S5E10: Luke McManus – Filming the Song of a Dublin Road

Join us on a stroll along North Circular Road from Phoenix Park to the Dublin Docklands with our guide Luke McManus, the documentary filmmaker of the award-winning North Circular which opens in New York City on July 28th.Rendered in graphic black & white over a soundtrack of local North Circular musicians, the film gives voice to narratives from the history of the city and nation, from colonialism to mental health, from women’s liberation to the battle to save the legendary folk revival venue the Cobblestone Pub from thewrecking ball.Growing up in Bray, the home of Ardmore Studios, Luke recounts that first moment he realized that he was a director, why Humphrey Bogart holds sucha lofty position in his pantheon of film greats, and the many ways to make a living in film.Co-host John Lee diverts him into a conversation about horse racing which Luke explored in his film about the legendary ‘chaser Arkle and his TV series on the women in the sport, Jump Girls. Martin Nutty gets Luke talking about Crainn na hÉireann (The Trees of Ireland), the documentary series he did with past guest   Manchán Magan .But the centerpiece of the episode is North Circular, where Luke celebrates the beauty in urban grit, the serendipity found along the street, the juxtaposition of squatters and the shadows of skyscraping construction cranes, and the expressive power of music to honor the tragic and celebrate the spirit, all ending on an exuberant high note provided by Irish women in music and sport.Step off with us on our trek through North Circular with Luke McManus LinksWebsitesNorth Circular - Film websiteLuke McManus - Personal siteLuke McManus - VimeoLuke's Social MediaLinkedInTwitterInstagramSend us Fan Mail