The documentary “The Cailleach” is the vision of Joy Shannon, Irish harpist, singer/songwriter and visual artist. Shannon is the granddaughter of a survivor of the Magdelene Laundries/Mother and Baby Homes of Ireland. These Catholic institutions were where unwed mothers were forced to give up their children to forced adoptions and do hard labor to work off their “sins”. These institutions were finally all closed in the 90s, but the impact of the intergenerational traumas they created is still deeply felt. Shannon’s childhood was marked by her father’s quest to find his birth mother and the eventual emotional trauma of learning his origin story.
When Shannon found the actual Mother and Baby home where her grandmother was in Castlepollard, County Westmeath, she was struck by the fact that it was in the shadow of an ancient Neolithic site “the Loughcrew Cairns” which was devoted to the Cailleach, or grandmother goddess of Ireland. This made her ask the question: “what do the grandmothers of Ireland- both ancient and recent- have to teach us?”
“The Cailleach” documentary seeks the answers to this question- in both the languages of Irish and English. Through walking through the Mother and Baby Home at Castlepollard, with historians and survivors, and walking to the “Loughcrew Cairns” with folklorists, storytellers, artists, writers, and archeologists, Shannon seeks to let these sites tell us their stories. The result is a meditation on what intergenerational healing looks like and what the stories in the soil of Ireland have to teach.
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Is é fís Joy Shannon, cláirseoir, amhránaí/scríbhneoir amhrán agus ealaíontóir amhairc Éireannach, an clár faisnéise “An Chailleach”. Is gariníon í Shannon le duine a tháinig slán ó Níocháin/Tithe Máithreacha agus Leanaí Mhaighdean na hÉireann. Sna hinstitiúidí Caitliceacha seo, b’éigean do mháithreacha neamhphósta a gcuid leanaí a thabhairt suas d’uchtálacha éigeantacha agus saothar crua a dhéanamh chun a “peacaí” a bhaint de. Dúnadh na hinstitiúidí seo go léir sna 90idí sa deireadh, ach tá tionchar na dtrámaí idirghlúine a chruthaigh siad fós le brath go domhain. Bhí óige Shannon marcáilte ag rompu a hathar chun a mháthair bhreithe a aimsiú agus an tráma mothúchánach a bhain le scéal a bhunaidh a fhoghlaim.
Nuair a fuair Shannon an teach Máithreacha agus Leanaí iarbhír inar raibh a seanmháthair i mBaile na gCros, Contae na hIarmhí, bhain an fhíric go raibh sé i scáth suíomh Neoiliteach ársa “Cairn Loch na gCraoibhe” a bhí tiomnaithe don Chailleach, nó bandia seanmháthar na hÉireann. Chuir sé seo an cheist uirthi: “cad atá le múineadh dúinn ag seanmháthair na hÉireann - ársa agus nua-aimseartha araon?”
Lorgaíonn an clár faisnéise “An Chailleach” freagraí na ceiste seo. Trí shiúl tríd an Teach Máithreachais agus Linbh i mBaile na bPoll, le staraithe agus le marthanóirí, agus siúl go dtí “Cairn Loch na gCriú” le béaloideasaithe, ealaíontóirí agus seandálaithe, tá Shannon ag iarraidh ligean do na suíomhanna seo a gcuid scéalta a insint dúinn. Is é an toradh machnamh ar an gcuma atá ar leigheas idirghlúine.
Directed and produced by Joy Shannon, the documentary is accompanied by her lush musical score on harp, cello and vocals.
Produced and with cinematography by Matthew Kollar.
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Stiúrtha agus léirithe ag Joy Shannon, tá an clár faisnéise ag gabháil lena scór ceoil álainn ar an gcláirseach, ar an gcealló agus ar an nguth.
Léirithe agus le cineamatagrafaíocht ag Matthew Kollar.
Joy Shannon is an Irish harpist, singer and songwriter, a visual artist and tattoo artist. Her work in both music and visual art is deeply inspired by ancient Irish art, culture, lore and culture.
Shannon has released 12 albums, singing in both English and Irish, to date, including "In the Forest Singing Sorrowless"(2025), "An Chailleach" (2024), "Death My Bride" (2022), "The Cave" (2020), "Aes Sidhe" (2017), and Mo Anam Cara (2015). Additionally, Shannon is an internationally renowned tattoo artist and illustrator, who creates tattoos and visual art inspired by ancient Irish, Celtic and Nordic archeology and mythology. In the film medium, she has created 10 music videos and several short films, working closely with filmmaker Matt Kollar, to create the sets, costumes, makeup and visual worlds of her songs.
Matthew Kollar is an Award Winning Filmmaker and Producer that hails from the world of practical effects and monster building, Matthew uses his extensive knowledge of Horror and Fantasy in his filmmaking to create Films and Music Videos with a unique visual blend of the beautiful and the grotesque.
Kollar has collaborated with Joy Shannon for the last decade, Producing over 10 music videos that showcase and interpret the Irish Myths and Legends that she writes about in her songs, as well as a variety of short documentary films.
Beyond his collaboration with Joy Shannon, Matthew is currently attached to direct his first feature film, “Crimson Canvas” and is creatively producing the Scriptation Award Winning Screenplay, “Overlooked”, with upcoming Director and DGA Latino Board Member, Regina Ainsworth.
Matthew has produced and directed short form content for Netflix, Disney, Scream Box, and Crypt TV, to name a few. Currently he is helping the Netflix Development Team produce content for their Directors Development Program that is headed by former DGA President, Paris Barclay.
With a passion for history, mythology, and anything related to his Irish ancestors, it’s a dream project for Kollar to be Producing The Cailleach with Joy Shannon.
