“As lovingly assembled as a sonnet.”
Ireland take on Portugal tonight in a World Cup qualifier that, let’s be brutally honest here, we’re probably not going to win.
Don’t get me wrong, it could happen. I want it to happen. I don’t think it will happen.
The point is, Ireland has pulled off incredible feats before and if you find yourself in need of a reminder of this right around the time that the match begins to look a bit unassailable (look, I’m applying reverse-psychology, don’t get mad) it might prove a good idea to switch over to TG4 at 9.30pm.
Why? Because the channel is airing a documentary about the late, great Seamus Heaney and it sounds like a very good one indeed.
An intimate examination of the Nobel Prize-winning poet, Seamus Heaney – The Music of What Happens first aired on BBC Two in late 2019 and was quickly met with critical acclaim, with The Guardian describing it as both “a beautiful film” and “a long, loving tribute” to Heaney and his work.
The Telegraph, meanwhile, called the film “a gentle portrait of a poet who touched a nation”, while the Radio Times noted that the documentary is “as lovingly assembled as a sonnet”.
Clip via TOIRISHFILMFEST
Any good documentary dives deep beneath the surface and there’s plenty to examine when it comes to the life and times of Seamus Heaney.
As such, The Music of What Happens explores Heaney’s upbringing amid a farming family in rural Northern Ireland in addition to a career that coincided with and was undoubtedly hugely affected by the Troubles.
The film features interviews with Heaney’s wife Marie and his children recorded six years after his death in 2013. In addition, Heaney’s four brothers are present to discuss their childhood and shared experiences with the revered writer and poet.
Seamus Heaney – The Music of What Happens is on TG4 tonight – Wednesday, 1 September at 9.30pm
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