Following its lauded cinema release back in November, Ross Killeen's Love Yourself Today is getting its TV premiere on RTÉ One this Thursday at 10.15pm.

The feature documentary is centred around the magic of Damien Dempsey's Christmas concerts at Vicar Street – but also explores the personal stories of three fans.

"We hear their stories, unravel their grief and find the light in the darkness through communal art," the film's description reads. "With themes of addiction, loss but also hope and positivity, Dempsey’s music often reflects his fans' pain, alleviates their anguish and ultimately provides peace as they ‘sing all their cares away’."

 

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Back in November, Hot Press's Roe McDermott spoke to Killeen and Dempsey about the film.

“I’d always been aware of Damo,” said Killeen, “but I hadn’t been to a show. And I was actually going through tough times myself: my mum was very sick. A friend of mine was like, ‘You should go see the Damo show at Christmas’. My wife was pregnant at the time, and we went along and sat in the seats at Vicar Street. People would tell me, ‘You’ll get it when you see it. But you need to experience it’.”

“You’ll either get it or you’ll never come to another show!” Dempsey interjected, laughing.

“I spent the whole gig watching the crowd,” Killeen continued, “watching Damo, watching the crowd, watching Damo. I’m a massive music fan. I’ve been to many gigs down the years. But I’d never been to anything like I saw that night. Just watching these men, these tough, tough men, really opening up emotionally and supporting each other. It was really eye-opening. The gig starts off and everyone’s spirit lifts, everyone’s singing along, and then it just went into this bit in the middle where everyone opens up emotionally, and everyone’s in bits.

“One of the songs is about suicide and missing people, and my mother was very sick at the time with dementia. So the song just resonated with me, and suddenly I found myself in floods of tears. Then Damo brings everyone up at the end of the gig, and everyone feels amazing. Something just happens in that room. I walked out feeling like I had been spiritually cleansed. I really believed in everything Damo was doing. He was thriving on the energy of the crowd. It was this shared experience, as the energy in the room was created and held and shared.”

Read the full interview here.

Love Yourself Today is a Motherland Production, in association with Thirty Nine films. It was produced by Ross Killeen and Louise Byrne, with Ross McDonnell and Rory Gilmartin serving as executive producers, with backing from Screen Ireland. The film was edited by Mick Mahon, and shot by Narayan Van Maele, with an original soundtrack composed by John Reynolds and Damien Dempsey.

Watch Love Yourself Today on RTÉ One this Thursday, August 18, at 10.15pm.

Take a look at the trailer for Love Yourself Today below: