This film documents two years in the life of singer /songwriter Damien Dempsey. It outlines his personal and musical development, following him from 2000 to 2003 ' between the release of his first and second albums.

Along the way he suffers the disappointing failure of his first album, spends a disastrous summer in New York, meets a new manager, records his second album in London, tours Europe with Sinead O'Connor and plays with Christy Moore. The film features a cast of top-class musicians including Shane McGowan, Brian Eno, Sharon Shannon, Steve Wickham, Caroline Dale and Rob O'Geibheanaigh. Is Ireland the modern, confident country it claims to be or an insecure, self-loathing post-colonial basket case? If not, then why do most Irish singers sing in feigned foreign accents and how can Irish audiences bear to listen to them?

Through his uncompromising use of his own accent and tackling head-on the social and psychic issues affecting Ireland, Dempsey forces certain issues to the surface; With so many political and social problems affecting the country ' poverty, corruption, child abuse and racism ' why are these problems almost never addressed in the music heard on radio and in the charts.

The film shows how, in the hands of the right singer, music can be much more than just entertainment ' it is also a potent healing force for singer and audience.