(wind whooshing) (thunder rumbling) (croaking) NARRATOR: "I will arise and go now, "and go to Innisfree.

"And I shall have some peace there, "for peace comes dropping slow.

"Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings."

(honking) (grunting) The restless poet William Butler Yeats found peace in wild places.

Like many great Irish writers, he felt a spiritual current that surges through this land.

Nowhere else does every brush with nature feel so intense... ...so full of life.

(seagulls squawking) The poetry of Yeats, which evokes the essence of Ireland, still inspires many of our writers.

MANCHAN: I write in a house of mud, straw and stone with a roof of clay and grass, created from the soil of Ireland.

If I'm speaking Irish, my name is "Man-a-han."

If I'm speaking English, I say "Mon-con."

Who wants a banana?

-You want a banana?

-(pigs snorting) (voice-over): As I tend my pigs and vegetables, I'm rooted in a long tradition.

For centuries, our farmers have been coaxing green shoots out of this rocky soil.

This land, this lush island of Ireland has always fed us and nourished our soul.

(reeds rustling) (woman singing in Gaelic) ♪ NARRATOR: This emerald-green island, where I was born, is a kind of paradise.

(singing continues) ♪ When the first history of our island was written, it was called "The Book of Invasions."

Outsiders came here, attracted by its beauty and its rich soil.

The Vikings came, then the Normans.

Out of our rocky soil, we built massive fortresses and walls to keep us safe.

But the invaders, they came anyway-- nine invasions in all.

Some newcomers built grandiose mansions on the best lands, pushing the Irish people aside.

For centuries, we fought them in vain, skirmish after skirmish, until an independence movement freed Southern Ireland.

All the while, we longed for peace between regions, peace between religions.

Then, in 1998, all clashing parties signed the Belfast Peace Agreement, changing Ireland forever.

We were finally able to look to the future with joy in our hearts.

This was a new Ireland.

(bird calling) To help the healing process, a growing network of young Irish musicians from both north and south have joined forces to spread musical harmony.

(playing jazz) Their adventures will be the focus of Manchan's next book.

MANCHAN (voice-over): These kids are different.

They have a whole new confidence.

This is a new generation of Irish.

It's a new Ireland.

(Noah groans) MANCHAN (voice-over): Rhiannon grew up in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.

Her parents lived through the angry years.

The others are from the south, the Republic of Ireland.

Noah wants to become a rock star.

He plays three instruments and he sings.

NOAH: Ah!

RHIANNON: I think-- I don't know where we are.

MANCHAN: Osama is an example of the new Ireland.

He's Irish Lebanese.

He hopes to be a computer scientist.

MOLLY: Osama!

-Osama!

-Yeah!

MANCHAN: And Molly is a linguist.

She proudly speaks Gaelic.

She wants to keep our language alive.

Through their music, these kids are trying to push the past aside.

In ten days, they'll play a recital in the north for the president of Ireland.

And we're all gonna head up there together so that I can learn more about them for my book.

-NOAH: Oh, yeah.

-(chattering) Lovely.

-Did you say "Kildare"?

-Adare.

-Adare.

A-D. MANCHAN: Their mentor, Patricia Treacy, will help me on the trip.

You don't need those machines.

Everything is laid out here.

Look at that.

Like, there's nothing that isn't... (voice-over): And for this, I'm really grateful, because... (chuckles) ...traveling with teenagers is kind of daunting for me.

♪ Frankenstein, Frank-Frankenstein, bzz ♪ ♪ Boogaloo, boo-- ♪ ♪ Right button, left button, head, toe ♪ -(muffled singing) -(laughing) ♪ And I said yes.

♪ And it's no, nay, never ♪ No, nay, never, no more ♪ Will I play the wild rover ♪ No, never, no more MACHAN: I learned fast that you have to keep kids exhausted.

But in Ireland, that's sort of easy.

We love all sports, especially Irish hurling.

And there's the best golfing in the world.

♪ I went to an alehouse ♪ I used to frequent ♪ And I told the landlady ♪ My money was spent ♪ I asked her for credit ♪ She answered me nay ♪ Sure, a custom like yours ♪ I can have any day ♪ And it's no... MANCHAN (voice-over): As we head for the Atlantic Coast, we pass some of Ireland's 400 castles.

Many are now hotels where Irish Americans like Ronald Reagan and Joe Biden have stayed.

♪ No, never ♪ No more... NARRATOR: The sleepy little harbor of Portmagee in County Kerry is the gateway to an unforgettable voyage back in time.

From here, Manchan will take the teenagers to two magical islands, where a thousand years of Irish history still lives and breathes.

♪ And it's no, nay, never ♪ No, nay, never, no more MANCHAN (voice-over): And the kids have no idea what they're getting into.

♪ Never ♪ No more.

(birds calling) The towering rocks of Little Skellig are the first stop for migrating birds crossing the ocean from the Americas.

