Clare Island is an island in the entrance of Clew Bay in Ireland. Famous for being the home of the pirate queen Grace O’Malley, today it has a population of about 160 inhabitants. A few houses, a hostel, two pubs, a primary school and an old lighthouse used as a restaurant: its visitors are mainly trekkers, climbers and explorers on bikes. The island is at risk of depopulation and employment is declining.

According to director Miriam Gregorio, “The idea behind the project was to illustrate life on an Irish island populated by only 160 inhabitants. But once in place, unexpected themes emerged that made it necessary to recount the connection that the islanders feel to each other, with their island, and, in a broader sense, with the history and culture of the Irish people. Through the testimonies of the local people and the forms of traditional artistic expression practiced by them, I investigated the peculiarity of a connection as specific as it is universal. It is a story that speaks of Identity (national or, more simply, as human necessity) seen through the mirror of a small part of humanity.