Fine words blended with catchy tunes sharpened the storytelling on Paul Muldoon: Laoithe is Liricí, a music-led documentary about the life and rhymes of the Portadown-born poet. Muldoon is a renowned verse-maker and literary boffin who has always maintained a tight grip on the japes and jives of pop culture, the wellspring of his inspiration. He’s a dedicated rock fan who has collaborated to good effect with some of rock’s key players.

Imaginatively directed by Alan Gilsenan, this was a bilingual endeavour that found an agile means of capturing Muldoon’s distinctive voice in multiple registers. Musical contributors included Laurie Anderson, Bono and The Edge, Paul Brady, Damien Rice, Moya Brennan and Iarla O’Lionáird, while we heard evocative readings from Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Van Morrison, PJ Harvey, Stephen Rea and Liam Neeson among others. Ultimately it was the smart lines rather than the stellar line-up that distinguished the venture. Big subjects were insightfully tackled in memorable sentences.

Above all else, Laoithe is Liricí (A Life in Lyrics) was that rarest of arts doc spectacles: a film about creativity that was itself creative.

Liam Fay, London Sunday Times