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Rathmullan Film Festival

Our Festival is taking place in the beautiful seaside town of Rathmullan Donegal from 15-18 February. If you are looking for a long weekend of nature & beach walks..

Arthur Kingsley Porter

Arthur Kingsley Porter

Arthur Kingsley Porter (1883-1933) was an American multi-millionaire, an eminent Harvard Professor of fine arts, an international traveller and researcher of medieval architecture, an award-winning author, and owner of Glenveagh Castle, Co. Donegal, Ireland. While spending a night at the fisherman’s hut that he built on Inishbofin Island, off Co. Donegal, Porter disappeared without trace, on July 8th 1933. The subsequent inquest was the first to be held in Ireland without a body. Sightings of the professor continued to be reported from locations all over the world for many years after his disappearance.

Many theories were proposed as to the fate of Kingsley Porter. Recent remarkable facts reveal the inner turmoil that Kingsley and his wife, Lucy, grappled with before his disappearance and carried with them to their graves.

It was while visiting Glenveagh Castle, some seven decades later, that Thomas Williams discovered the Professor’s incredible story and along with author, Lucy Costigan, and photographer, Michael Cullen, began on an amazing journey to unearth the full truth of Kingsley Porter’s disappearance.

Now, a major international feature film and documentary are planned by Lugh Films who are based in Co. Donegal. Both films are based on the book by Lucy Costigan entitled, Glenveagh Mystery: The Life, Work and Disappearance of Arthur Kingsley Porter. The book will be published by Merrion, the new imprint of The Irish Academic Press in November 2012. Lugh Films will begin shooting this incredible drama during 2013/14. The book will be launched in Glenveagh Castle, Co. Donegal on November 17th 2012.

Donegal Film at Regional Cultural Centre

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.