Love story behind Cork anthem to be revealed

The enthralling love story behind a song written by one of Cork’s most successful bands is to feature in a new four part TV series airing this month.

The second season of RTÉ One’s ‘Aistear an Amhráin: The Story of the Song’ kicked off on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Tuesday.

Episode two, which airs next Tuesday, will look at the love story behind Cork group The Frank and Walters’ iconic ‘90s anthem ‘After All’.

Bassist and lead vocalist Paul Linehan wrote the song about a girl he was dating in the early ‘90s during a time when he was constantly travelling back and forth between Cork and London. The song peaked at No. 11 in the UK Singles Chart and reached No. 5 in the Irish chart.

In 2020, the track was officially voted Cork's Favourite Song out of 84 contenders in a competition organised by Cork City Libraries and Creative Ireland, beating tracks by the likes of Sultans of Ping and Rory Gallagher! This came shortly after the song featured in an episode of hit Cork comedy series ‘Young Offenders’ in which Billy Murphy (Shane Murphy) gets passengers on a hijacked bus to sing along to the beloved Cork track.

Episode one of the new series of ‘Aistear an Amhráin: The Story of the Song’ uncovers the story of Grace Gifford, the subject of the much-loved ballad, ‘Grace’, written in 1985 by brothers Frank and Seán O'Meara. The song was inspired by the tragic love story of Grace Gifford who married Irish republican, poet, and journalist Joseph Mary Plunkett in the chapel at Kilmainham Gaol just hours before he was executed in 1916. The episode is available now on RTÉ Player.

Episode three of the series will look at the tragic story behind Spandau Ballet’s ‘80s hit ‘Through the Barricades’, while episode four will explore the mischief and mystery behind the Irish language foot-stomper ‘An Poc Ar Buile’.