(honking) NARRATOR: The Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw described the main island, Skellig Michael, as "part of our dream world."

Half monastery, half fortress, this place guards our deepest spiritual roots.

(seabirds calling) You can feel it in every rock you touch.

(woman vocalizing) NARRATOR: More than a thousand years ago, Europe was engulfed by a cloak of darkness called the Dark Ages.

Books were burned, wars raged, cultures were destroyed.

But when this island was invaded, the monks successfully hid the priceless books and fought the Vikings off.

Here, one passageway called the Needle's Eye was almost impenetrable, offering an ideal spot to safeguard the priceless manuscripts from the Greeks and from the Romans.

(woman vocalizing) ♪ NOAH (voice-over): Something very peaceful about being out in the middle of nowhere, to be honest.

(chuckles) MANCHAN (voice-over): At the top, we all feel something special.

This truly is a power-place of inspiration.

♪ RHIANNON: Manchan is right.

The island really has a touch of magic.

(seagulls squawking) NARRATOR: Ireland was, for some time, a lighthouse of ideas and knowledge shining out, steering people back out of the darkness.

Some historians claim that the Irish monks here and elsewhere bravely saved Western civilization.

I hear some of that idealistic spirit in the Ireland of today.

MANCHAN (voice-over): We drive along the Wild Atlantic Way, heading towards the famous Cliffs of Moher.

(woman singing in Gaelic) ♪ MANCHAN: This majestic, eight-mile-long wall of stone rises above the Atlantic Ocean.

NOAH (voice-over): Looking down, 500 feet above, you get an adrenaline rush that's completely unmatched.

MANCHAN: Be careful, be careful.

OSAMA: Ooh, yeah.

NOAH: Come on, jump in and see.

(Osama laughs) NOAH (voice-over): I mean, what a drop.

MANCHAN (voice-over): When I was young, like every Irish child, I learned about a hero called Oisin and his mythical quest to find an island beyond these cliffs.

The land of eternal youth and joy.

With stories like these, we got through the dark times.

And now, we're rising towards the light again.

(woman vocalizing) Oh, my.

The kids are finally speaking up about which Irish places they want to see.

Like the beach that offers surfing lessons for beginners.

♪ She played the fiddle in an Irish band ♪ ♪ But she fell in love with an Englishman ♪ ♪ Kissed her on the neck ♪ And then I took her by the hand ♪ ♪ Said, "Baby, I just want to dance" ♪ ♪ I met her on Grafton Street ♪ ♪ Right outside of the bar, she shared a cigarette ♪ ♪ With me while her brother played the guitar ♪ ♪ She asked me what does it mean ♪ ♪ The Gaelic ink on your arm?

♪ ♪ Said it was one of my friend's songs ♪ ♪ Do you want to drink on?

♪ She took Jamie as a chaser... ♪ MOLLY (voice-over): I absolutely loved -learning how to surf.

-(whooping) ♪ Chatted some more, one more drink at the bar ♪ ♪ Then put Van on the jukebox ♪ ♪ Got up to dance, you know ♪ ♪ She played her fiddle in an Irish band ♪ ♪ But she fell in love with an Englishman ♪ ♪ Kissed her on the neck ♪ And then I took her by the hand ♪ ♪ Said, "Baby, I just want to dance with ♪ ♪ My pretty little... NARRATOR: Redheads are celebrated here.

We have five times more than any other place -on Planet Earth.

-(all cheering) RHIANNON: A bit ago, we all kissed the Blarney Stone.

That's it.

Hold onto the bar.

NARRATOR: Legend says that when you kiss the Blarney Stone, you're forever blessed with the gift of gab.

RHIANNON: And now the boys will not shut up.

BOTH: Moo!

Moo.

You know me, I-I like to talk.

(laughter) MANCHAN: As we head north, we'll be crossing the invisible border that splits the island into two parts.

As we leave the Republic of Ireland, we enter Northern Ireland.

♪ For Noah, Osama and Molly, it's another country.

For Rhiannon, this is home.

MANCHAN (voice-over): Today we're on our way to UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Aw, dude, I love Giant's Causeway.

Oh, I love it.

MANCHAN: ♪ The mist rollin' over the sea... ♪ (voice-over): The Giant's Causeway is said to have been built by our greatest hero, Fionn mac Cumhaill, to protect us from an evil giant.

RHIANNON: Our guide tells a different explanation.

Jennifer explains that the basalt rock formations were created by volcanic eruptions about 60 million years ago.

JENNIFER: These eruptions erupted into a lava lake.

So imagine it's contracting as it cools.

And because it's a homogeneous composition, as it contracts, it forms these 90-degree angles.

So you can probably see them here.

-Yeah.

-It either formed a six-sided shape, a five-sided shape, or I think there's some seven- and eight-sided shapes.

NOAH: The slower it cools, the more hexagonal the shape of it.

JENNIFER: Yeah, the more time it has and form its shapes.

OSAMA (voice-over): Jennifer said there are about 40,000 of these basalt columns.

