Join us for FREE lunchtime screenings of films from the IFI Irish Film Archive.

This year’s One City One Book choice – If Ever You Go: A Map of Dublin in Poetry and Song inspires a richly varied programme of films about Dublin poets and poetry in our two strands, Archive at Lunchtime and From the Vaults.  

April’s Archive at Lunchtime weekend slot will present longer documentary profiles. 

Sé Merry Doyle will introduce this screening.

Sé Merry Doyle’s ‘Alive Alive O – A Requiem For Dublin’ journeys deep into the psyche of Dublin Street Traders and chronicles how an extraordinary culture becomes increasingly overshadowed by the scourge of heroin, the closing of marketplaces and a city that has sold its soul.

Shot in stages over many years, the documentary includes glimpses of a young U2 as they play a concert in Sheriff Street; the young maverick Tony Gregory at the time of his imprisonment for his support for the Moore Street Traders; the destruction of Sean McDermott Street and Gardner Street, as they make way for shiny new office blocks.

Central to the film is the portrayal of the staunch character and true-grit of the inner-city “Dub”, which is enhanced by the haunting narrative of poet Paula Meehan and the voice of Frank Harte as he sings some of Dublin’s best known traditional ballads.

Featuring the poetry of Paula Meehan: Alive Alive O: A Requiem for Dublin

FILM INFO: (52 minutes, 2001, Director Sé Merry Doyle)

As part of Once City One Book, the IFI will host a significant Archive at Lunchtime series in April which includes four programmes, along with another four longer documentary profiles held over the weekends. Click here for a full list of our free archive events.

Simply book your FREE seat by contacting the IFI Box Office on 01 679 3477 or emailing boxoffice@irishfilm.ie (given that events can sell out, please note that your emailed booking requests must be confirmed by reply email from the Box Office in order to be considered valid).