We Only Want the Earth: The Life and Ideas of James Connolly
A powerfully engaging feature documentary, based primarily on the writings of James Connolly, the film was created to inspire and enlighten a contemporary audience about James Connolly, his life and his ideas.
An iconic presence on the landscape of Irish socialism and republicanism, the name of James Connolly looms large in the trade union movement and wherever radical left-wing politics are espoused. The film tries to place Connolly’s radical ideas and many political achievements against the landscape of the contemporary world as well as documenting his more prominent role in the 1916 Easter Rising.
As well as many distinguished commentators, union activists and historians, the film also features many songs and poems - spoken and sung by contemporary artists such as Christy Moore, Stephen Rea, piper David Power, singers Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin and Esosa Ighodaro as well as Connolly’s great great grand-daughter Tamsin Iona Connolly Heron.
The film aims to reclaim Connolly's story as well as invoke his important social vision, with a clear eye on how it resonates in our contemporary time - an era when even democracy itself appears under threat.
(2025, 1 hr 28m, Director: Alan Gilsenan, Ireland) + Q&A with producer Martin Mahon and special guests
