The Bundoran RNLI revitalised the tradition of a soapbox race to great acclaim last weekend after seeing a postcard of the event from the 1950s on the Magh Éne Historical Society Calendar 2011. Huge crowds turned out to support their teams and enjoy the craic last Sunday 3rd June which brought ultimate success for Ogie O Kelly’s OK Cabs Soapbox…
18 year old Christopher McGloin, driving the Roguey Rocket soapbox for Ogie O’Kelly’s OKCabs, on Sunday (3rd June 2012), clinched the title of Bundoran Lifeboat Soapbox RaceChampion 2012. In front of an estimated 2000 strong crowd gathered at the event at Astoria Road in Bundoran, McGloin battled for the first place with Ashley Ward driving his soapbox on behalf of Ward Automation. Ironically Ashley’s dad John was the winner of the last soapbox race held on Astoria Road in 1962.
All images for this video were taken by Paul Deeney in the seaside village of Rathmullan during December 2010.
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Filmmakers Jamie Delaney and Keith Nally’s beautiful short, made in collaboration with heritage enthusiast and Acne Paper Editor Charlotte Rey, profile one of the last surviving weaving mills, Molloy & Sons. Based in the windswept County Donegal, Ireland, current father and son duo Sean and Kieran Molloy have a pedigree dating back over six generations and weave premium tweed from the famous Donegal yarn. “I think that with old crafts which are indigenous to areas like this, it’s really hard to divorce them from their landscape,” says Delaney.
Over the course of three days’ filming, Delaney and Rey captured the family’s impressive artisanal skill and dedication to a dwindling industry. Amidst the bleak but beautiful scenery surrounding the mill, the textile masters explained how their authentic Donegal weaves were inspired by the muted tones and flecks of color in the local heather, bracken and wild flowers. “Tweed is part of the cultural DNA in a sense; it’s been there for generations and it’s a pillar of a fabric industry that is now disappearing,” says Rey. “What should really be shining through is the love and the passion of these people.”
One of the biggest showcases of locally produced films ever held in the North West will be launched this week in the Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny.
The exhibition highlights 18 short films shot over the past two years as part of the IFI supported “Sharing Stories” project, a collaboration between the Regional Cultural Centre and the Nerve Centre in Derry.
The exhibition will be officially launched at 7pm on this Friday 11th November.
“We have a fantastic line up for the exhibition,” says RCC Director Shaun Hannigan.
“The project has produced films covering everything from Donegal emigration in the 1940s through to Loyalist pipe bands. The standard of work is superb. It provides a really rich insight into life in Donegal and Derry, both past and present, that should be of interest to everyone, young and old.”
Sharing Stories is a cross-border film project initiated in October 2009 with a particular focus on community, youth and minority groups. Among the films to be highlighted at the exhibition are “Brighter Days”, an animation by Letterkenny-native Daniel McGarrigle based on the biography of his grandfather Colm Melly, who emigrated to England in the 1940s and then returned to the North West to raise his family.
Bighter Days
“Pride” is a fly-on-the-wall documentary looking at the ‘Pride of the Orange and Blue’ Flute Band from Newbuildings, looking at a typical summer month in the life of its members as they prepare for the 12th of July celebrations.
“Rockhill Remembered” takes an inside look at the social and military history of the battalions stationed at Rockhill House in Letterkenny, while “Rondo Mondo” documents Cafe del Mundo, the hub of Derry’s thriving international community.
The exhibition launch on Friday will be followed by a major one-day seminar on 25th November. As part of this seminar the Regional Cultural Centre and the Nerve Centre have set a social media challenge called “Share My Story” to promote two films using only free social and digital media.
The seminar will also include presentations from Risteard O’Domhnaill, director of the highly-acclaimed documentary “The Pipe” about the Corrib gas pipeline, and Dr. Cathal McLaughlin of the University of Ulster’s film department. The official opening and wine reception will take this Friday and everyone is welcome. The “Sharing Stories” exhibition continues until January 28th, 2012. Opening times are Tuesday to Friday 11am to 5pm, Saturday 1pm to 5pm and admission is free. Details of the one-day seminar on 25th November will be announced shortly.
Sharing Stories is funded by the International Fund for Ireland.
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Watch video highlights of Earagail Arts Festival event which was held at Fort Dunree in summer of 2011 – Sean Og’s pub celebrates 10 years – a wedding at Rathmullan House hotel – notice of major Fracking meeting to be held in Ballyshannon – brush up on your Irish language skills – head for Donegal Town this weekend for the beer festival.
Wednesday 12th October 8pm
Great Hall – Magee University
Nothland Road, Derry
Tel: (028) 7167 545
Admission is free and everyone is welcome
Moya Doherty’s career includes theatre, radio and television production and presentation, both in Ireland and internationally. She fronted a number of arts, features and documentary programmes for RTÉ Television and also for TV-AM, the British breakfast television network. She is an award-winning television documentary maker, having won a Jacob’s Award for her work on A Silent Scream. As Executive Producer Moya produced a number of charity telethons, the Eurovision Song Contest and the televising of the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics held in Ireland in 2001.
And here’s a quick reminder…
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Hopefully, County Donegal and other western counties are set for an upsurge in tourist numbers leading up to 2013.
A global Irish “homecoming” which has been billed as the biggest tourism initiative ever staged in Ireland has been unveiled.
The Gathering will be a year-long event in 2013 and the Government is anticipating it will attract as many as 325,000 extra visitors into Ireland.
Such a spike in visitor numbers would add another €220 million to the Irish economy.
Unveiling the Gathering at the Global Irish Forum in Dublin Castle, the Minister for Tourism Leo Varadkar described it as an “invitation to the world to come and join in Ireland’s renewal”.
The initiative has come from Fáilte Ireland, whose chief executive Shaun Quinn has described it as a “compelling vehicle” to tap into the wider Irish diaspora.
Every town and village in Ireland will be asked to participate in the Gathering which will be aimed first of all at the Irish diaspora, then people with an interest in Ireland and people at home.
A renewed interest in Irish roots, particularly following the publication of the 1901 and 1911 censuses, will also be accommodated during the Gathering.
The Gathering will be organised around a series of festivals, both existing and new.
County and city managers will be the key enablers for the programme supported by Fáilte Ireland’s destination project managers and regional teams.
The programme will be formally launched on St Patrick’s Day and a number of special events will take place at that time leveraging high-profile people from Ireland.
There will be a strong emphasis on promoting the event through social media with a view to creating a buzz about the events.
Tourism Ireland will lead the promotion of the Gathering abroad while Fáilte Ireland will promote it at home.
Former Irish diplomat Dr Tim O’Connor will chair the board overseeing the event.
He said: “In order to succeed. the Gathering will be the last word in joined-up thinking. It will require the input of every agency and every parish and its success is ultimately down to us.”
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Donegal is located in the northwest corner of Ireland and dotted along its rugged, indented coastline are some of the finest surfing beaches and golf links in the country. It’s a great place for a family holiday with many attractions to visit such as Glenveagh National Park and Europe’s highest sea cliffs at Sliabh League. In recent years restaurants have been sourcing produce from local farmers and fishermen – now many of these restaurants appear in the Bridgestone Guide (Ireland’s good food bible)
If you are planning a trip to Ireland, we’d love to see you in Donegal – enjoy viewing.
The music used in this video is called “Old Reggae” by Mutefish.
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