Fintan Malone, right, and Kevin McGillian, lead the post-film session.
There’s a movie chain in New England called Schmitty’s where, when you buy your ticket, they hand you a menu. Along with showing first run movies, Schmitty’s serves great pub food which you can wash down with your favorite beer, wine, or, heck, a Cosmo if you want one.
The Irish Center isn’t Schmitty’s, but for the next few weeks, it offers an equally great way to watch a movie. Ya got your hand-cut fries–a specialty of Irish Center manager John Nolan–which are served with malt vinegar or ketchup or both. Ya got your favorite beers on tap which you can drink while you watch. And then there’s the congenial crowd. On Thursday, March 27, some of them toted musical instruments which they pulled out after the showing of the first film in the 6-part series, “The Boys and Girl from County Clare,” starring the ubiquitous Colm Meaney and Bernard Hill as two brothers engaged in a “ceili war” as the leaders of two bands competing in the All-Irelands. The girl is Andrea Corr of The Corrs who gives an astonishing portrayal of a young fiddler (which she really is) of uncertain parentage.
The film was introduced by local musician Fintan Malone, who has met the screenplay author, Nick Adams, in Malone’s hometown of Miltown Malbay, County Clare. Malone’s family owns a pub in Miltown Malbay, a small town that hosts the Willie Clancy music festival each year. Afterwards, Malone and fellow musician Kevin McGillian led a music session.
We can’t promise music every time, but we will be having special guests to introduce some of the films in this free event, co-sponsored by www.irishphiladelphia.com and Marianne MacDonald, host of WTMR 800AM’s Irish radio show, “Come West Along the Road,” broadcast every Sunday at noon.
On tap next week, besides Guinness and Smithwicks, will be:
April 3: The Secret of Roan Inish
This John Sayles film is a magical, yet surprisingly unsentimental, story of a young girl who, after losing her mother and baby brother, goes to live with her grandparents on the mainland across from the island where she was born, Roan Inish. Little Fiona soon learns that her family has a history with selkies, seals who can turn into humans. It’s totally enchanting.
Other films on the bill include:
April 10: The Butcher Boy
April 17: The Snapper
April 24: Bloody Sunday
May 1: My Left Foot
The films begin at 7:30 PM.
Come join us!
