In this Film Ireland podcast, recorded live on location in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Irish Film Festival, Gemma Creagh chats with filmmaker Nuala O’Connor about her film In Time: Dónal Lunny. The documentary chronicles the enigmatic and innovative musician Dónal Lunny, tracing his profound influence on Irish music and his role in shaping its modern evolution.
In this conversation, Nuala shares insights into her varied career, balancing her two passions - film and music - her craft, and the challenge of capturing the spirit of such a pioneering artist on screen.
The episode was recorded live at the Irish film festival, presented annually by Solas Nua. The 20th edition of the festival took place in Washington, D.C., from February 26 to March 1, 2026.
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Charting the life and legacy of the iconic Irish traditional musician Dónal Lunny, one of Ireland’s most outstanding artists, this film offers an insightful appraisal of his creative process, exploring the enduring and far-reaching influence he has had on Irish traditional music.
The film reveals a life lived entirely for art’s sake. The major events of his creative and personal life have converged with major cultural, political and historic changes in Ireland and around the world and reflects the impact this had on his art from the 1950s to the present day.
Music fuses with the personal material of Dónal Lunny’s biographical journey and brings the artist into being in this film. That journey is the journey of Irish culture and people who lived through those decades from the 1950s to the present day.
Nuala O’Connor
Nuala O’Connor has worked for nearly twenty years in broadcasting: in RTÉ for nine years as a researcher and radio producer, and for the past ten years in the independent film sector. In 1987, Nuala established Hummingbird Productions with Philip King to produce high quality music and arts documentaries. With Philip King, she worked as assistant producer on Bringing It All Back Home and is the author of the book which accompanied the series.
Nuala went on to produce documentaries including A River of Sound, Christy, Meitheal and Bláth Gach Géag Dá dTig, collaborating with Donal Lunny, Liam O’Flynn, Seamus Heaney, Sinéad O’Connor and Mary Black.
Subsequently, with Philip King and Tina Moran, she was a founder director of South Wind Blows Productions, initially directing the Irish history documentary series The Limits of Liberty with Professor Diarmaid Ferriter. In 2013, she co-directed An Glaoch: The President’s Call with President Michael D. Higgins and also that year wrote and directed From Moment to Moment about the Irish band The Gloaming. In 2014, she worked as co-producer on the acclaimed Ceiliúradhconcert at the Royal Albert Hall.
Nuala also worked as the traditional music reviewer for The Irish Times for many years.
About Capital Irish Film Festival
Solas Nua’s annual Capital Irish Film Festival in Washington, D.C., presents one of the largest programmes of Irish cinema in North America, showcasing the latest Irish dramatic and documentary features, shorts, art films and animation releases by Irish and Ireland-based filmmakers. The 20th edition of the four-day festival takes place 26 February – 1 March 2026 in partnership with the prestigious American Film Institute’s Silver Theatre & Cultural Center.
The festival provides a US platform that amplifies the work of independent filmmakers working in Ireland and beyond, and celebrates the strength of Ireland’s contemporary cinematic culture. The programme highlights the country’s rich cultural heritage while fostering an inclusive and diverse community of Irish filmmakers. Capital Irish Film Festival champions emerging voices on Irish screens, showcases the exceptional talent and craft within Irish filmmaking, and reflects the robust and vibrant screen industry that has grown in Ireland in recent years.
The festival also presents the annual Norman Houston Short Film Award, dedicated to the memory of Norman Houston, the former Director of the Northern Ireland Bureau (NIB) in the United States. The award honours the best new short film created by a filmmaker based in or from Northern Ireland, made within the previous two years. The 2026 Norman Houston Short Film Award goes to writer-director Oliver McGoldrick for his film Three Keenings.
Read more on SolasNua.org, follow Capital Irish Film Festival on FilmFreewayhere.
