The Ballad of A Great Disordered Heart
Discover Edinburgh's Little Ireland in this filmic exploration of the community through traditional music.
A film about Edinburgh’s Old Town and the centuries of adjacent and vertical communities who have called it home. About a handful of streets around the Cowgate which have long housed a proud Irish diaspora. A film about folk music and its power to connect people. A film told through folk music.
Musician Aidan O’Rourke lives in the heart of the Old Town. During lockdown, he got to know three of his octogenarian neighbours, all of them called Margaret, and he listened to their stories. With fresh appreciation for his own family roots, he brings together a group of sensational Irish and Scottish folk musicians and investigates what home and belonging mean and the role of music and storytelling in binding these elements together.
Featuring a stunning original soundtrack by O’Rourke and live performances by Liam Ó Maonlai, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Comac Begley, Róisín Chambers and Aoife Ní Bhriain.
Supported through
Supported by
A collaborative film by Aidan O’Rourke, Becky Manson and Mark Cousins
A co-production by Edinburgh International Festival and Hopscotch Films
Presented in association with Edinburgh International Film Festival