Motors and movies combine in Ballinascarthy Foróige premiére

ALL roads lead to Ballinascarthy Hall for the world premiere of the Ballinascarthy Foróige club’s long-awaited film and gala night on Saturday October 15th next. 

The Fordes of Ballinascarty: Freedom from Famine tells the story of a young man from Ballinascarthy who was forced to immigrate to America because of the famine. 

That young man was in fact, the father of the man who invented the modern production line and who is credited with producing the first car for the ‘average man’, Henry Ford. 

The family name later became Ford, rather than the Cork spelling of Forde. And Ballinascarthy had, in those days, no ‘h’.

The 45-minute film was made by 20 teenagers aged between 13-17 from Ballinascarthy Foróige Club, with actors from the award winning Kilmeen drama group. The group also received the support of film-maker Tim McCoy who allowed the teenagers to use his cameras, lighting, sound and recording equipment. 

‘Working with the young people on this project and watching them grow has been a real privilege. They learnt so many skills, that aren’t often available to teenagers, and showed huge enthusiasm for the whole thing,’ said Betty Hennessy, a leader with Ballinascarthy Foróige Club, and one of the co-ordinators of the project. 

With everything in place for the premiére, Betty congratulated all those involved in making the film and everybody who supported the Ballinascarthy Foróige Club. ‘A glamorous red carpet premiére will be held with the cast in formal wear to launch the film on October 15th,’ she said.