Musician and County Clare native Fintan Malone introduces "The Boys and Girl from County Clare" at last year's film festival.
It’s movie time again.
Starting on Thursday, May 8, join WTMR radio host Marianne MacDonald (“Come West Along the Road) and me for the first film of our second Irish Film Series at the Irish Center (Commodore Barry Club), Carpenter and Emlen Streets in Philadelphia. The free series will run every first Thursday at 8 PM.
Kicking off the new festival is the 2008 Cannes Camera d’Or winning film, “Hunger,” from neophyte director Steve McQueen (no relation to the actor). This powerful movie, which was recently shown at the Philadelphia Film Festival and is now playing in theaters, was co-written by Irish playwright Enda Walsh and stars Michael Fassbender as Bobby Sands, who led other prisoners in the infamous H-block of Belfast’s Maze Prison on a hunger strike in 1981. Their demand: That the British government acknowledge the Irish Republican Army as a legitimate political organizations and them as political prisoners. Ten men, including Sands, starved to death.
We’re hoping to have a special guest to introduce the film and answer questions afterwards.
Last year, we co-sponsored a series of films that included “The Secret of Roan Inish,” “The Butcher Boy,” “The Boys and Girl from County Clare,” “My Left Foot,” and “The Snapper.” We were fortunate to have Fintan Malone, a musician from County Clare, to introduce “The Boys and Girl from County Clare,” a warm and funny film about a ceili band competition. Hyacinthe O’Neill, an old friend of Christy Brown, the disabled writer and artist whose life is depicted in the Jim Sheridan film, “My Left Foot,” shared her memories with the audience after the movie was aired.
All the films are shown in the Fireside Room, the bar will be open, and snacks available for purchase.
And you can help us select subsequent films for the series. What’s your favorite Irish movie? Did you love, “The Boxer,” or are you nuts about “The Quiet Man?” How about “The Molly Maguires,” which features some local Irish actors, including musician and WTMR radio host Vince Gallagher, who is also president of the Irish Center? Maybe you’re a “Finian’s Rainbow” fanatic. Let us know what you’d like to see (click on the “contact us” button on the website) and we’ll add it to the list. (Need some help remembering the Irish movies you’ve seen. Don’t worry, you’re in good company. Here’s a place where you can jog your memory.)
We may have some surprises as the series continues, so stay tuned.
