Story of a Song review: Delve into the ballad Grace falls short of filling us in on its afterlife
Rod Stewart
, that is) has had on Grace, the maudlin
1916 Rising
ballad which has undergone a remarkable resurgence since the rasping rocker started belting it out at his concerts.
Stewart has talked a great deal about how Grace has yanked at his heartstrings – on the
Late Late Show
several years ago, he spent practically the entire interview wiping away tears.
But there is more to the tune than a sobbing classic rocker, and the tale of Grace and its rebirth receives a more origin-focused, less Rod-centric retelling in the first episode of the latest season of Aistear an Amhráin (
RTÉ
One, 7pm, Tuesday).
The informative documentary series traces the evolution of well-loved songs. A run time of just 30 minutes leaves little space for mucking about and Sinéad Ní Churnáin cracks on from the outset by rewinding to 1916 and the love affair between Grace Gifford and Joseph Mary Plunkett, as recounted in the lyrics of Grace. They were the doomed couple who tied the knot hours before Plunkett was marched before a British firing squad for his part in the Easter Rising.
READ MORE
Plunkett was executed at Kilmainham Gaol, where singer Aoife Scott performs several lines from the song (a favourite of Olympic boxer
Kellie Harrington
). 'There is a very particular atmosphere here,' Scott says. 'I felt these vibrations in the walls. It was very strange. That's why so many people visit Kilmainham Gaol.'
Joseph Mary Plunkett was a signatory of the Proclamation
Grace is often assumed to have dated from the early 20th century, but, as Ní Churnáin reveals, it was written in the 1980s, a boom-time for dewy-eyed ballads bashed out by hairy Irish folk singers. In this case, the hairy folk singer was Jim McCann, who received the tune, with thanks, from Frank and Seán O'Meara, songwriting siblings from Mullingar, Co Westmeath.
'Jim McCann was over the moon,' says Frank, who wrote the melody and who plays back a grainy early recording that is far jauntier than the version Stewart has belted out across the world for several years.
The idea for writing about Gifford and Plunkett came to Seán after he was asked to rustle up a hit to order. Though aware of Plunkett, he knew little of Gifford until delving into her story. 'I may not have known before I did the research what Grace's name was,' he says.
As a sort of idiot's guide to Stewart's favourite Irish weepy, Aistear an Amhráin ticks the boxes. Still, it would have been useful to hear more about the track's afterlife. For instance, how is it that former senator
Donie Cassidy
reportedly came to hold the copyright to Grace? And how much is it worth?
Such details would have helped the viewer better appreciate the impact of Grace and reveal something we didn't already know (most of the audience are surely familiar with the story of Gifford). How, for that matter, did Stewart come upon it?
You wanted to dive deeper into the story of Grace and its incredible recent renaissance, but, for all its good work, Aistear an Amhráin didn't go far enough in filling in the blanks.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
5 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Sad to see him go' – GAA fans emotional seeing Michael D Higgins attend last men's All-Ireland final as President
GAA fans felt a twinge of sadness at Michael D Higgins conducting his presidential duties for the last time before a men's All-Ireland final. Viewers nationwide reacted to him being escorted out to shake the hand of every starting player 2 He was accompanied onto the Croke Park pitch by GAA President Jarlath Burns Credit: @TheSundayGame 2 Captain Gavin White was outstanding from start to finish for Kerry The 84-year-old has served in the role since 2011 so he's become part of the furniture on big sporting occasions such as All-Ireland final matchdays. Whomever succeeds him in November will have big shoes to fill in spite of his diminutive stature. The former Labour TD's enjoyed widespread popularity despite being arguably the most outspoken President in the history of the state. The broad sense that he's been an excellent representative for the country on the national and international stage was reflected in the replies to RTE clipping his last walk-out before a men's decider. Read More On GAA Aón labelled him: "A national treasure." Similarly, Karen hailed: "Sorry to see him go. A great President of Ireland." Rosemary added: "Brilliant President, he has represented our country brilliantly." Lastly, another Karen commented: "Well done true great president Michael D Higgins great president of Ireland. "A true leader he was and we will sadly miss him as he steps down. Our Irish president well done for everything you've done for our country." His last men's showpiece was the first one played under the new rules that have revitalised Gaelic football as a spectacle across the 2025 inter-county season. Most read in GAA Football The full-time scoreline demonstrated that this another match where attacking play was encouraged and allowed to flourish as the Kingdom It was the FIFTH time manager Jack O'Connor has led his county to the