Wins Outstanding International Documentary Award at Newport Beach Film Festival

An Irish documentary, From that Small Island: The Story of the Irish, won a  major prestigious award at the Newport Beach International Film Festival, where it had its North American Premiere in October. 

The feature-length film, which received the Outstanding International Documentary Award, is about the history of the Irish people, from the first inhabitants to the present day, and their global diaspora.

Narrated by Colin Farrell, it traces the movement of people into and out of the island, exploring Irish identity, heritage, and its profound worldwide impact. 

The series covers a wide range of topics, from the earliest settlers to significant historical events and the modern-day global Irish population of over 80 million.

Filmed in 17 countries, the documentary highlights Irish influence and communities worldwide.

Created, written, and produced by New Ross native and Duncannon resident Bríona Nic Dhiarmada, the documentary was produced by Coco Content, one of Ireland’s most successful independent production companies. Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy directed it. 

Following the premiere in Newport,  other highly successful screenings took place in Chicago, New York, and Boston in early November. From that Small Island was also screened in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Dubai, and Doha in September. 

The four-part TV series was screened by RTÉ, Ireland’s national service broadcaster, in June and is currently showing on SBS, one of Australia’s leading public service network broadcasters. 

It has also been adopted by 95 percent of the top APT/PBS stations in the U.S., including the primary stations in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

It will begin transmission in January.

Cartlann Christy Moore

Irish Traditional Music Archive and TG4 release new documentary on 80 years of the life, music and personal collections of Christy Moore.

For more than 50 years, Christy Moore’s music has reverberated throughout the world. A legendary singer, collector, storyteller, and activist, the songs that he sings help to tell the story of Ireland – the good and bad, the triumphs and hardships.

After turning 80, Christy Moore has donated his entire personal collection to the Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) in Dublin. This collection contains a vast store of rare manuscripts, recordings, letters, setlists, and unseen lyrics that open a window into a creative spirit and social conscience that has shaped generations.

Cartlann Christy Moore, a new documentary from ITMA and TG4 (the Irish language station), uses these collections to explore the life and music of Christy at a level never captured before. Directed by Ciarán Ó Maonaigh (Brendan Gleeson’s Farewell to Hughes’, Sé Mo Laoch), the film features new interviews and recordings of Christy, along with contributions from some of Ireland’s best-known artists. 

“I love the idea of my songs being in the archive and some young person in Australia or America, Clare or Belfast, being able to go on a website and get the words and hear the tune and the melody and have the chords,” says Christy Moore. “Songs have a power within them to draw us in, affect us, and cause us to go forward with laughter, or to shed a tear, or to stand up and be counted. Those things are what make great songs.”

“Encountering Christy Moore and his personal collections, I was struck by the sheer vastness of his output over almost 60 years,” says director Ciarán Ó Maonaigh. “Countless songs and melodies that are ingrained into our consciousness as Irish people. His focus, energy, and all-out commitment to song were fascinating and awesome to behold.”

“It is a tremendous honor that Christy Moore is placing his trust in ITMA to illuminate his artistic philosophy, his deep gratitude to those who preserved songs before him, and to inspire younger generations to continue composing in the traditional ballad form he has mastered,” says ITMA CEO Liam O’Connor.

Cartlann Christy Moore will premiere on TG4 at 22:10 on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2025.