LOCAL artist Christina Bennett is working on a film about the early days of Shannon, entitled Sionna Go Breá.
She took the title from a song that was frequently sung at a youth club she used to go to in the town back in the 1970s.
“Seán Ó Nuanáin used to run a little club for us all called Club na Sionna. He arrived in 1964. He got very interested in the Irish language, and when he arrived there would have just been the flats,” she said.
“They were building Drumgeely and Drumgeely Hall was there, it was the only community outlet they had. He set up a youth club delivered in Irish called Club na Sionna and when I went to it in the 70s we used to sing Sionna Go Breá every night and that’s what I called the film.”
Like many others, Christina arrived from the North in the 1970s and is also working on a film about the experience of the northerners leaving home for Shannon.
Sionna Go Breá has been supported by Creative Places, the Arts Council and Clare Arts Office.
Speaking about how she got started on it, Christina says, “I spoke to Sheelagh from Creative Places and she asked had I any ideas for a film and I said I’d like to make one if possible about the early days of Shannon.
“I’m aware that living history won’t be around forever and I thought it was really important if I could to capture first hand accounts of people who came to Shannon, the pioneers of Shannon.
I think that’s a really important story. I grew up in Shannon, I think it’s a great place and I’m proud of it. I just wanted to capture it as best I could.”
Who has she interviewed for it?
“There’s Seán Ó Nuanáin, Deirdre O’Donnell who came in 1965, Valerie Sweeney who arrived in 1970, Sherry Fean who arrived in the early 60s,” she said.
“There’s Dr Peter Flynn who was born into Shannon in the 1950s before it was Shannon, it was still Rineanna. His Dad was hired to be the airport doctor.
“When they came first they were living in the hostels and then the airport built them a house at the back of the airport. He has some interesting stories about growing up there.
“That’s what I’ve done so far and there’s a possibility that I could interview some more. At the same time you can’t have everyone in the film. People have responded to me online, I did a call out on Facebook asking for photos and I’ve had a good response.
“People have sent me messages about their family and I’m hoping to meet lots of people and just get little soundbytes.”
A rough cut of the film was shown publicly on Culture Night in September and received a very good response from the local audience.
She didn’t always want to be a film maker, but has been very active in the art form in recent years.
“I didn’t set out to be a filmmaker, I’m an artist who is interested in making films, so they’re not going to be very mainstream or commercial, they’re just going to be the films I can make on my own,” she said.
The experience of dislocation from the North, a familiar one for many in Shannon, is something she often returns to, and it was at the core of her first film.
“My practice is mostly around the displacement of myself and my community from the North. The first film I made was called Leaving and it was just accounts of the Northern community in Shannon, talking about the moments they left and the days that they left,” she said.
“It was kind of a slanted account about displacement, it could have been about displacement from anywhere.
“A friend of mine who works in Clare Haven said it could have applied to people who have to leave their homes due to domestic violence or disputes.
“The content of it was very powerful. I’m interested in powerful content, and I think that makes up for whatever I’m lacking technically.”
Another film she made entitled Absence Presence was made around her mother’s house after her passing and it went to several film festivals.
“The house was empty, I went and photographed and filmed the contents. I didn’t want to lose the feeling of the house,” Christina reflects.
The final version of Sionna Go Breá will be shown locally, she promises.
“I have had messages from people asking how they can see the film. Whenever I have a finished version I’ll see if I can show it in the library or maybe the Town Centre,” she said.
Creative Places Shannon is an initiative of the Arts Office of Clare County Council supported by the Arts Council of Ireland through a Research and Development Award.
Creative Places is an opportunity for Shannon to build local arts programmes that benefit the communities living in the town and supports the community to explore and discuss creative activities that will enhance community well being and inclusion in the area.
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.