Chance to star in historic documentary

LOCAL men who think they have what it takes to camp in a field for a week and undergo rigorous military training are needed for an RTÉ documentary. 

The Brigade, by Clonakilty man Sam Kingston, looks at the role West Cork men and women played in the War of Independence.

And as part of his two-part living history project, Sam is looking for 12 men to live like the flying column, who were specifically formed to ambush the British.

Sam and Galway-based production team Abú Media, with co-producer Pierce Boyce, are holding an open day at Clonakilty GAA Complex on Saturday February 9th  where they will pick the men for what they say will be a unique experience. 

Filming will take place from February 13th to 20th and Sam explains: ‘We’ll drill them, march them, have them take part in raids – with them attacking and with them being raided. We’ll also stage an ambush to give them the sense of what the men would have gone through. They’ll live as the men did, on the run, wearing 1920s style clothing, but we’ll capture them with modern technology.’

Outside of the ambush at Kilmichael  and the Crossbarry battle, Sam said there were lots of other incidents in West Cork from 1918-1921 that people wouldn’t be familiar with. 

Sam, who works with Global Shares in Clonakilty said: ‘The kind of people we’re looking for have a passion for this era, and an awareness of what went on.’

‘It saddens me that so much history is going to be lost in the next 10 to 20 years. I’m keen to capture the story before it’s too late.’