Immrám: A film about wild hurling and the fascinating life of Diarmuid Lyng

Irish Examiner

03-07-2025

Former Wexford hurling captain Diarmuid Lyng and his partner - spoken word artist Siobhán de Paor - are the subjects of a new documentary that debuts at next week's Galway Film Fleadh.
Immrám is one of dozens of Irish and international films that will screen at the Fleadh. The film, co-directed by Cork-based filmmaker Michael Holly and Mieke Vanmechelen, focuses on the couple, who are involved in a movement that aims to reclaim indigenous Irish identity, customs, religion, and language. Following the teachings of philosopher John Moriarty, who they reference through the film, they run retreats featuring cultural skills, sweat lodges and 'wild hurling'.
For Holly and Vanmechelen, Immrám marked a natural next step following their previous film Hungry Hill, which focused on the lives of a community of sheep farmers on Beara.
'We decided that we would try to make this documentary by not doing too many interviews,' says Holly. 'Instead, we would focus on using sounds and images and observation to tell the story. When we did Hungry Hill, we thought we had a unique way of doing film. We thought we'd like to try it again on a totally different subject. We were also interested in making a film that had some components of the Irish language and an unusual form of culture that we might come across.'
The former Wexford hurling star and his family would become the subjects of the film, says Holly. 'I came across Diarmuid through a podcast, and I emailed him speculatively, about maybe doing a film, and he phoned me within half an hour, and that's where it started.'
Cork filmmaker Mick Holly.
The documentary follows Lyng, de Paor and their family and circle of friends as they embark on a ten-day pilgrimage across the south of Ireland. It meets them at their home in Co Kilkenny, at gatherings and rituals, as they share insights into their beliefs. The filmmaking duo got to know the couple well as they filmed over 28 hours of footage.
For Holly, who also teaches documentary filmmaking at Queen's University in Belfast, the documentary offered the possibilities of filmmaking in a unique style.
'I teach documentary making, and I do some research about it, and this is all very central to the type of films that I'm interested in, the research that I do. It's not that I don't like the way other documentaries are made - everybody has their own way of doing it. But what I'm really interested in is how you can use film to give a sensory experience, as opposed to telling a story or explaining something.
'What we're aiming to do is give people who are watching almost the feeling of being there, or some kind of sensory experience of being there, rather than explaining what's happening."
Holly says this approach creates a number of challenges. 'One of them is that audiences when they hear you're making a documentary, they might expect that there would be a lot of explanation and a lot of interviews. The other challenge is that things don't always happen as you might expect them to, and you have to be ready for that as well.'
Siobhán de Paor in a scene from Immrám.
Among Lyng and de Paor's interests as they explore identity and custom is 'wild hurling', which the former player embraces.
'He was very interested in the origins of hurling, and the mythical background of it,' says Holly. 'He still plays club hurling, he's still involved in that world. But I think he kind of feels like hurling has lost a lot of its original intention.
'When he organises wild hurling, anybody can play, people of all ages, and women and men playing together, and the rules are simplified. That's the way he sees it - as a way of forming community, rather than something that's very competitive. He really loves hurling, he's really got a serious passion for it, but he kind of sees that it can be more. It can be a cultural movement that involves nature and Irishness.'
Originally from Kerry, Holly has made his home in Barryroe in West Cork for the last decade. He moved into filmmaking after originally working as a photographer.
'I studied photography at Dun Laoghaire college in my 20s, and went on to become a commercial photographer. I lived in Canada for a number of years doing that. When I came back to Ireland in 2012, I started a master's degree. I did a PHD at the film department at UCC with Laura Rascaroli (Professor in Film and Screen Media at University College Cork).'
For his doctorate, he spent three years filming at Clonakilty GAA Club, also in a very observational style. 'My PhD was interested in using contemporary art and film together. But as time went on, it really became more about film.'
Immrám screens at Galway Film Fleadh on Saturday, July 12. See www.galwayfilmfleadh.com
Magnificent seven to see at Galway Film Fleadh
With 31 World Premieres, 11 International Premieres and 46 Irish Premieres, Galway Film Fleadh takes place from July 8-13.
Christy: Filmed on location in Knocknaheeny and Cork's city centre, director Brendan Canty's drama makes its Irish debut following strong buzz at Berlin Film Festival. It centres around a teenage boy at a crossroads who moves in with his estranged older brother and his young family. The film's local cast includes members of Cork's Kabin Studio, Alison Oliver and Chris Walley.
Christy is set in Knocknaheeney in Cork.
The Negotiator: Directed by journalist and filmmaker Trevor Birney - who previously worked as a producer on Kneecap - The Negotiator tells the story of Senator George J Mitchell while exploring the art of political negotiation and achieving lasting peace. The film is a portrait of a peacemaker and goes beyond that, according to the filmmakers, describing it as 'a meditation on patience, compromise, and hope in a world still torn by division'.
Trad: Written and directed by Lance Daly, who previously brought the Famine-set thriller Black '47 to our screens, Trad tells of a gifted fiddle player and her brother as they go on the road with a troupe of musicians in search of music and adventure. The cast includes Sarah Greene, Peter Coonan and Aidan Gillen and features new talents, Megan NicFhionnghaile and Cathal Coade Palmer.
BP Fallon: Rock 'n' Roll Wizard: Alan Leonard's documentary will have its world premiere at Galway and centres on the broadcaster and music advocate who helped shape the soundtrack of generations. It tracks the life and times of Fallon and his work with acts like The Beatles, T Rex and U2.
BP Fallon.
Báite: Eleanor O'Brien, Moe Dunford and Denis Conway star in this Irish-language feature set in 1975. Directed by Ruán Magan, it follows the story of a body found in the receding waters of a lake and of 23-year-old Peggy Casey, who runs the local pub, and for whom nothing will be the same again.
Sunphlowers: Anne McCrudden, Patrick Bergin and Jerry Fish star in a drama that revolves around the story of Catherine, a woman who embarks on a journey of self-discovery following a huge change in her life. Written and directed by Dave Byrne, the film has its world premiere at Galway.
Dragonfly: Andrew Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn star in UK filmmaker Paul Andrew Williams' drama. It focuses on two neighbours who strike up an unlikely friendship, not always to the approval of others around them. Seeing the lack of care that her elderly neighbour is receiving, Colleen decides to lend the older woman a hand.