That this was filmed in Dublin is highly significant. You might think of the emigre Handel as England's greatest composer, but it was the Irish who put him on the route to posterity, by being the first to give The Messiah a rapturous reception - in Dublin. Prior to that he was known mainly for Baroque operas in Italian now mostly forgotten.
Like the contemporary Honour, Profit & Pleasure (1985), this was broadcast to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Handel's birth.