Story of a Song review: Delve into the ballad Grace falls short of filling us in on its afterlife

Rod moves in mysterious ways – and what an impact he (Rod Stewart, that is) has had on Grace, the maudlin 1916 Rising ballad which has undergone a remarkable resurgence since the rasping rocker started belting it out at his concerts.

Stewart has talked a great deal about how Grace has yanked at his heartstrings – on the Late Late Show several years ago, he spent practically the entire interview wiping away tears.

But there is more to the tune than a sobbing classic rocker, and the tale of Grace and its rebirth receives a more origin-focused, less Rod-centric retelling in the first episode of the latest season of Aistear an Amhráin (RTÉ One, 7pm, Tuesday).

The informative documentary series traces the evolution of well-loved songs. A run time of just 30 minutes leaves little space for mucking about and Sinéad Ní Churnáin cracks on from the outset by rewinding to 1916 and the love affair between Grace Gifford and Joseph Mary Plunkett, as recounted in the lyrics of Grace. They were the doomed couple who tied the knot hours before Plunkett was marched before a British firing squad for his part in the Easter Rising.

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Story of a Song review: Delve into the ballad Grace falls short of filling us in on its afterlife

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Plunkett was executed at Kilmainham Gaol, where singer Aoife Scott performs several lines from the song (a favourite of Olympic boxer Kellie Harrington). “There is a very particular atmosphere here,” Scott says. “I felt these vibrations in the walls. It was very strange. That’s why so many people visit Kilmainham Gaol.”

Joseph Mary Plunkett was a signatory of the Proclamation

Grace is often assumed to have dated from the early 20th century, but, as Ní Churnáin reveals, it was written in the 1980s, a boom-time for dewy-eyed ballads bashed out by hairy Irish folk singers. In this case, the hairy folk singer was Jim McCann, who received the tune, with thanks, from Frank and Seán O’Meara, songwriting siblings from Mullingar, Co Westmeath.

“Jim McCann was over the moon,” says Frank, who wrote the melody and who plays back a grainy early recording that is far jauntier than the version Stewart has belted out across the world for several years.

The idea for writing about Gifford and Plunkett came to Seán after he was asked to rustle up a hit to order. Though aware of Plunkett, he knew little of Gifford until delving into her story. “I may not have known before I did the research what Grace’s name was,” he says.

As a sort of idiot’s guide to Stewart’s favourite Irish weepy, Aistear an Amhráin ticks the boxes. Still, it would have been useful to hear more about the track’s afterlife. For instance, how is it that former senator Donie Cassidy reportedly came to hold the copyright to Grace? And how much is it worth?

Such details would have helped the viewer better appreciate the impact of Grace and reveal something we didn’t already know (most of the audience are surely familiar with the story of Gifford). How, for that matter, did Stewart come upon it?

You wanted to dive deeper into the story of Grace and its incredible recent renaissance, but, for all its good work, Aistear an Amhráin didn’t go far enough in filling in the blanks.