In the late 1940s, Texan song-collector Alan Lomax had a dream to record and preserve the music of the world. He began that mission in Ireland. His aim was to preserve a musical tradition valued by few Irish people. He wrote: “The last notes of the old, high and beautiful Irish civilization are dying away. A civilization which produced an epic, lyrical and musical literature as noble as any in the world.” Twenty years later, his recordings helped inspire the 1970s revival of Irish music by bands such as Planxty, The Bothy Band and Clannad. Lomax in Éirinn features some of the best archive recordings made by Alan Lomax throughout the world. It also includes exclusive performances from contemporary artists performing music that Lomax preserved, including Steve Earle, Clannad, Slow Moving Clouds, The Tulla Ceilí Band and Nell Ní Chróinín. The screening will be followed by a Q&A, with some music from Moya and Pól Brennan from Clannad.
