Tag Archives: Film

Rare footage recorded in the Burren by legendary RTÉ documentary filmmaker, Gerrit Van Gelderen, in the 1960s, 70s and 80s will be shown to the public for the very first time at the Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan this Friday, April 5. The footage was recorded by Van Gelderen while shooting episodes of his seminal nature programme, To The Waters And The Wild, in North Clare. The previously unseen footage has been compiled over the last number of weeks by Gerrit’s filmmaker son, Finn, to commemorate the 30 years since his father’s passing. “The film contains footage that was recorded in the Burren from as far back as the 1960s. The theme of the film is to commemorate 30 years since his father’s passing and to share tales about him,” said Ballyvaughan woman and friend of the Van Gelderens, Eilís Haden-Storrie. “Gerrit was the first documentary film maker in RTÉ, in fact, he started as a graphic designer on …

A NEW film featuring Clare award winning writer and poet Doireann Ní Ghríofa has been released this week, and people in the Banner county will have the opportunity to see it on the big screen in Ennis. Described as an intimate exploration of Doireann’s world and creative process, Aisling Trí Néallaibh: Clouded Reveries is a film about memories, motherhood and the mysterious nature of creativity. The acclaimed poet and essayist, raised in Kilnamona, was catapulted into the international literary spotlight in 2020 with the publication of her debut novel A Ghost in the Throat. Lauded by critics from the New York Times to the Guardian, it went on to win the Irish Book of the Year. Aisling Trí Néallaibh: Clouded Reveries is an exploration of Ní Ghríofa’s world and creative process. Captured through intimate performances of her own work and in-depth interviews, the film reveals Ní Ghríofa’s creative impulses and journeys with her to the heart of her inspiration, her home place …

TWO men from opposite ends of the world convened in Kilrush last week to discuss the possibility of shooting a film based in the west Clare town. Joe Riley, now living in Sydney had his autobiography (initially known as Ghosts of Kilrush and now as Life in Kilrush) published a number of years ago and he was in west Clare to meet Chris Cusack from Grafton Productions in Hollywood. “What’s happened is the film rights, I sold them to an American company in Hollywood. The film producer has flown from LA to here, and I’ve come from Australia to here,” said Joe. While there is no indication yet as to when production might start, he said that a script has been written, various other preparations made and an overall investment of in the region of one million dollars made. “I haven’t come from Australia for the fun of it, and he hasn’t come from LA for the fun of it,” …

A SMALL North Clare national school is celebrating the power of hope, as the festive season approaches and pupils look ahead to the future. The rescue of a wounded bird inspired six-year-old Adam Wall to write a poem called ‘Hope’. The poem then became a video and the message began to spread. The bird flew into the classroom, one summer afternoon, and hurt its wing. A little boy, Cian Vaughan, cupped the frightened bird in his hands until it recovered and was able to fly away. When Adam got home that evening, he wrote the poem. That went on to inspire teacher Miss Dilleen, SNA Mary Lou Moylan and principal Patricia Vaughan to devote a whole school project to the theme of ‘Hope’. All pupils got involved in making an art project and filmed the results. What came as a pleasant surprise was the incredibly positive reaction of the wider community. Pupils had really captured the hearts of parents and …

CHRISTMAS came early to the streets of Ennis when filming for a new Hallmark movie took to Abbey Street. Familiar buildings on the thoroughfare were decked out in festive flair for the filming of the movie starring Mean Girls’ Lacey Chabert alongside Irish actor Stuart Townsend. Details of the movie have yet to be released but it is understood that the working title is ‘Christmas at Castle Hart’. Earlier this year West Coast Casting, who do casting calls for productions in the West of Ireland sought extras for the film shooting in various locations in Clare and Limerick. The call specifically looked for men and women aged 50 and up to take part in a ballroom scene with other roles including hotel staff, diners, villagers and pub patrons. Filming has also been done in the Old Ground Hotel while Bunratty, Dromoland and Kinvara are also said to be among the locations for the shoot. As well as the major stars, …

OLD cine-films taken in Clarecastle in the 1950s showing aspects of the village in that era and the unloading of ships at Clarecastle Quay have been discovered and digitised. The film is now set to be released by the Clarecastle & Ballyea Heritage & Wildlife Group on Saturday, August 15 to mark the start of Heritage Weeks 2020. The Clarecastle & Ballyea Heritage & Wildlife Group has amassed a large collection of old photographs over the years. This was done by appealing to the local community through the local press, the press used by the Irish community in England, parish newsletters, open nights where the local community brought in old photos. These images were scanned, with the group not only capturing the picture, but also the story behind the photographs. During one of these sessions the group was told of the existence of reels of old cine-film with images of the village and Quay areas. They approached the owners and …

IN celebration of the European Year of Cultural Heritage, Galway Film Centre, in partnership with Clare and Galway county councils, with support from the Heritage Council of Ireland, have announced the commissioning of a documentary series with filmmaker Paul Murphy. Entitled Stories from the Landscape: The European Dimension, the project will involve the production of two short documentaries on the theme of landscape and will record aspects of our built and natural heritage across Europe, in both Ireland and Austria. The first film will look at the tradition of dry stone wall building and will visit two festivals that celebrate this; Féile na gCloch on Inis Oírr on the Aran Islands and Stein Und Wein, which takes place in Langenlois in the north-east of Austria. Though many miles apart, both Inis Oírr and Langenlois celebrate the tradition of dry stone walling with festivals that are both regional and local development strategies towards sustainable tourism. The second film will focus on …

Tourism Ireland has unveiled a new film about the annual Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, which was hosted in Ennis in 2016 and returns there in 2017. The film shows some of the highlights of the Fleadh Cheoil in 2016, including Irish dancers and traditional pub sessions in Ennis. The film captures the atmosphere of this great music festival – encouraging potential visitors around the world to come and find out more about Ireland’s incredible culture and sample the Fleadh Cheoil for themselves. The film is being promoted through Tourism Ireland’s social platforms, including Facebook (3.8 million fans worldwide), Twitter (379,000 followers) and YouTube.