‘Bogland Hero’ film honours heritage of Ardee Bog
By ArdeePost Reporter
New film ‘Bogland Hero’ celebrates Ardee bog’s heritage
A multigenerational project spotlighting culture, memory and ecology
A powerful new film, Bogland Hero, is set to shine a national spotlight on the history, culture and ecological significance of Ardee Bog, through a multigenerational collaboration that blends storytelling, music, film and art.
The project brings together five native voices connected to Ardee Bog, who guide viewers through the area’s unique landscape — its wildlife, plant life, stories, seasonal shifts and deep-rooted traditions. Their perspectives form the emotional core of a work that celebrates both the beauty of bogland heritage and the urgent need to protect it.
Blending oral history, live music and cinema
Bogland Hero weaves together oral histories, vivid cinematography and original illustrations by artist Vivienne Byrne, creating a visually arresting portrait of the boglands around Ardee. The film is complemented by creative contributions from young people at Boomerang Youth Café, Drogheda, whose artistic responses add a fresh and contemporary voice to the narrative.
At the heart of the film is an original score by composer Breifne Holohan, whose music acts as a bridge between the old and the new — between the bogland of memory and the bogland of today.
Young Louth musicians bring the score to life
Commissioned to write a score for live performance by young musicians, Holohan turned to the students of the Grow Music / An Táin Arts Centre School of Music, where he teaches and directs ensembles.
The performers come from the renowned Grow Music youth band The Rolling Pebbles, known for their energy-filled performances at events such as the Spirit Store in Dundalk, Cruinniú na nÓg, and with the Irish National Opera. Supported by school director Heather Oakes, and facilitated by Gaelcholáiste Dhún Dealgan, the ensemble has been rehearsing since September for this special premiere.
The ambitious score features strings, brass, woodwind, percussion, fretted instruments and electronic soundscapes — all intended to evoke the bog’s shifting moods across generations.
A soundscape rooted in ancient Ireland
Adding further depth to the soundtrack are field recordings from Ardee Bog itself, capturing its natural sounds and textures. The film also incorporates the haunting tones of Bronze Age horns and trumpets discovered in bogs across the country, recorded with the help of Ancient Music Ireland, the leading authority on these instruments.
The score also pays homage to Ardee’s own musical heritage, particularly renowned local piper Pat McCormack. Traditional musicians Ruadhán Collier O’Brien (uilleann pipes), Róisín Ward Morrow (fiddle) and Joe Savage (bouzouki and guitar) lend their talents to the soundtrack, grounding the work in local identity and tradition.
Two live performances this December
Audiences will have two opportunities to experience Bogland Hero with its live score performed by the young ensemble:
Drogheda Screening
Friday 12 December, 8pm
Droichead Arts Centre
Tickets: droichead.com (ID 873679697)
Dundalk Screening
Saturday 13 December, 8pm
An Táin Arts Centre
Tickets: antain.ie/event/bogland-hero/
A celebration — and a call to protect Ardee Bog
Bogland Hero is both a cultural celebration and an ecological reminder. As Ireland grapples with questions about conservation, history, and identity, the film centres Ardee Bog as a place of memory, community, and vital natural heritage.
It paints the bog not simply as a landscape, but as a living archive — one worth understanding, valuing and protecting for generations to come.
