News
Galway actress creates space for female voice in new short film
There aren’t enough female voices out there to be heard in film and TV, according to Galway actress Linda Bhreathnach, whose filmmaking debut took place during last week’s Film Fleadh.
Originally from Ros Muc in Connemara, Linda wanted to create a new style of film from a female perspective and, in particular, the perspective of a woman from the West of Ireland, and that’s exactly what she did with her new short film Adulting.
“I wanted to make something that speaks for my generation and reflects what real life is actually like for the average Irish person – how we talk, what we get up to – but not in a way that’s twee or clichéd,” she said.
“I wanted to make something that shows how challenging it can be to know what to do in a world where there are so many options – where to live, the pressure there is to emigrate. And there’s so much pressure nowadays with social media to live this perfect, fulfilled life. This film is an attempt to say it’s okay not to be perfect.”
Linda has been acting since she finished school at the age of 17, playing various roles including Róise de Búrca in Ros na Rún, and Sarah O’Regan in Corp Agus Anam. But with Adulting, Linda was able to get her own female perspective of life across as Jane, a young Galway girl trying to figure her life out after having her heart broken.
“Storytelling is the way we make sense of our world. It helps mould the social collective mentality so it’s important that women have their voices in the mix,” she said.
“Film and TV can help people make sense of their own lives and maybe feel less alone. They can see something on screen and say ‘Oh, I see myself in that character and therefore I feel better about my situation’.
“For me, it would just be refreshing and interesting and satisfying to be able to watch more things that were written by women, because only a woman can really tell a woman’s story just right… how could it be any other way?”
This was the first time Linda had ever written a film, or produced or directed or cast, but it all felt “very natural” as she’s been in the storytelling world for a long time and felt ready: “Plus I had an amazing girl team around me – so creative and eager and talented.”
The film stars Linda herself, Carrie Crowley of Vikings and Fair City, Paraic Breathnach (Jack Taylor, Breakfast on Pluto), Emma Eliza Regan (Jack Taylor, Darkness on the Edge of Town), Sean T. Ó Meallaigh (Vikings, Klondike), and James Riordan (Lipsinkers) among others.
Shot by Justin Davey of Seb Productions in Galway City and Connemara, the film mixes the old traditions such as working on the bog with the Facebook and Tinder habits of today’s youth.
“I kept feeling like I wish there was something I could watch that was just about regular life, and I’ve been wanting more and more to watch and read things that I can relate to as a woman. I guess I realised I can’t be waiting around for someone else to write the show or film. I had no excuse not to write it myself,” said Linda.
“I thought it would be fun to see something based in Ireland that wasn’t high drama, but that was just very natural and realistic and so that’s what we set about doing.”
The familiar Galway locations will appeal to Galwegians city and countywide and Linda wanted to get across the steady, calm, civilised life of people in Galway.
“People are polite and considerate and there is space and peace and it’s just so beautiful everywhere you look, not to mention drenched in tradition – beautiful, rich tradition. It’s a very privileged part of the planet in many ways. We just don’t often see it like that.”
Linda was lucky to have spent some time in Los Angeles, where she gained confidence in her abilities as an actor and courage to do what she loves without the fear of making mistakes.
It was in LA that she met budding filmmaker Justin Davey who she says has a similar work ethic to her own, as well as similar tastes, passions and motivation, which helped them to work well as a team.
“The film isn’t trying to be cool or witty. It’s just very down to earth and natural and is a little window into a snippet of an average Irish girl’s live.
“One minute she’s drinking fine wine and eating French cheese, and the next she’s out working in the bog, maybe listening to Kanye West in her earphones. It shows the modern and the old life alongside each other and how you can’t judge books by their covers,” she said.
“I feel like [the Galway Film Fleadh screening] is the perfect fruition of the project. Getting into the Fleadh is such an honour and I’ll always be proud of that. It’s such a well-respected and prestigious festival. It feels like such an amazingly powerful seal of approval to be included.”
For more information on this quirky new film, see the Facebook page.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
