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Skibbereen classmates claim two IFTA awards

October 18th, 2016 1:06 PM

By Southern Star Team

Adrian McCarthy with his IFTA award on Friday and, right, Pat Collins, who won the Best Documentary category.

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Pat Collins and Adrian McCarthy were classmates at St Fachtna’s De La Salle in Skibbereen and, on Friday night, they found themselves together again at the IFTAs, where each of the productions they were involved in won awards.

BY JACKIE KEOGH

PAT Collins and Adrian McCarthy were classmates at St Fachtna’s De La Salle in Skibbereen and, on Friday night, they found themselves together again at the IFTAs, where each of the productions they were involved in won awards.

Baltimore-based filmmaker, Pat Collins, was a director on the three-part series 1916 – narrated by Liam Neeson – that won best documentary.

RTÉ’s Miriam O’Callaghan presented the award to the series producer, Briona Nic Dhiarmada, in recognition of a series that has been hailed as the ‘definitive’ production about that period in Irish history.

It is the fourth time that the work of Pat Collins has been recognised at the IFTAs, but his own company, Harvest Films, has also won awards for his documentaries about Tory Island, John McGahern and Paudie O’Shea.

Adrian McCarthy from Skibbereen is no stranger to awards, either. On Friday he won the sports category for a one-hour documentary entitled Hidden Impact: Rugby and Concussion, about the dangers of the sport. He was both producer and the director. ‘Every year,’ he says, ‘there is another documentary, but the subject of Hidden Impact was particularly challenging because it is a bit of a taboo subject. Winning the award is a nice nod of approval from your peers, but it is also good to keep this conversation going.’

Adrian’s latest project – featuring Skibbereen – is a four-part documentary series, Making Ireland Click, which will be televised at 7.30pm on RTÉ One on Monday, October 31st. And there’s a one-hour documentary about Olympic silver medallists, Gary and Paul O’Donovan, and Skibbereen Rowing Club coming soon.

 Adrian said: ‘Pat and me are great pals. But the last time we were together at the IFTAs Don Wycherley was there too. We were all in Fachtna’s together – we are the original motley crew.’

Úna’s IFTA award for film on father’s escape from prison, page 17

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