Jack Doyle was the real deal: a heavyweight boxing champion from the mean streets of Cobh, blessed with a pure tenor voice and rugged good looks. ‘The Gorgeous Gael’ hung around with Errol Flynn and Clark Gable in Hollywood, marrying Hollywood starlet Movita Castaneda before she moved on to wed Marlon Brando. He sold out concert halls with tearful renditions of ‘Mother Macree’. In the depressed and impoverished Ireland of the 30s and 40s, Jack Doyle seemed unbelievably glamorous. But Doyle was doing his pre-fight warm ups in the bar beside the stadium, more and more frequently stepping into the ring inebriated. He was brought down by a combination of ‘fast women and slow horses’, dying a penniless drunk in a London hospital in 1978. Abandoned by his showbiz friends, it was left to his former boxing club in Cobh to bring home the body of their prodigal son. Jack Doyle: A Legend Lost features extensive dramatic reconstruction, rare archive footage and contributions from key friends and family members.

If you can’t see this, try Saviours (Saturday 12.00pm) or A Winter’s Journey (Sunday 4.00pm)

Festival ticket bundles are available directly from the box office.
€40 for 5. €70 for 10.
Please phone 01 679 3477.