Brendan Gleeson’s Farewell to Hughes’s to air on December 29

Brendan Gleeson’s Farewell To Hugues’s, the documentary exploring the legacy of the Dublin pub Hughes’s, is set to air on TG4 and TG4.ie at 8:30pm on December 29.

An unassuming pub on a street behind the Four Courts in Dublin, Hughes’s served as a mecca for traditional Irish music.

Following its closure in 2021 after the passing of its owner, Oscar-nominated actor Brendan Gleeson embarked on a journey to celebrate the pub’s lasting influence, through a documentary that captures the history of Hugues’s.

Featuring interviews with musicians, dancers, and devoted patrons of the pub, Gleeson’s documentary aims to explore Hughes’s pivotal role in Ireland’s musical heritage, and is directed and produced by filmmaker and fiddle player Ciarán Ó Maonaigh, with cinematography from Ray Mac Donnacha and a sound mix by Brendan Rehill.

Speaking to The Irish Film & Television Network, Gleeson reflects: “For me, Irish music was always wild, emotional, and evocative. Hughes’s pub was where it lived. Hughes’s was a fascinating place anyway: a hub for fruit-sellers, fishmongers, lawyers, judges, and the accused, seeking respite and sustenance from early morning on.”

“In the evenings the musicians and their music took over, in all their glory and madness. What a fascinating milieu. Hughes’s is gone. In 2021 it closed its doors. Its passing meant an awful lot to me. This is a celebration of what went on there.”

Director Ciarán Ó Maonaigh comments: “As musicians, we strive to find those sessions that are timeless... where we get lost in the music... in the collective groove... in the notes... the haze of energy and joy where your mind is emptied of life’s worries and carried off to a happy meditative place for hours on end.

“For me,” he continues, “that was to be found in abundance in Hughes’s. In this documentary, we tried to capture the essence of what that was for ourselves, for all that frequented the place and for others who never even heard about it. It is full of music, song, dance, and stories, made with a good heart and we hope that it does the memory of the place some justice. Because it was a gem.”

This release follows a sold-out world premiere at the Dublin International Film Festival and exclusive screenings at the Light House Cinema in Dublin and the Pálás Cinema in Galway.

Brendan Gleeson’s Farewell to Hughes’s airs on TG4 on Sunday, December 29 at 8:30pm.