Fleadh screening for McMahon film

SPANCILHILL man Robbie McMahon is no stranger to singing at fleadhs the length and breadth of Ireland through the years. But, for the Spancilhill man, Friday’s appearance at a fleadh in Galway will be a performance with a difference.
Instead of taking to the stage, Robbie will take to the screen at the Galway Film Fleadh, when the documentary about his life and song, Last Night As I Lay Dreaming, will be screened in a programme that includes the best of Irish and international cinema.
Now in its 22nd year, the Galway Film Fleadh is Ireland’s leading film festival, attracting directors, actors, cinematographers and film lovers from all over the world to the city. As well as screening feature films, shorts and documentaries, the fleadh also offers workshops, debates, public interviews, masterclasses and seminars.
“We are delighted that Last Night As I Lay Dreaming has been chosen for screening at the fleadh,” said Frank Whelan, producer of the film. “While reaction has been fantastic here in Clare we always thought that it would appeal to a wider audience. It’s great to think that at the Galway Film Fleadh Robbie’s story will be seen and appreciated by people not just from Ireland but from around the world.”
The film had its Dublin premiere last Wednesday night at a packed auditorium in Clasac, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann’s new cultural centre in Clontarf. Speaking afterwards, Ciarán Hanrahan, presenter of RTÉ’s Céilí House, praised the film for how it had captured the spirit of its subject.
“It really got what Robbie McMahon is all about. Not just a legendary singer and a writer of great songs but also an outstanding performer and entertainer. But the film went beyond that as well. It shows us where Robbie and the great tradition he represents comes from, with horse fairs and hurling matches, fleadhs and house dances, it really captured a flavour of rural Clare that we don’t often see represented on the screen,” he said.
The following day’s Mooney Show on RTE Radio One featured a report on the Dublin premiere with an interview with Robbie McMahon himself and the film’s director, Ray Conway. Speaking on the show, RTÉ producer Brian Lally, who attended the screening, said, “It was like being at a concert last night because the audience would break into applause at the end of every song, it was like being at a concert movie. If you’re interested in finding out about the musical roots of people like Christy Moore and Andy Irvine and even Damien Dempsey, to know where these people came from spiritually, Robbie McMahon is a good place to start,”
Last Night As I Lay Dreaming screens at The Galway Film Fleadh this Friday at 2.30pm.