The Chieftains—Live Over Ireland:   While the CD version of Water from the Well has been rightly praised for bringing the Chieftains back to their roots in traditional Irish music, the DVD documents an even fuller and more private story. Shot in the band members' most personal haunts all over Ireland--their homes, flutist Matt Molloy's pub, church halls--Water from the Well finds Molloy, group founder Paddy Moloney, harpist Derek Bell, fiddlers Martin Fay and Sean Keane, and bodhran player-vocalist Kevin Conneff speaking openly about the band's remaining artistic challenges after 35 years. Moloney, long the Chieftains' most enthusiastic proponent of collaborations with musicians from other traditions, marvels at the group's long road of international experimentation while also pining for his childhood days of neighborly jam sessions. The impish Bell confesses to thoughts of mortality, as well as his concerns over whether the Chieftains can be traditional "purists" again.

The band's most ardent fans will enjoy all this discussion, but even Chieftains newbies will be thrilled by the many configurations of band members and friends (many of the latter renowned Irish-music performers in their own right) who play (and play and play) reels and jigs while nursing pints at local watering holes. Look for Van Morrison, Barney McKenna, Seamus Begley, the Kilfenora Ceili Band, and a very sweet meeting of Moloney and the boys with the angelic girls of the Belfast Harp Orchestra. Stepping outside the box for a moment, the Chieftains share a duet with Los Lobos that becomes a lovely highlight. Special features on the DVD include a short documentary about the Chieftains' gorgeous work in Spain and Cuba.

Ireland—The Island From The Air:   This is a magical journey through the mythic and historical landscape of Ireland, filmed entirely from the air. Flying above the land and across the centuries, we see how Water, Earth and Stone have shaped the history and formed the character of THE ISLAND. Many of these dramatic locations have never been seen before on television or video. Here are tombs more ancient than the pyramids, startling medieval castles and mysterious 5,000 year-old stone circles. We soar like an eagle over majestic sea-cliffs, into deep valleys and alongside remote mountains. And we learn how, over time, the natural landscape has been transformed with the growth of modern Irish towns and cities.

THE ISLAND features an original music score, composed by Brian Byrne and performed by the RTE concert orchestra.

The Beauty of Ireland:   DUBLIN Colourful, musical and historic, Dublin has a past steeped in literature and religion. In this city of contrasts, vast churches and grand buildings are found along Georgian streets interspersed with all kinds of modern shopping and dynamic, friendly pubs – truly a fashionable city with its past never far away. KERRY Rolling countryside meets rocky, mountainous coastlines in County Kerry. Discover a taste of life long ago in the Dingle Peninsula, the steam railway at Tralee and the Blennerville Windmill. The outstanding beauty of Killarney National Park’s wooded hills and rocky mountains captures the whole feeling of Kerry – unspoiled and inspiring. DONEGAL In the northernmost part of Ireland, Donegal is a place of rugged shores, mountains and moors. From the vast glacial valleys surrounded by the Donegal Mountains, to the remote Bloody Foreland named for the colour of the rocks as they turn blood red at sunset, to the famous hand-woven tweed of Donegal town, this is an ancient land full of old Irish culture and traditions. CORK County Cork is renowned for its rugged landscapes, the gentility of its people and historic and exciting Cork City, the second largest city in Ireland. Just off the coast is spectacular Garinish Island, where one finds a replica of an Italian garden, complete with original exotic flowers and villas. Visit world-famous Blarney Castle, where legend says that whoever kisses the stone within the castle receives the gift of eloquence.

JFK In Ireland:   President Kennedy’s historic trip to the birthplace of his family. In June 1963 President John F. Kennedy made an historic trip to Ireland, the birthplace of his ancestors. Everywhere he visited, President Kennedy was given a hero’s welcome. Grateful for this spontaneous outburst of joy, JFK responded with a natural warmth and sincerity which won the hearts of the Irish people. This documentary depicts the euphoric mood of those memorable three days and features never-before-seen footage. It tells the stories of both the Irish and Americans who were present at the time, and follows the President’s journey from Dublin to the provincial towns of New Ross, Wexford, Cork, Galway, and Limerick. This nostalgic program captures the atmosphere as it was in 1963 during the days of "Camelot," when an American President paid homage to his family’s birthplace.

Circle of Friends:   A polished gem from 1995, this disarmingly sweet and dramatically insightful love story provided a charming showcase for Chris O'Donnell and, especially, then-newcomer Minnie Driver, whose performance drew critical raves and boosted her career to Hollywood. Smoothly adapted from the novel by Maeve Binchy and set in Ireland during the 1950s, the story focuses on Benny (Driver), a somewhat plump, plain-looking young woman attending university in Dublin who meets and quickly falls for Jack (O'Donnell), a handsome star of the university's rugby team who surprisingly reciprocates her glowing admiration. They're drawn together as soul mates, and their love is dramatically contrasted with a subplot involving Benny's more conventionally beautiful friend Nan (Saffron Burrows), whose appetite for older men leads her into a misguided and ultimately tragic relationship. A betrayal by Jack sets the stage for potential heartbreak, but director Pat O'Connor prevents these carefully drawn characters from resorting to sappy melodrama. They have lessons to learn about life and love, and Circle of Friends teaches those lessons with grace, humor, and heartfelt sincerity.

Dancing At Lughnasa:   This affecting, bittersweet tale--adapted from Brian Friel's semi-autobiographical Tony Award-winning play--examines the emotional lives of the five unmarried Mundy sisters in 1936 rural Ireland. In their mutual care is 8-year-old Michael (sweetly understated Darrell Johnston), the illegitimate son of youngest sister Christina (Braveheart's Catherine McCormack). A voice-over from the adult Michael recalls that significant summer, in the month of August, during the feast of Lughnasa. The bolder townfolk dance around a fire to Lugh, an ancient god of light. Yes, this is fiercely Roman Catholic Ireland and Lugh a pagan god, but that irony is at the core of the film, the hypocrisy of tradition. The dramatic change in the richly metaphoric movie comes with the arrival of two men: eldest sibling--and only Mundy brother--Jack (Michael Gambon), a priest returning from many years in Africa, now addled, and Christine's long-absent lover and Michael's father, the charmingly flighty Gerry (Rhys Ifans). Beautiful music and excellent performances highlight the film, which also features gorgeous cinematography of the Irish countryside. Meryl Streep is stern eldest sister Kate; Kathy Burke is lively Maggie; Brid Brennan (who appeared in the stage play) is thoughtful caretaker Agnes; and Sophie Thompson is simple sweet Rose. It's a quiet film, but one filled with ironic and haunting meaning. Directed by Pat O'Connor (Circle of Friends).

Falling For A Dancer:   Plot Synopsis: Romantic drama set in rural Ireland of the 1930s. The story begins when 19-year-old Elizabeth has a brief fling with an actor and falls pregnant. Community pressure forces her to marry a dull middle-aged man, but maybe there is hope on the horizon.