In the new documentary Where the Road meets the Sky, Traveller actor and activist John Connors invites his grandmother, Mincéir activist and poet Chrissy Donohue Ward into the frame to share the myths and oral traditions that shaped her and inspired him as a filmmaker. Producer and editor Tiernan Williams introduces the film ahead of its World Premiere at this year's Dublin International Film Festival.
Chrissy Donaghue Ward stands as a towering figure in Irish Traveller history—an unwavering matriarch, civil rights activist, and the last Shanakee of the open road from the Donaghue, Ward, and Connors clans. She is the keeper of a culture shaped by movement, storytelling, and survival, bearing witness to the forced settlements that have threatened the very fabric of Minceir traditions.
With the decline of artisan trades such as tinsmithing—replaced by plastic and mass production—the echoes of a once-thriving nomadic way of life grow fainter. Yet, in Chrissy's voice, these echoes refuse to fade.
Watch the trailer for Where the Road meets the Sky
As a guardian of oral traditions, Chrissy conjures a world of fairies, gowls, and whispered customs, weaving myths with a storyteller's magic. For her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, she opens a portal to a time of wonder, where lessons of love, resilience, and belonging take root.
Her stories are more than mere folklore; they are acts of defiance against a world that seeks to erase her people’s history. Each tale she tells strengthens the identity of the next generation, giving them meaning and purpose in a society that often marginalizes them.
This film seeks to capture the fading whispers of Irish Traveller oral tradition, paying homage to Séamus Ó Duilearga, the folklorist who dedicated his life to preserving Ireland’s storytelling heritage. Yet, as each generation carries these stories forward, the relentless march of progress threatens to silence them.
Through a layered and experimental structure, the film examines the intersection of time, language, and memory. By exploring Jacques Lacan's concept of the unconscious, it delves into the relationship between what is spoken and what is understood beneath the surface. The real, the symbolic, and the imaginary intertwine, revealing deeper truths embedded in Minceir storytelling and its wider role in the Irish narrative.
At the film’s core is the unbreakable bond between Chrissy and her grandson, John Connors. A fearless actor, activist, and filmmaker, John has inherited not only his grandmother’s gift for storytelling but also her relentless spirit. His raw honesty—often controversial—forces Irish society to confront uncomfortable truths. Where others choose silence, he speaks; where others look away, he demands to be seen.
John's storytelling is not merely artistic expression but an existential necessity—a means of survival and resistance.
she opens a portal to a time of wonder, where lessons of
love, resilience, and belonging take root'
The film's structure mirrors the Traveller experience itself—rooted in motion, memory, and defiance. Though the community has been forced into settlements with substandard living conditions, their spirit remains untamed, wandering through time and space, refusing to be confined.
This is a film about movement—not just of the body but of the mind—exploring how thought and imagination transcend physical limitations to preserve freedom.
Chrissy Donaghue Ward represents a lineage of storytellers who have fought to keep their culture alive against insurmountable odds. Yet, within her words, the last embers of an ancient world still glow. As long as there are fairy tales, there will always be hope.
Where the Road Meets The Sky offers a rare window into a hidden world—one that still breathes in the hearts of those who refuse to let it disappear.
Words matter
Where the Road Meets The Sky screens at the Dublin International Film Festival on the 26th of February 2025 - find out more here.
