Lough Derg to feature on Blindboy Boatclub RTÉ documentary

Monsignor La Flynn, Prior of ancient pilgrimage site Lough Derg, will feature in a new documentary by Blindboy Boatclub, Blindboy: The Land of Slaves and Scholars this week.

Writer and podcaster Blindboy Boatclub will explore the origins, evolution and cultural legacy of early Irish Christianity in his new documentary.

Blindboy doesn’t believe in any god or religion, and yet, in this documentary, he decides to explore the origins and evolution of early Irish Christianity, hermits, saints and monasteries, to try to find out who were these people who had such a profound influence, not just on Irish culture, but on the whole of medieval Europe.  

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Blindboy, with input from a host of local experts and historians including Manchán Magan, Dr Daniel Curley, Dr Elizabeth Boyle and Dr Niamh Wycherley, interrogates our early medieval history. Blindboy: The Land of Slaves and Scholars lays bare the treasures of Ireland for all to see, from ancient stone circles to the Skellig Islands and the ancient pilgrimage site of Lough Derg.

Here he meets Monsignor Flynn, who explains the significance of isolation and internal space to those who have made the pilgrimage to Lough Derg, which dates back to the 5th century. Guided by a soundtrack composed by Blindboy, this documentary asks: what did Irish Christian missionaries, hermits, and monasteries contribute to the Irish writing tradition?  

Blindboy comments: “I'm a writer who is fascinated with the Irish writing tradition. I believe that the period of early Irish Christianity is a huge facet of this tradition, and I feel queasy about that, because when I think of Irish Christianity, I think of the Catholic Church, and when I think of the Catholic Church, I think about abuse and victimisation. That dichotomy acts as a barrier for me to feel proud about this period of our history.  

“I want to find out about the monasteries, about their contribution to literature, about the storytelling. I want to know the saints. Were they even real? Who were the human beings who created illuminated manuscripts, who would go and live on an island off the coast of Kerry in beehive huts? Were they mad?" 

Blindboy: The Land of Slaves and Scholars, produced with support from An Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound & Vision fund, airs on Thursday, November 21, at 10.15pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.