Claremorris composer working on Easter Rising documentary

Acclaimed Claremorris composer Patrick Cassidy is working on a major new television production to commemorate the centenary of the Easter Rising next year.

The documentary, called The Irish Rebellion, is to be narrated by Liam Neeson and will be broadcast simultaneously at Irish embassies around the world.

It will then be screened on RTÉ as a three-part TV series during Easter Week 2016.

The BBC and a host of other international TV stations across the US, Australia, and Canada have also secured the rights to broadcast the documentary. 

Mr Cassidy is no stranger to working on big screen events. 

He composed music for Ridley Scott's 2001 film Hannibal and for the 2005 film Kingdom of Heaven, which starred Orlando Bloom and a string of other major Hollywood names.

More recently, he composed the score for the critically acclaimed film Calvary, which starred Brendan Gleeson and Chris O'Dowd. 

The Irish Rebellion, commissioned by the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, USA, has a production budget of €2.8 million. 

It will outline how the Easter Rising became an historical, political, and cultural event in Ireland 100 years ago.

Patrick Cassidy is originally from Convent Road, Claremorris, but is based in Los Angeles. 

He returned to Ireland earlier this year to begin composing the musical score for The Irish Rebellion.

He said the commission is very important to him, personally, because of the hugely significant events it will commemorate.

"The Easter Rising is the most significant period in our history, paving the way to our independence," he explained.

"I am very pleased to be part of the documentary series and know that the production will truly reflect on what happened at the time."

 

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