Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;Ae fareweel, alas, for ever!Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee...Robbie Burns's 18th century verse isn't about happy endings. So what would the bard have thought of the conclusion to Ken Loach's latest film, which had its Irish première this week at the opening of the Galway Film Fleadh?
But then there were as many questions - along with a wonderful insight into Glasgow's Pakistani community - raised by Ae Fond Kiss, which is the third in Ken Loach's "Glasgow trilogy". Loach wasn't there to answer them, but scriptwriter Paul Laverty, and the film's stars, Eva Birthistle and Atta Yaqub, were there, both actors making a late entrance to the Town Hall Theatre to hear the Arts Council chairwoman, Olive Braiden.
Conveying Loach's apologies, Laverty told the audience how he had taken great pleasure in catching the director on his mobile phone in the middle of a steaming hot train journey in Italy.
Among those in the Town Hall audience on Tuesday night were former arts minister and Labour Party president Michael D Higgins, who was on crutches, and his party's new city mayor, Alderman Catherine Connolly. New councillors present, included the deputy mayor, Fine Gael's Padraic Conneely, and the Green Party's first councillor in Galway, Niall O Brolcháin.
Rod Stoneman, formerly of the Irish Film Board and now with the Huston Film School at NUI, Galway, was present with his partner Sue Clarke, while Lelia Doolan and Miriam Allen whipped people into their seats for Braiden's speech, and for the introduction to the Loach work by the programme director, Sally Ann O'Reilly, who noted that it was Yaqub's first performance as a professional actor.
After the screening the who's who of Galway arts and Irish film withdrew to the Galway Rowing Club around the corner. There, much of the speculation was over how long Eva Birthistle - best remembered for her agricultural skills in the RTÉ soap, Glenroe- was going to last in those incredibly high heels . . .
