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Unleashing the Olagón

The ancient Irish folktale Táin Bó Cúailnge and its musical and poetical retelling

The ancient Irish legend Táin Bó Cúailnge is a tale of greed, envy and hubris which has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. At the centre of it is the Olagón - a cry of anguish from deep within.

Best selling author Colm Tóibín meets the international artists who have come together for the premier of the retelling of The Táin, and how, through poetry, music and an ancient singing style, they reimagine and retell the story as a commentary on modern day Ireland

He meets Pulitzer Prize winning poet Muldoon, Ó’Lionáird, the lead singer of The Gloaming and master of the ancient sean-nós style of singing, who made a cameo in the film version of Tóibín’s novel Brooklyn, and American composer Dan Trueman who has put the rich and varied themes of Olagón to music, along with the four-time GRAMMY award-winning Chicago sextet Eighth Blackbird.

As they put the last touches to the piece at Princeton University, Colm explores with the cast the reasons they are retelling this tale. What does this tale of an epic battle and tragic outcome tell us about Ireland now?

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Tue 20 Mar 2018 23:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Tue 20 Mar 2018 00:32GMT
  • Tue 20 Mar 2018 03:32GMT
  • Tue 20 Mar 2018 04:32GMT
  • Tue 20 Mar 2018 05:32GMT
  • Tue 20 Mar 2018 11:32GMT
  • Tue 20 Mar 2018 21:32GMT
  • Tue 20 Mar 2018 23:32GMT