Blindboy on a journey into Irish christianity in new documentary
However, the avowed non-believer sets himself an unusual task in a new documentary this week, when he decides to explore the origins and evolution of early Irish Christianity, hermits, saints and monasteries, to try and find out who they were, what motivated them, and what they did.
The result of his spiritual journey - a fresh perspective on early Christianity in Ireland - can be seen in Blindboy: The Land Of Slaves And Scholars on RTÉ1 on Thursday at 10.15pm.
David Chambers, known by his professional pseudonym Blindboy Boatclub, is a satirist, musician, podcaster, author, and TV presenter from Limerick.
He is best known as one-half of the comedy hip-hop group The Rubberbandits, who wear plastic shopping bags as masks to conceal their identities
With input from experts, in the new documentary, Blindboy interrogates Ireland’s early medieval history, laying bare the treasures of Ireland for all to see, from ancient stone circles to the Skellig Islands and back.
Guided by a soundtrack composed by Blindboy himself, the documentary asks: What did Irish Christian missionaries, hermits, and monasteries contribute to the Irish writing tradition, a question the presenter is particularly interested in.
This lyrical and inimitable documentary is a confluence of enthralling storytelling and input from experts, and interrogates our early medieval history with a light touch - the tickle of a feather on its toe.
A visual feast, it lays bare the treasures of Ireland for all to see. We’ll soar above ancient stone circles to the Skellig Islands, all uided by a tender soundtrack composed by Blindboy, and inspired by Vangelis, Ennio Morricone, and Enya.
The documentary was filmed throughout Ireland, from Nendrum Monastery on the shores of Strangford Lough, to the Skelligs off the coast of Kerry.
The programme visits sites of worship as diverse as the cave in Roscommon that Halloween emerged from, to the major monasteries that made Ireland a cultural power in the Middle Ages, talking to historians, storytellers, psychologists and calligraphers.
App?
