Glenties premiere of film inspired by travelling fiddler John Doherty

The premiere of a short film inspired by the great travelling fiddler John Doherty is taking place in the Highlands Hotel in Glenties on Saturday afternoon.

The film, ‘And That Was How It Was’, has been put together by Denise Boyle, who’s from Glenties and is herself a fiddler and a professional musician.

It will be showing on a loop in the Highlands Hotel between 1pm and 2.30pm on Saturday. This is a free event, part of the 41st Glenties Fiddle Weekend.

‘And That Was How It Was’ is a first for Donegal fiddle music. It features new compositions by Denise Boyle based on the sound of words spoken by John Doherty and Glenties fiddler Vincent Campbell. Also heard during the film is Vincent’s brother Jimmy, another renowned fiddler.

The visual imagery in the eight-minute film has been put together by Susan Hughes from Belfast, also a fiddler and an artist with a fast-growing reputation. There are some film clips from the classic UTV programme on John Doherty, ‘Fiddler on the Road’.

Other footage has been captured in the glens of Glenties, so well-known to John Doherty and the Doherty family.
Support for the film has come from the Arts Council Agility Award Fund. Denise Boyle says she’s looking forward to letting people see the finished film on Saturday.

“It started out as what I describe as ‘an aural sketch’ of John Doherty,” she said. “I used the voices of John Doherty and Vincent Campbell as a starting point for pieces of music, using the inflections and rhythm of their speech as inspiration. The soundtrack also includes the beautiful lilting of John Doherty and a story from Jimmy Campbell.

“I got a friend, David Arkins of Darkins Studio in Athboy in Meath, to mix and master the music and he did an amazing job, so sensitive and creative, totally transforming it.

“Then I asked another friend, the talented artist Susan Hughes, above, to make a video for the music and it has turned it all into a beautiful visual experience, a short film. I hope people like it and that it works as a tribute to John Doherty and everyone featured in it.”