Brendan Gleeson's Farewell to Hughes's

To some it was an unassuming pub on a side street behind the Four Courts in Dublin City centre. To musicians, dancers, singers and listeners, it was a mecca of traditional music for over 35 years. In 2021, Hughes’s pub closed its doors for the last time, the echoes of musical memories left buried in its walls. Actor Brendan Gleeson played there often. It was a kind of hideout for him — its musicians and music providing a blanket of escape. A place once whispered about in case everyone found out about it could now be brought to light and have its story told. Filmed over five days in January 2022 in and around the pub, Brendan Gleeson’s Farewell to Hughes’s records and interviews various musicians, dancers and singers as they gather one last time to revisit the magic, with archival footage inserted throughout to tell the story of Hughes’ contribution to both the traditional music community in Dublin and the city as a whole.

  • Brendan Gleeson, Ciarán Ó Maonaigh
  • Ciarán Ó Maonaigh
  • Brendan Gleeson, Liam O’Connor, Ciarán Ó Maonaigh
  • 2024
  • Ireland
  • 60 minutes
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The Chicago Irish Film Festival, dedicated to presenting the works of Irish filmmakers since 1999. We open for Chicago audiences a window into the color and complexity of Irish life. Contemporary Irish films bring the lyrical and self-reflective richness of a long artistic tradition to bear on unique stories and pressing social issues with a gaze both critical and loving.

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