BAFTA winning film maker, director, bardic poet and writer, Kevin Toolis takes on the challenge of revealing how the half forgotten rituals of the past can enable us all to face death without fear. In his book, My Father's Wake: How the Irish Teach Us to Live, Love and Die, Kevin lyrically and poetically explores the death of his own father, Sonny, within the ancestral embrace of the oldest rite of humanity—the Irish Wake. His acclaimed nonfiction chronicle of Ireland's Troubles, Rebel Hearts: Journeys Within the IRA's Soul, is widely regarded as the best single work ever written about the Irish Republican Army. Kevin’s work as a documentary director spans across borders, including Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. He has also reported across various socio-contextual topics including wars, famines and plagues. Kevin was nominated for an Emmy for his five part series on the rise of the cult of suicide bombing. Kevin is the founder of Many Rivers Films and a member of an Irish traditional arts band, Wonders of the Wake, that in song, music, keening, and bardic poetry celebrates the sorrow, laughter, and joy of an Irish Wake.