Pavee Song – Pavee Culture: “Dark Horse on The Wind” The Life and Songs Of Liam Weldon

“Dark Horse on the Wind” looks back at the life and songs of the traditional ballad singer and songwriter Liam Weldon (1933 – 1995). A great admirer of Irish Traveller songs and music and a strong advocate for aural tradition, Weldon was notoriously wary of self-promotion and he left behind little in the way of recordings. But his legacy is more alive than ever today and flourishes in a new generation of folk singers.

Weldon was undoubtedly one of the finest Irish singers of any generation. He was also an outstanding songwriter and a champion of the oppressed and of the Irish Traveller community in particular, whose influence on his singing stretched back to his Dublin childhood. Unaccountably, his singing never really received the accolades it deserved, and he remains largely forgotten since his death, 28 years ago.

With newly discovered archive footage, stories from family and friends, and powerful performances of his work by Damien Dempsey, Radie Peat (Lankum), Lisa O’Neill and Daoirí Farrell, the film reveals much about the musician and about the family man, who gave so generously to the community in Ballyfermot (Dublin), where he lived.

Myles O’Reilly, prolific director of music films and himself a composer, celebrates the personal, public and political aspects of Liam Weldon, in this lively and insightful investigation.