While Dublin is winding down from theatre festival fury, in Cork the film festival buzz is still mighty. It all kicked off last Sunday with Shall We Dance? at the Cork Opera House, when the city's movers and groovers flocked to the Gingerbread House for a pre-show reception.
Festival director and Kino cinema owner, Mick Hannigan, hosted the likes of Conor McCourt, nephew of novelist Frank McCourt and director of a documentary on Limerick's most famous family, The McCourts Of Limerick, who was there with his wife, Juliet. With them were producer Laurie Shapiro, who was over from New York with her Australian husband, Paul O'Leary - although the couple married eight months ago this was their first opportunity to have a honeymoon. Actor Eileen Walsh and playwright Enda Walsh of Corcadorca theatre company were also there; after making a big splash at the Edinburgh festival, their play Disco Pigs is returning to Dublin next month.
Other first-nighters partying that night were Ann O'Leary and Peter Bray from Murphy's Brewery, the sponsors of the festival; barrister and patron Dave Holland, just back from a holiday in Iran; Brendan McCaul, head of Buena Vista Ireland, and William Wellman, an American film-maker who is the subject of the documentary, Wild Bill.
Through the week the folks just kept flocking to Cork. Actors Anthony Brophy and Maria Lennon were there on Tuesday for the opening of their film, The Informant, while Ballykissangel star Stephen Tompkinson flew over from London to join them for drinks.
Two Canadian directors, Mike Hoolboom and Michael McNamara, were also in town; Mike H. because his work was the special focus of the festival, and Michael McN. because his cult film, The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati, was showing on Thursday. Incidentally, he also gave a lecture entitled, "The Cockroach That Ate My Bank Balance".