Paris, France, February 2, 1922. The novel Ulysses, by Irish writer James Joyce (1882-1941), is published by US poet Sylvia Beach (1887-1962), owner of the small bookstore Shakespeare & Co. The book, whose writing consumed seven years of Joyce's life, years in which his family was in financial need, would have a profound and unprecedented impact on 20th century literature and culture.
Éabha is a short drama about Ciarán, who is on a hiking date with Michael and suddenly experiences a regression to a previous life. He feels images of a young woman that start to intensify. While Michael is trying to understand, Ciarán goes deeper into his past life and experiences a woman's domestic violence and a miscarriage. In the turmoil of this regression, he finds the burial place of the woman's child and realizes: Not only has the woman lost her child, he has lost his Éabha, too.
A Monk living in 9th century Ireland must contend with grief, despair, isolation and his own identity, on a far-off desolate rock.
This short film was made by filmmaker (later archivist) Liam Ó Laoghaire (aka Liam O’Leary) and was commissioned by the Cultural Relations Committee of the Irish Department of External Affairs. The film was designed to promote the city of Dublin to its inhabitants and to potential visitors from abroad. Brendan J. Stafford’s crisp black and white cinematography serves the city’s elegant architecture well while the narrator tells of the city’s cultural, literary and architectural history and its many venerable inhabitants. The elegant Georgian squares, the bustling markets, the tranquil parks and the sparkling nightlife present a city that is vibrant, cultured and steeped in history.