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Irish documentaries at the Fleadh
07 Jul 2015 : Seán Brosnan
Alex Fegan’s documentary ‘Older Than Ireland’ debuts on July 10th
Holding a reputation for screening some of Ireland’s most intriguing, engaging and provoking Irish documentaries, this year is no different at the Galway Film Fleadh.

Kicking off the very impressive Irish non-fiction screenings at the Fleadh this year is ‘‘A Doctor's Sword’ on July 9th. It tells the story of Aidan MacCarthy, a young doctor from West Cork who survived some of the most harrowing episodes of World War II and his family's search to uncover the origin of the Japanese Samurai Sword which now resides in their family bar in West Cork. The film was directed by Gary Lennon and produced by Bob Jackson.

‘ Croí an Ċladaiġ’ also screens on July 9th. Directed and produced by Tony Walsh, the documentary this documentary captures the story of the iconic Galway Hooker, Croí an Ċladaiġ — the first in its class built in Galway city since the early 1920s, using traditional skills and tools by Bádoirí an Ċladaiġ (Claddagh Boatmen).

Directed by Andrew Gallimore and produced by Morgan Bushe, ‘An Náisiún’ depicts the events of just a few short months. It’s a story of fierce bloody fighting on the streets of Limerick and its surrounding hinterland — comrade against comrade, brother against brother, with nothing less than the future of the Irish nation at stake. An Náisiún’ screens on July 9th.

Screening on July 10th is ‘Mary McAleese and the Man Who Saved Europe’. Directed by Declan McGrath, the film sees the former Irish president travel through Ireland, France, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, to trace the impact of Irish monk St. Columbanus on Europe. During her journey McAleese discovers that the ultimate relevance of Columbanus’ story is how it shows the benefits of being hospitable to the “other”, and how such openness to diversity can offer lessons to the often fractured Europe of today.

Produced and directed by Gillian Marsh of GMarsh TV, ‘Nancy Corrigan 'Spéirbhean Acla' will also screen on July 10th. The film is about a young girl from poverty-stricken Achill Island who emigrated to America in 1929. Not content to be a maid for the rest of her life, Nancy set her sights high. Through modelling in New York, she financed her aviation ambitions, becoming a pioneering female pilot, training male fighters during WWI, teaching aeronautical engineering at a number of colleges, and surviving a brush with death while competing in the 1948 Cleveland Air Races.

Directed by Joe Lee and produced by Lee, Bill Whelan and Lorraine Kennedy, ‘Fortune’s Wheel’, which screened at the IFI last month, is the story of Bill Stephens, an ordinary young Dublin man in post WWII Ireland with a dream to become an international circus star. It is also a love story between Bill and his beautiful wife Mai. Their act, “Jungle Capers”, was a series of death defying feats with a troupe of lions and dogs designed to thrill audiences in the circus tent and on the theatre stage. With it they hoped to break free from the suffocating reality of Irish life in the early 1950s.

Check out our recent interview with ‘Fortune’s Wheel’ director Joe Lee here.

‘Older Than Ireland’, which debuts on July 10th, is a feature documentary that explores what it means to have lived one hundred years in Ireland, as seen through the eyes of its oldest citizens. Featuring thirty men and women, this remarkable group of centenarians, all born before 1916, are the last generation to have borne witness to Ireland's bloody transition from a newly formed fledging republic through to its development into a mature European state. ‘Older Than Ireland’ was directed by Alex Fegan who is also one of five nominees for the Bingham Ray New Talent Award at the Fleadh.

Screening on July 11th is uproarious documentary ‘Deoch an Dorais’. Directed by Paddy Hayes and produced by Ciara Nic Chormaic, the documentary follows GAA hard man Anthony Molloy who journeyed to New York in search of the toughest Irish immigrant America was ever to see: Mike Malloy, the “Rasputin of the Bronx.” Mike was a lowly alcoholic vagrant in Depression-era New York. Four unscrupulous associates saw him as an easy target for a fast buck: Why don’t we take out a life assurance policy on this Irish bum and kill him? “Durable Mike” survived over twenty attempts on his life. Anthony tells his story here for the first time.

Luic Jordan's ‘A Turning Tide in the Life of Man’ also screens on Saturday, July 11th. Filmed over eight years, ‘A Turning Tide in the Life of Man’ follows John O'Brien, a small fisherman from the island of Inis Bó Finne who embarked on a European campaign to try and regain his ancestral right to fish the seas around Donegal.

Screening on the final day of the festival – Sunday, July 12th – is director Mark Cousins acclaimed documentary ‘I Am Belfast’. Shot by Christopher Doyle, scored by David Holmes and produced by John Archer and Chris Martin , ‘I Am Belfast’ is a unique look at the city and portrays Belfast as a free spirited woman and a walking tour guide. ‘I Am Belfast’ premiered at the Belfast Film Festival earlier this year to positive reviews and is also screening this month at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic. For more information on the Irish at Karlovy Vary, click here.

For the full list of films screening at the Galway Film Fleadh, see their website at www.galwayfilmfleadh.com.





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