Irish Film Institute -St. Patrick’s Day and Seachtain na Gaeilge at IFI

St. Patrick’s Day and Seachtain na Gaeilge at IFI

IFI Press Release: 5th March 2013

The IFI reel out a parade of films this March to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Seachtain na Gaeilge

This March the IFI is full of St. Patrick’s festive spirit with a screening of 1960s nostalgic gem Finian’s Rainbow, a special March programme of Archive at Lunchtime celebrating St. Patrick’s Days in years-gone-by, as well as joining in the national celebrations for Seachtain na Gaeilge with a special screening of Tom Collins’ Kings featuring Colm Meaney.

This St. Patrick’s weekend the IFI is combining its IFI Family and IFI From the Vaults strands to present the 1968 Francis Ford Coppola film Finian’s Rainbow (March 16th13.30). Based on the 1947 Broadway hit, the musical combines whimsy, a charming leprechaun and a pot of gold with great songs and a comment on 1960s U.S. racial politics. Finian McLonergan (Fred Astaire) is the wizened, twinkle-toed Irishman who plants a stolen pot of gold near Fort Knox believing it will make his fortune. However, he and his beautiful daughter Sharon (Petula Clark) cross paths with a wily leprechaun, Og (Tommy Steele), and a racist Senator (Keenan Wynn). High jinks follow, along with memorable tunes which will have you whistling all the way home.

As part of Seachtain na Gaeilge IFI will present a screening of Kings (March 10th 18.30). Made with the support of the BAI Sound and Vision Scheme, Kings tells the story of a group of friends who emigrated to England from the Connemara Gaeltacht in the late ‘70s hoping for wealth and success but instead finding lives of loneliness and isolation. Tom Collins’ tender and powerful 2007 film resonates not just with the Irish but with many migrants who struggle to find a place to call home. IFI Education will also be celebrating Seachtain na Gaeilge with their annual Gearrscannáin event for schools on 13th March, a showcase of the best new Irish language shorts for Senior Cycle students.

Archive at Lunchtime, the IFI’s free lunchtime screenings of shorts from the IFI Irish Film Archive, takes a look at St. Patrick’s Days of years past throughout March. Programme 1 features newsreel footage of the Declaration of the Irish Republic in 1949, the New York parade of 1946, Amharc Éireann footage of the Industrial Parade and the Kennel Club in 1960 while Programme 2 screens Shamrock Time in Ireland, Robert Monks and Louis Marcus’ exquisitely observed record of St. Patrick’s Day parades and other tourist attractions around the country from 1971. Programmes 1 & 2 run on Monday and Wednesday respectively and both appear in a double bill on Saturdays. 

Tickets are available now from the IFI Box Office on 01 679 3477 or online at www.ifi.ie (Free Archive at Lunchtime tickets must be reserved in person). Teachers who wish to find out more about IFI Education’s Gearscannáin event should talk to the Education team on 01 679 5744 or visit www.ifi.ie/learn.

For more media information and images please contact Patrick Stewart at the IFI Press Office on 01 679 5744 or pstewart@irishfilm.ie

The IFI acknowledges the financial support of the Arts Council.

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