promised land. Cork hurlers catch strays during Jack O'Connor's triumphant RTE interview after Kerry outclass Donegal Afterwards he gave a passionate interview reflecting on their year as a whole - and inadvertently The 64-year-old branded it a "tough ole year" as he cited But the veteran boss noted that he sensed a good feeling off his players throughout the morning in the lead-up to He also pinpointed CORK CALL-OUT It was when recalling something he said during the interval that the inadvertent jibe at O'Connor said bluntly: "I think that two-pointer was a massive score by David. That was a massive fill-up at half-time to put us up by seven. "Then we said to each other in the dressing room that what happened to Cork last weekend wasn't going to happen to us. "We were going to come out and play and try to win the second half. And we did win the second half by three points so overall two good halves." O'Connor's was the only eye-catching post-match interview either as a pumped-up Paudie Clifford
Irish Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Line of Duty star hails ‘elite' David Clifford as a ‘joy to watch'
Actor Martin Compston was blown away by David Clifford's first-half performance in the All-Ireland final, hailing the Kerry forward's 'elite' showing against Donegal. Line of Duty actor Compston joined a string of celebrities which included comedian Kayleigh Trappe as he featured on the BBC's coverage of this afternoon's All-Ireland final. Clifford was sensational in the first-half, racking up seven points, the last of which was a sensational two-pointer right on the hooter after a long spell of possession from the Kingdom. At the interval, Compston - who played professional soccer before becoming an actor - was asked what might be going through the Donegal players' heads at half-time, to which he responded: "Your man Clifford is a joy to watch, he genuinely is elite level. "There's just some times when you need to get out of your own head. Simple ones Murphy would normally stick away (He missed) and you're thinking like 'it's just not going to be your day.' "But you just need to get that out of your head and keep going." Clifford's score on the stroke of half-time made it a seven point game at the break and put Kerry just 35 minutes away from a first All-Ireland in three years and a 39th in their history.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Coalition warned against diluting contentious Occupied Territories Bill
The Government will be warned not to allow the potential for legal challenges to be used as an excuse to water down the legislation known as the Occupied Territories Bill . The Oireachtas foreign affairs committee will this week publish its report on a proposal to ban trade with illegally occupied territories in Palestine. The report, finalised on Friday, is understood to recommend widening the legislation to include a ban on services as well as goods. There have been stark warnings from business lobby groups that such a measure could damage the Republic's trading relationship with the US and cause economic harm to Irish businesses and households. The Occupied Territories Bill is now undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny Listen | 41:13 The committee will tell the Government to model the ban on trade with illegal settlements in Palestine on 2014 trade restrictions with Russia regarding illegally occupied territories in Ukraine. The committee, chaired by Fianna Fáil TD John Lahart , which did not have statistics on the volume of trade in services between the State and illegally occupied territories, will call on Minister for Trade Simon Harris to collate and publish such information. It will also tell Mr Harris to establish what kind of backlash the State would face in terms of trade and diplomacy should it ban trade with the occupied Palestinian territories. [ Republic joins 25 states urging end to Gaza war Opens in new window ] Ministers will also be advised to consider what defences could be available to a business charged with an offence under the proposed law. . It is understood that the committee believes further work is required from the Government before the law could be enacted. And it will ask that Attorney General Rossa Fanning's advice on the complex Bill is 'expedited' so it can move forward as a matter of urgency. During meetings before the Dáil rose for the summer recess, Mr Lahart was critical of 'misinformation' about the Bill and the State's motivation for passing it – much of which was repeated by senior US political figures. Chairwoman of US House Republicans Lisa McClaine described the Bill as a type of 'extreme anti-Semitic hate'. [ How life in the West Bank is deteriorating for Palestinians Opens in new window ] It is understood that the committee's report will call on the Government to explain the motivation behind the Bill to European Union and international colleagues, while also lobbying Brussels for further collective EU action against Israel. The committee will propose a Government-funded public communications campaign for domestic and international audiences to explain the facts of the Bill and to challenge misinformation spread about it.
