A series of new arts documentaries and programmes celebrating local creativity and talent is coming to BBC iPlayer and BBC Northern Ireland.

The Season Of Arts collection, which sees a range of Northern Ireland artists give their perspective on their life and work, will be available on BBC iPlayer from Sunday 11 February. Among the new content is an intimate profile of contemporary Belfast poet Michael Longley, revealing the places and relationships that have inspired him.

This season also features a film exploring the life and work of poet and Professor Gerard Dawe and a feature-length documentary following pioneering musician and composer Úna Monaghan as she creates her latest album.

Eddie Doyle, Head of Content Commissioning, BBC NI, says: “We recognise the value and importance of the arts in Northern Ireland and we are pleased to continue our support for the sector here this year with the return of our Arts Season.

“This year we have some exciting new content celebrating the words and music from some of our local artists, with documentaries on poets Michael Longley and Gerald Dawe and a new Irish language film featuring Belfast musician and composer Úna Monaghan. Our audiences will also have a chance to enjoy some arts programmes that we have broadcast in the past.”

BBC Northern Ireland’s Season Of Arts programmes will be largely available on BBC iPlayer from February 11, with further content to be added over the following few weeks.

A selection of programmes will also be broadcast on BBC NI TV, beginning Sunday 11 February on BBC Two Northern Ireland at 10pm with Aonaracht.

Highlights of new content in the BBC Northern Ireland Season Of Arts include:

Michael Longley – Where Poems Come From

This landmark film provides a revealing insight into some of the places, friendships and experiences that have inspired award-winning Belfast poet, Michael Longley.

Like all great poets, Michael’s work captures the universal. It’s also informed by his love of the classics and the natural world.

Living in Belfast at the height of the Troubles, Michael was reluctant to write about the conflict, but it affected him personally and was explored in some of his most thought-provoking poems, including The Ice-Cream Man.

Michael talks movingly about his relationship with his wife, the author and literary critic Edna Longley, and how the flowers and wildlife around the cottage that he visits regularly in County Mayo are an inspiration for his work.

This film, directed by Adam Low, is a co-production by DoubleBand Films and Fine Point Films for BBC Northern Ireland and will be available on BBC iPlayer from Sunday 11 February before being broadcast on BBC One NI on Monday 12 February at 10.40pm.

Gerald Dawe – Out Of The Ordinary

In his poetry, Gerald Dawe explores the meeting ground between his personal experiences and the political and cultural realities that surround him.

Born in Belfast in 1952, Dawe was raised in a house full of women and a city emerging from the shadow of its industrial past, which in Gerry’s experience was unmistakably British.

In this documentary Gerald Dawe reminisces about his journey from childhood to adulthood, how the thriving music scene in 1960s Northern Ireland and the onset of the Troubles shaped his life and work, and returns to his home city to find that much has changed.

This film was produced by DoubleBand Films for BBC Northern Ireland and will be available on BBC iPlayer from Sunday 11 February before being broadcast on BBC One NI on Thursday 15 February at 10.40pm.

Aonaracht

Through her music, Úna Monaghan explores the opportunities that arise when traditional folk music is confronted with new ideas, often breaking all the rules.

This feature-length documentary follows the Belfast harpist, composer and sound engineer as she records her latest album Aonaracht (meaning solitude).

This album is one of her most ambitious projects to date and features contributions from some of the finest traditional musicians in Ireland, including Pauline Scanlon, Paddy Glackin, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Jack Talty, Saileog Ní Cheannabháin and Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn.

This film examines the process of making an album from conception to completion, and as Úna prepares to embark on another new project, welcoming her first child into the world, the question arises – will motherhood accommodate her artistic ambition?

Aonaracht was made for BBC Gaeilge and TG4 by DoubleBand Films with support from Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund. The programme airs Sunday 11 February at 10pm on BBC Two Northern Ireland.

Legends Of Harper

Colin Harper has never been in the cool crowd. His books, music and record company work are widely recognised in the music world, but less so in Northern Ireland.

This is not unsurprising, given he works mostly from a tiny box room in east Belfast, and from their first recording in 1997, his studio collective, The Legends Of Tomorrow, had never played live until December 2023.

This writer and musician has many an admirer in the music world, including Bono, Johnny Marr, John McLaughlin and Martin Hayes.

In this new documentary Colin shares the unique personal perspective he brings to his work and we hear from a host of local and international musicians to find out what they feel we should know about Colin Harper.

Legends Of Harper was made by Live With Giants and airs on Sunday 18 February at 10pm on BBC Two Northern Ireland.

The season will also dip into the BBC Northern Ireland archives with some previously broadcast arts programmes including the documentary Helen Waddell: Living in the Past. In this film, best-selling author Kate Mosse takes a retrospective look at Ulster-Scots writer Helen Waddell, uncovering the fascinating story of how her life and work intertwined.

Helen Waddell: Living The Past was made by Erica Starling Productions for BBC Northern Ireland, with support from the Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund.