Irish Film Board (Amendment) Bill 2006 - 13th December 2006

^ Irish Film Board (Amendment) Bill 2006 – Second Stage Debate – 13th December 2006
Mr. Norris: This is important legislation. We must keep the film industry going and Senator Mansergh is correct in that regard. I share some of his favourite films. "Barry Lyndon" was a superb film. It was made at Huntingdon Castle in Clonegal. The film crew put an extra wing on the castle which the owners were reluctant to demolish because it improved the castle's appearance.
The industry is a big income earner. There are many important back-up personnel for the industry in this country. Technical staff such as sound operators, cameramen, electricians, set designers, wardrobe directors-----

Mr. McCarthy: Make-up artists.

Mr. Norris: Absolutely. These are important people. Senator McCarthy might have meant his mention of make-up artists as a joke-----

Mr. McCarthy: I did not.

Mr. Norris: I am glad to hear it. There was a smile on his face and I mistook that to mean he was joking. In fact, I believe an Irish make-up artist received an Oscar or a similarly important award in Los Angeles in recent years. We should be very proud of the industry.
There must be something dreadfully wrong in the air because I must agree with Senator Mansergh for a second time in the space of a few minutes. He is correct that there is strong competition. While we have a remarkable country of natural beauty, scenic availability and reasonable light for film making, many other European countries can offer the same. We need the additional seed money for projects in addition to understanding and acknowledging the talent in this country.
I have mentioned the technical personnel but we also have superb actors. Sometimes we treat them simply as objects of gossip. Gabriel Byrne, for example, is a wonderful actor. Angeline Ball is another. I have seen "Molly Bloom" until she is coming out of my ears, so to speak, and I have seen her represented by international actors of the greatest distinction but I have never seen a rendition that could hold a candle to Angeline Ball in that wonderful film, "Bloom", by Sean Walsh. He is a courageous man who had the guts and gumption to take on James Joyce's regrettable grandson and win. That is something.
We have not always fostered the film industry. I am glad the Minister has chosen to do so and to ensure sufficient money is available. I recall gallant people such as the late Liam O'Leary. Without him and his archiving skills we would have lost an enormous amount of very valuable cine reality. We would have lost entire productions. Rex Ingram, for example, was one of the crucial figures in the development of Hollywood in the 1920s. He made a film entitled "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" and at least one reel of the film went missing. Nobody in the world had it until Liam O'Leary unearthed it.
I pay tribute to a man I am honoured to know, George Morrison. The Minister launched a remarkable DVD, "Mise Éire", which George put together from archive material from the 1916 and Civil War periods. He followed it with another DVD called "Saoirse". He commissioned the music from the late Seán Ó Riada. It is a masterpiece of Irish cinema.
He was paid approximately £150 for it and got no repeat fees. He was neglected as an artist for many years. He had a project to make a film about James Joyce, which was turned down by the Government of the day as an unsuitable topic.
However, I am glad to say that Mr. Morrison was honoured by the present Minister, who launched this CD. Although he is in his 80s and has suffered a stroke, Mr. Morrison made a remarkable speech and is at work on another film. I am engaged in a small way with him and it is an honour to be involved with such a great artist. I bemoan the days when people such as Mr. Liam O'Leary and Mr. Morrison were so neglected. I hope those days are gone. It is not just a question of money but of the image Ireland presents to the world. It can be an effective instrument in representing a positive version of this country, which we love.