Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 10 hours ago
‘Enniscorthy’s Carol’ is a short documentary tracing the background story and local connections to "The Enniscorthy Christmas Carol", also known as "The Wexford Carol".
This twenty-three-minute film features interviews with a granddaughter and a grandniece of the two men responsible for collecting the carol near Oylegate, close to Enniscorthy, around the year 1912. Margaret Franklin, granddaughter of St Aidan’s Cathedral organist and musical director Dr William Henry Grattan Flood (1895–1928), recounts the story of the carol’s collection as it was passed down through her family. The documentary also features Nóirín Cummins, grandniece of Fr Pat Cummins, who drove Dr Grattan Flood to the house where the song was collected. The two women credited with handing down the carol were Nóirín’s great-grandmother, Bessie Murphy of Coolamain, and Bessie’s mother, Elizabeth Reck of Crory.
The documentary opens with a visit to St Aidan’s Cathedral, where the choir is heard rehearsing for upcoming Christmas services, and includes a conversation with the current cathedral organist, Adrian Doyle. Local historian Dan Walsh provides further insight into the work of Dr Grattan Flood. On learning that local schoolchildren were the first to sing the carol after its collection, the film follows a visit to Bunscoil Loreto Gorey, where pupils share their impressions of the song and its distinctive air.
Although the mud-walled Cummins' house where the two men most likely recorded the song no longer exists, the documentary traces its former location and includes interviews with siblings Séan Quirke and Anne Doran, the last people to live in the house in the early 1960s.
A visit to the Wexford Traditional Singers’ monthly session in Mary’s Bar, Wexford Town, captures Gavin Byrne’s rendition of the carol within the context of an unaccompanied traditional singing session, while Aileen Kennedy’s harp performance beautifully expresses the carol’s unique air. The film concludes with a performance of the carol on the organ by Adrian Doyle in St Aidan’s Cathedral.
The film was entirely produced by Aileen Lambert who researched, shot and edited the film.
This project received an award from Creative Places Enniscorthy, supported by Wexford Arts Centre, Wexford County Council and the Arts Council. The filmmaker extends sincere thanks to these organisations, as well as deep gratitude to everyone who contributed to and participated in the documentary.
‘Enniscorthy’s Carol’ is a short documentary tracing the background story and local connections to "The Enniscorthy Christmas Carol", also known as "The Wexford Carol".
This twenty-three-minute film features interviews with a granddaughter and a grandniece of the two men responsible for collecting the carol near Oylegate, close to Enniscorthy, around the year 1912. Margaret Franklin, granddaughter of St Aidan’s Cathedral organist and musical director Dr William Henry Grattan Flood (1895–1928), recounts the story of the carol’s collection as it was passed down through her family. The documentary also features Nóirín Cummins, grandniece of Fr Pat Cummins, who drove Dr Grattan Flood to the house where the song was collected. The two women credited with handing down the carol were Nóirín’s great-grandmother, Bessie Murphy of Coolamain, and Bessie’s mother, Elizabeth Reck of Crory.
The documentary opens with a visit to St Aidan’s Cathedral, where the choir is heard rehearsing for upcoming Christmas services, and includes a conversation with the current cathedral organist, Adrian Doyle. Local historian Dan Walsh provides further insight into the work of Dr Grattan Flood. On learning that local schoolchildren were the first to sing the carol after its collection, the film follows a visit to Bunscoil Loreto Gorey, where pupils share their impressions of the song and its distinctive air.
Although the mud-walled Cummins' house where the two men most likely recorded the song no longer exists, the documentary traces its former location and includes interviews with siblings Séan Quirke and Anne Doran, the last people to live in the house in the early 1960s.
A visit to the Wexford Traditional Singers’ monthly session in Mary’s Bar, Wexford Town, captures Gavin Byrne’s rendition of the carol within the context of an unaccompanied traditional singing session, while Aileen Kennedy’s harp performance beautifully expresses the carol’s unique air. The film concludes with a performance of the carol on the organ by Adrian Doyle in St Aidan’s Cathedral.
The film was entirely produced by Aileen Lambert who researched, shot and edited the film.
This project received an award from Creative Places Enniscorthy, supported by Wexford Arts Centre, Wexford County Council and the Arts Council. The filmmaker extends sincere thanks to these organisations, as well as deep gratitude to everyone who contributed to and participated in the documentary.
