The annual music industry award took place in Dublin’s Vicar St on March 3rd, when For Those I Love, the musical project of David Balfe, scooped the Album of the Year prize. For Those I Love is an emotional tribute to Balfe’s late friend, spoken word artist Paul Curran. This highlights programme is presented by Bláthnaid Treacy and will feature performances from such shortlisted acts as Soda Blonde, Mick Flannery & Susan O’Neill and Orla Gartland. The €10,000 grand prize was provided by the Irish Rights Music Organisation (Imro) and the Irish Recorded Music Association (Irma).
Steps of Freedom: The Story of Irish Dance
Sunday, BBC Four, 8pm
This documentary, which RTÉ screened in December, answers the question: how did little ol’ Irish dancing end up conquering this great big world? This cinematic documentary traces the footsteps of Irish dancing from local hallas in the heart of the country to becoming a global entertainment phenomenon, and though the blurb doesn’t explicitly mention the R word, the programme sets out to show that there’s more to Irish dancing than Riverdance. We learn that Irish dancing evolved over 2,000 years, bringing in elements from other cultures along the way, and that it is taught in more than 60 countries. We also get a sense of the sheer speed, grace and athleticism of Irish dancing via specially choreographed performances by a line-up of dancers that includes Jean Butler, Donnie Golden, Edwina Guckian, Jonathan Kelleher, Stephanie Keane, Morgan Bullock and Siobhan Manson. The programme also features music from Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Liam Ó Maonlaí, Cormac Begley, Steve Cooney and Rhiannon Giddens.
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