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A view of the streetscape in Kilrush

Kilrush ghosts to feature in movie

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A BOOK depicting life in Kilrush in the 1940s is currently being made into a Hollywood film.
Ghosts of Kilrush, which was written by Joe Riley who now lives in the Philippines, was published in 2003. He sold the film rights for a mere dollar.

“The story in the book is very simple,” Joe explained. “You had Auntie May, whose son was murdered at St Senan’s Well. I was a little kid of four years of age. I had no mum or no dad. What ended up happening was two people mending each other. That’s what the story is about.”

The book is being made into a film by Los Angeles-based Grafton Street Productions, whose executive producer is Chris Cusack. He is a former associate producer with the Disney ABC Television Group and an executive producer with Vin Di Bona Productions.

“He has roots, I believe, in Clare,” Joe said.

Some of the film crew were in Kilrush in early August.

“The script is almost finished. The film makers were in Kilrush about three weeks ago. They were out on Scattery Island taking some shots and it seems to be progressing. They have spent quite a lot of money getting to where they are.

“They have been to Ireland three times now, talking to the Irish Film Board. They are very positive about where Ghosts of Kilrush is going,” Joe told The Clare Champion this week.

“Until now, since they have started on this project they have always kept it under wraps. The last word Chris said to me was, ‘they are going to roll out the red carpet for you in Hollywood’. Not bad for a little lad from Pound Street,” he reflected.

Joe sold the film rights in 2014 for a minimal fee.

“I said, ‘well, I’m not going to sell it’ but they said ‘well, we have to buy it’. I said, ‘I’ll give it to you for $1’. I think it will be great for Kilrush, especially down my end of town, which is Pound Street,” he added.

“It’s about the people of Kilrush and it will do the town an awful lot of good. They gave me a childhood. I owe a lot of people in Kilrush over the years,” Joe stated.

By Peter O’Connell

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