Patrick Jolley - RIP

I have just heard, belatedly, of the untimely death in India of Paddy Jolley.

Paddy was one of the most creative makers of the moving image that we have produced in this country. I will never forget the impact of his first short, Seven Days 'Til Sunday, when I first saw it in the Opera House in Cork at the Cork Film Festival many years ago.

I was not aware that he was a brother of the poet Kerry Hardie whose work I first discovered in an 'Introductions' submissions folder when working for Poetry Ireland about twenty years ago. Condolences to her and to the rest of Paddy's family.

I hope that one of the festivals mounts a full retrospective in his memory this year.

A Famous Five er Six.. no, Seven!

It's five, no six, better make that seven Irish or Irish-related Oscar nominations.

Three for Albert Nobbs, best actress and best actress in a supporting role for Glenn Close and Janet McTeer respectively, and best makeup. Plus two in the short live action category for Peter McDonald's Pentecost and Terry George's The Shore.

The sixth is Peter Devlin's nomination for his work on Transformers

The seventh is Tom Johnson, resident of Roundwood and stalwart of Ardmore Sound, Best Sound Mixing for War Horse*

Congrats all round!


*hat tip to Alan Collins for alerting me to Tom's nomination, I missed it in the lists

Mary Raftery - RIP

I was privileged to interview Mary Raftery about States of Fear for issue 71 of Film Ireland, June/July 1999.

It is rare to encounter a journalist who is as rigorous in their work as they are disinterested (in self-promotion). Mary Raftery was one of the few who could be so described and one of, if not the best among them.