20 years ago acclaimed director Ken Loach came to Cork to film The Wind That Shakes The Barley which went on to win the Palme d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival the following year. The Southern Star caught up with those involved, including locals who played extras.
Written by Paul Laverty, the film covered the revolutionary period during the War of Independence and the subsequent civil war, which saw O’Donovan brothers Damien (Cillian Murphy) and Teddy (Pádraic Delaney) on opposing sides.
Bandon featured heavily with North Main Street resembling an early 20th century thoroughfare, while shooting also took place in Timoleague Church, Coolea, Buttevant and the Women’s Gaol in Cork city.
Doctor Donal Ó Drisceoil from UCC’s School of History, who worked as a historical consultant on the project, said it was a wonderful experience to be a part of.
‘The whole cast and crew were like a big family – despite the big names like Cillian Murphy and Liam Cunningham – and there was no star treatment or hierarchy. Everybody was in it together and that is Ken Loach’s way.’
Donal said he has very happy memories of long discussions with both Loach and Laverty about the historical context of the revolutionary years.
‘I spoke with the cast on an individual and collective basis a number of times and was very impressed with their thirst for knowledge and commitment to getting it right. I made many friends for life.’
For 23-year-old Shane Casey, best known as Billy Murphy in The Young Offenders, this was his first film after finishing a theatre and drama course at Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa in Cork city the previous year.
Shane told how he was working as a painter/decorator at the time which intrigued the director during his first audition.
‘I think he was more interested in the fact that I was a tradesman and an actor as well. I remember I had a pin on my jacket and he asked me about the significance of it.’
Producer Rebecca O’Brien of 16 Films revealed: ‘My overriding memory [was] of driving through tunnels of green from one location to another. Ken shoots every film in sequence… this meant that we’d be running from one side of the county to the other to make that possible. It wasn’t easy.’
She recalled a young Cillian Murphy at the beginning of what would become a stellar career for the Cork-born Oppenheimer actor.
‘You could tell he was special and he is an extraordinary actor. He is so dedicated and just thoughtful too. Both Pádraic and Liam were brilliant and there were terrific support actors.’
Another stand out memory for Rebecca is the local people they met while shooting. ‘We still get St Patrick’s Day cards from people in Buttevant. When we premiered the film it was very important for us to have a Cork premiere.’
That event was held in Mahon Point complete with red carpet along the shopping centre. The film will have a 20-year anniversary screening at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this month.
Local knowledge and local extras were also key in lending authenticity to Loach’s work. Bandon-based photographer Denis Boyle, who is a member of the Army Reserve (formerly FCA), played the part of a British auxiliary officer in what was his second film shoot after Saving Private Ryan.
He recalls the crowds of onlookers by the Shambles hoping to get a glimpse of the stars.
‘To have all this action in the street where I grew up was amazing especially as I knew so many of the extras from all walks of life who took part. It brought a real sense of excitement to Bandon and I was one of the lucky ones to get a chance to see the film when the travelling cinema came to Bandon a few months later to screen it.’
Owner of the West Cork Secret Finbarr O’Mahony from Kilbrittain, a self-employed landscaper at the time, played a soldier in the Flying Column at the beginning of the film but then played a member of the Free State Army following the War of Independence.
‘It actually broke my heart in one way to be in the Free State Army as I’m a strong Republican! I got a lot of slagging from some of my friends about it but it was all good.’
‘Ken and his team were really looking for people with experience with guns and they actually had limited ammunition for the shoot especially when we filmed the Kilmichael Ambush at a location in Coolea.’
He recalls that they spent a week training in Kilmurry GAA grounds learning how to shoot and he remembers there were talks about the history and the context of the time.
‘Ken went to great lengths to ensure that we were fully aware of the history and the run down. Filming the Kilmichael ambush scene in Coolea was probably the most important scene for me as I was a member of the Flying Column. I felt I was stepping into the footsteps of those who participated in the actual ambush on November 28th 1920.
‘In one way it was fantastic to get paid for doing what we were doing as it was an amazing experience that I will always cherish.’
