As reported last year the BBC commissioned Brian for another series of six shows before transmission of the first series had even begun. Brian was busy over the summer filming around Ireland: From Galway Bay to the Glens of Antrim, he set out on an amazing journey of Irish song.
From ‘The Wild Colonial Boy’ to ‘In The Gloaming’, ‘The Minstrel Boy’ to ‘The Rose of Tralee’, Brian and his guests uncover some of the mysteries surrounding their origins while others share personal memories and thoughts about the songs.
The great news is BBC N Ireland have confirmed the series will again be aired on Friday nights. Tune in from Friday 20th February at 10.35pm. I believe Sky Digital and some cable viewers can also receive BBC N. Ireland. Good to see that it is being broadcast a little further a field.
In the first programme, Brian travels to Portstewart, Wicklow, Cullybackey and the Sally Gap chatting to Jimmy Kennedy Jnr, son of the late, great Jimmy Kennedy. Part of the programme pays tribute to the legendary Omagh-born songwriter, who, during his long and illustrious career, wrote over 2,000 songs including ‘Red Sails In The Sunset’, recorded by everyone from Bing Crosby to Nat King Cole and The Platters.
The series also features performances from Eddi Reader, The Celtic Tenors, Finbar Furey, Eric Bogle, Juliet Turner and Ralph McTell, with further contributions from Phil Coulter, Fergal Keane, Denis Taylor, Louis Walsh, Roy Walker, Gay Byrne, Dolores Keane, Marie Jones, James Galway, Paddy Moloney, Patrick Kielty and BBC Newsline’s Donna Traynor.
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