Amhráin do mo Mháthair, an intimate documentary following acclaimed singer Pauline Scanlon as she uncovers her mother’s hidden past through traditional Irish song, will be broadcast on TG4 on Wednesday next, January 28, at 9.30pm, and will be available worldwide on TG4.ie.

The documentary, made by Kerry’s South Wind Blows, tells the extraordinary true story behind Pauline’s 2022 album The Unquiet…Songs for My Mother.

In this musical and personal journey, Pauline who is from Dingle and now lives in Galway, uses music and song to draw viewers deeper into the story of a mother, a daughter and a lost son.

The documentary will tell how Pauline’s ‘lost’ brother, Graham, has been reunited with his family after 50 years.

It’s a story of the deep connections that bind people to previous generations and how these connections can have a profound, sometimes surprising effect on our lives.

There is loss and grief in this documentary as well as goodness and hope. Above all, it shows the power of music to go beyond words.

Via performance, family testimony and archive, Amhráin do mo Mháthair uses traditional songs as emotional chapters in the story – from the playful childhood songs Sambó Éara and Cé a Chuirfidh tú Liom, through the darker terrain of Felton Lonin and The Well Below the Valley, to the hope and homecoming of Oró Sé Do Bheatha Bhaile.

Pauline is joined for live performances of songs from the album by John Reynolds, Graham Kearns, Caoimhe Hopkinson, Chris Pemberton, Nicola Joyce, Barry Kerr, Damien Dempsey, Eamon Murray, Matt Griffin and Bernie Pháid.

Pictured: The documentary tells the extraordinary story behind Pauline’s album The Unquiet…Songs for My Mother. PHOTO: CILLIAN GARVEY.