:42 Wouldn't it be great to write something
00:46 that's going to be around for the next 400, 500 years?
00:50 Musicians are very sensitive creatures,
00:55 but artists are always hiding something, aren't they?
00:58 I'd go out and I'd be the life and soul of the party.
01:03 You know, in the end, I'd go home and it would just be quiet.
01:09 It's a very lonely place.
01:15 If we didn't have the music, I don't know how we'd cope.
01:24 When we were conquered by the English,
01:27 we lost our language.
01:29 But the music carries on.
01:31 Music isn't as important as I'm saying,
01:40 but without it we have nothing.
01:42 Nothing.
01:44 [cheers and applause]
01:47 [cheers and applause]
01:50 [cheers and applause]
01:53 [cheers and applause]
01:56 (applause)