TV: A unique view of Christy Moore at 80

For more than 50 years, Christy Moore’s music has reverberated throughout the world.

A legendary singer, collector, storyteller and activist, his work helps to tell the story of Ireland — the good and bad, the triumphs and hardships.

After turning 80, Moore has donated his entire personal collection to the Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) in Dublin, and we find out more about the move in the documentary Cartlann Christy Moore on TG4 on New Year’s Eve at 10.10pm.

This collection contains a vast store of rare manuscripts, recordings, letters, set lists and unseen lyrics that open a window into a creative spirit and social conscience that has shaped generations.

The documentary uses these collections to explore the life and music of Christy at a level never captured before.

Directed by Ciarán Ó Maonaigh, 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.

“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.

“His countless songs and melodies have become engrained into our consciousness as Irish people.”