Philip King, co-founder of South Wind Blows, is a curator and producer of bespoke cultural events. A film director, writer, musician, broadcaster, commentator and contributor to national and international forums on the role and contribution of culture and arts in a world where we are more connected and more isolated than ever before.
In 1987 with writer and director Nuala O’Connor he produced, for BBC Television, the groundbreaking, and National Primetime Emmy award winning series ‘Bringing It All Back Home – the story of Irish Music and America’. In 1993 Philip was nominated for a Grammy award for his music documentary ‘Rocky World’ about the Canadian musician Daniel Lanois. He has since continued to produce and direct film, television and cultural events such as, Ceiliúradh at the Royal Albert Hall, commissioned by President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, Glaoch: A President’s Call, filmed in Aras An Uachtaráin, Notre Dame: A Welcome Home, The Gloaming: Moment to Moment, Gabriel Byrne: Stories from Home and more. In 2018, Philip was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from UCC and is an adjunct professor at the Department of Humanities at DCU.
Most notably, Philip co-created Ireland’s best-known music series, Other Voices, with Oscar-winning musician Glen Hansard. Now in its eighteenth year, Other Voices continues to grow and evolve.
Nuala O’Connor, co-founder of South Wind Blows, has worked as writer and documentary filmmaker in the areas of music and the arts since 1987. Prior to that she worked as a radio producer for RTE.
Nuala was a researcher and writer on the ‘Bringing It All Back Home‘ six part documentary series for BBC and RTE television. She is also the author of the book accompanying the series – ‘Bringing It All Back Home – The Influence of Irish Music‘, and in 1994 she won an Emmy Award for outstanding individual achievement in cultural programming, for her writing of a one hour version of the documentary.
In 2013 she wrote and co-directed ‘From Moment to Moment‘ with Philip King, a documentary on the critically acclaimed contemporary Irish/American music group The Gloaming. In 2014 she was a scriptwriter and co-producer on the acclaimed ‘Ceiliuradh‘ concert at the Royal Albert Hall celebrating the State visit of President Higgins to the UK. Most recently she directed the feature documentary Keepers of The Flame and is the founder of Ireland’s Edge, a multidisciplinary creative event series that makes up a distinct strand of the Other Voices Festival.
Nuala also sits on the governing body of UCC, and worked as a traditional music reviewer for the Irish Times for many years.