This place is huge, and it's amazing.

You're gonna have to just go for it.

(chuckles) Now, Osama.

Now, now, now!

Quick, quick, quick.

Go, go, go.

Yay!

I am shocked.

MANCHAN: In the past, we used our mythology to explain things that we didn't fully understand.

(indistinct chatter) Ancient stories help make sense of life.

Music and song can do that, too.

MANCHAN (voice-over): For these four musicians, playing for the president of Ireland was the highlight of the whole trip.

♪ RHIANNON (voice-over): I'm really excited to show my friends where I grew up.

♪ ♪ But come ye back ♪ When summer's in the meadow ♪ ♪ Or when the valley's hushed ♪ ♪ And white with snow NARRATOR: During the Northern Ireland conflict, a wall was built through Belfast city to protect rival communities from each other.

Though she was raised here, Rhiannon has never seen the wall until now.

♪ Danny boy, oh, Danny boy ♪ I love you so... RHIANNON: The Troubles are a distant memory for most, but the wall is a reminder of the constant scar that they've left.

NARRATOR: Today, Northern Ireland is at peace.

In the city of Derry, there's now this elegant bridge connecting what were once warring communities.

It's a curved bridge.

Why?

Because the road to peace is never easy or straight.

♪ The place where I am lying ♪ ♪ And kneel and say ♪ An "Ave" there for me ♪ And I shall hear... NARRATOR: We've had a long history of conflict, but now the whole island of Ireland is embracing peace as one people, united by our youth.

♪ And all my grave ♪ Will warmer, sweeter be ♪ ♪ For you will bend ♪ And tell me that you love me... ♪ RHIANNON (voice-over): A very important thing we learned is how to listen to each other, closely.

And that's true of everything in life.

We can't work together as one if we don't listen.

♪ And I shall sleep in peace ♪ ♪ Until you come ♪ To ♪ Me.

OSAMA (voice-over): Even though we all come from these different backgrounds, it really feels like a family.

MANCHAN (voice-over): Seeing them play Irish music for our president, it just hits me out of the blue that I am so proud of my four young friends.

(applause) Just being with these kids has shown me that when your heart breaks free of the past, love can actually grow inside.

("Dreams" by the Cranberries playing) ♪ Whoo!

-(cheers and applause) -That's good.

Oh, come on, Moko.

NARRATOR: Manchan spent his youth traveling the world, and writing books about the experience.

...own my food, and then it'd be lovely to have enough food that you could just... Before this we'd seen the forest was being cut away more and more by local farmers, and we were scared.

But this area... NARRATOR: Now, as he's gotten to know these four musicians... the theme for his book has become clear.

The young are creating a new Ireland.

(indistinct chatter) ♪ ♪ And, oh, my dreams ♪ It's never quite as it seems ♪ ♪ Never quite as it seems ♪ (indistinct conversation) NARRATOR: As more people discover her secret places, Ireland blossoms, which, I have to tell you, does my heart good.

♪ Then I open up and see ♪ The person falling here is me ♪ ♪ A different way to be (vocalizing) NARRATOR: The poet Yeats urged us to find our own essence of Ireland.

And the young in Ireland are doing just that.

♪ And now I tell you openly ♪ ♪ You have my heart so don't hurt me ♪ ♪ You're what I couldn't find... ♪ NARRATOR: And like the monks of Skellig Island, these kids and their fresh spirit have become a beacon of hope for the world.

♪ You're everything to me ♪ Dream to me ♪ HiYa, it's Misha Maya hon Magan.

My name is Machán Magan.

I'm the Irish writer and travel documentary maker, featured in the new film Ireland from McGillivary Freeman Films.

[IRISH MUSIC] I write in a house of mud, straw and stone with a roof of clay and grass created from the soil of Ireland.

"Who wants banana?"

"You want banana?"

As I tend my pigs and vegetables, I'm rooted in a long tradition.

For centuries, our farmers have been coaxing green shoots out of this rocky soil.

This land, this lush island of Ireland has always fed us and nourished our soul.

This is like the preeminent food.

At the beginning of June, we just get the first new potatoes from our field and there is nothing sweeter, nothing better.

But this, to me, is like a field of greenness but I'm just seeing deliciousness with a bit of mayonnaise, a bit of butter spread on top.

And because of the salty air, they might even get a little tinge of saltiness through them too.

That's a beautiful sight, a field of potatoes.

"Hi neighbor" ........"Look at you!"

So if we can capture that in Ireland, where people are connected with the land but also with the family, people being open more to the grander world and to their own culture.

Irish independence, Irish culture, Irish language, Irish clothes, Irish books, and also to reconnect with the richness and heritage of the past.

And so I just want to celebrate that, I point to that and inform people about that in any way I can.

[IRISH MUSIC] Gagasimid Erihaelir Erihish.

Until we meet again, slán pamá.

See you.

(singer vocalizing) (indistinct chatter)