Cork filmmaker’s latest documentary, Ó Bhéal, charts the rise of Ireland’s hip-hop artists

Glasheen filmmaker Ciara Nic Chormaic’s latest documentary, Ó Bhéal, charts the rise of Ireland’s hip-hop artists and the cultural melting pot the genre represents.

When you think of the Irish music scene, hip-hop doesn’t instantly spring to mind, but it is gaining popularity and is a genre close to Nic Chormaic’s heart.

“I grew up listening to hip hop; it was very much part of my world in the 1990s, and I still listen to it today. I’m really into poetry, and hip-hop brings authenticity and poetry together.

“What I would have grown up listening to was very different to the style of hip hop now, and I am really interested in the music in the genre and the changing scene here in Ireland.”

It is that changing scene that made Nic Chormaic explore hip-hop from a different viewpoint.

“I started to notice these amazing movements that were happening, and I was aware of these pockets of rap scenes all across Ireland.

“I was working with someone who mentioned that Jennifer Healy, who produced Ó Bhéal, wanted to make a documentary about the rap scene, so we decided to work together.”

The filmmaker says she was fortunate to get funding from the ilDÁNA Award, which is a fund set up by the Arts Council of Ireland and TG4 to support creative documentaries filmed in the Irish language.

Nic Chormaic says her main aim was to focus on how hip-hop is changing and the growing number of artists rapping in the Irish language.

“The documentary focuses on four different artists, that would represent a moment in time that hip hop and electronic music are having now.

“Irish language hip-hop is on the rise, but whether the rap is in English or Irish, it reflects the Irish tradition of poetry, sean-nós, and folklore. It’s drawing on that and creating something new.

“I wanted to explore that through four different artists’ viewpoints.”

Seán ‘Mory’ Ó Muirgheasa and Oisín Mac rap in Irish, and represent the growing number of Irish people embracing our national language.

Limerick rapper Strange Boy uses rap to tell stories of his past and the difficulties facing many young people today.

Fehdah, who has Sierra Leonean heritage, fuses cultures and finds commonality between Ireland and Sierra Leone, representing Ireland’s growing diversity.

Last year, Nic Chormaic made Aisling Trí Néallaibh: Clouded Reveries, a critically acclaimed profile of Cork-based writer Doireann Ní Ghríofa.

The documentarian primarily works with one subject and says that shifting the emphasis to four people was an adjustment.

“I have never done an ensemble piece before. I know where I am going if the journey is with just one person, but with four people, you have to learn to balance your time with each one, but also you don’t want to overlap.

“You can’t have footage of each subject covering the same ground. Fortunately, each of the four had something different to contribute.

“I spent time with them, teasing out what I want to achieve.”

Hip-hop reflects society, and Nic Chormiac says Irish hip-hop is no different.

“Hip-hop represents changing culture and diversity, but it’s also about where we’ve come from.

“It looks at socialism and issues like the housing crisis. We touch on all these themes in the documentary and look at how, ultimately, music is like a saviour.”

While covid had many downsides, it did allow Nic Chormaic to spend more time getting to know the artists.

“Every time we tried to make a move to film them or film at a gig, the lockdowns would prevent us.

“Gigs would be cancelled or travel restricted, and while on another project it could have been terrible, it gave more time to tease things out and really understand the artists.”

The film is shot in black and white, but that was not the original intention, according to Nic Chormaic.

“It was originally in colour, but as I got to know the artists more, it made sense to film it in black and white. It is more cinematic and its more democratic.

“You’re looking at four different artists’ worlds, and black and white brings a cohesiveness to it.”

The film mixes interviews with footage from live performances and studio sessions.

There is a real sense of vibrancy during the performance elements, which Nic Chormaic says is vital for her to capture.

“The whole idea for me, with making these kinds of films, is exploring the artist’s process.

“I love to capture that as authentically as possible by not overly directing, but by being in the rehearsal room or at a gig and standing back.

“I have worked with Colm Hogan, the director of photography, for 20 years. We have a connection that allows us to pull back and watch the artist’s work.

“By doing that, we capture their connection to the music. That’s where the magic is for me.”

Ni Chormaic hopes the film will let people see the richness of Irish diversity and embrace the changes happening here.

“There are so many interesting things happening now with music, movies, and literature. There is this new confidence in general, and Irish hip-hop has that confidence.

“I’m hoping the film will open people’s eyes to this amazing art form as it evolves with our own culture.”

• Ó Bhéal is in cinemas now.