Victims of miscarriages of justice will gather to speak at the Galway Film Fleadh this week. A debate entitled Is There Life After Lifewill be addressed by Gerry Conlon of the Guildford Four and Paddy Hill of the Birmingham Six cases.
The event in Galway's Town Hall theatre on Wednesday is organised by the Miscarriages of Justice Organisation. Also speaking is Sunny Jacobs who spent 17 years in a US prison after she was wrongly convicted of the double murder of two police officers. She was sentenced to death in the electric chair but was eventually released by authorities in 1993.
"The debate will discuss the problems faced by people after being released from prison after serving life sentences," said a spokesperson for the event. The 19th annual Fleadh from July 10-15th will feature world premieres, classic screenings, Irish and international documentaries, features and shorts. Screenwriter Terry George, who wrote the script for In the Name of the Fatherbased on Mr Conlon and his father, Giuseppe, will also be honoured at the Fleadh.
Mr Conlon was wrongly convicted in 1975 along with three others for the IRA's Guildford pub bombings which killed five people. The convictions were overturned in 1990 after they served 15 years in prison. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair issued a public apology to the families involved in 2005. Mr Hill was one of six men sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 for two pub bombings in Birmingham that killed 21 people.
However their convictions were overturned by the Court of Appeal in 1991 because traces of nitroglycerine found on their bodies could have come from innocuous sources such as soap. The Miscarriages of Justice Organisation is a new Irish group dedicated to human rights and to promoting change in the criminal justice system. It aims to reduce the number of miscarriages of criminal justice and increase the level of professional after-care for victims.
It is currently raising funds to establish a retreat to help victims return to society. Meanwhile, Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons will be the star attraction at the Fleadh while veteran TV actress Fionnula Flanagan will also be honoured. Mr Irons, who lives in Castletownbere in West Cork, won an Oscar in 1991 for his role in Reversal of Fortune.
His other films include The French Lieutenant's Woman, Betrayal, Damage and Lolita. He has won an Emmy, a Golden Globe and a Tony Award during a versatile career. The Fleadh will also focus on Polish films and is due to screen classic and contemporary productions. Also featured on the bill are Irish films like Garage starring Pat Shortt and Kings with Colm Meaney.