Irish Arts & Entertainment Bealtaine 2017

2016 / Volume 1 / Issue 1

Vol XXI V # 3

May ~ Bealtaine

2017

M em or i al D ay W eeken d Scotti sh Festi val Set For O C Fai r & Even ts Cen ter

M assed Pipe Bands, Scottish Athletics and Satur day Evening Concer t with Er ic Rigler and Fr iends are j ust a small par t of the amazing Celtic L ine Up in Costa M esa on M ay 27 & 28 Features

Scot t ish Fest ival Cover age St ar t s On Page 6 Celt ic Wom an Set For Seger st r om Cen t er For Th e Ar t s See page 5

EXCLUSIVE EXPANDED SPECIAL SECTION

w w w.m u ldoon spu b.com

Bealt ain e

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

w w w.aer lin gu s.com

Page 3

Page 4

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

M ay

I ntroduction To Our Annual SCOTTI SH FESTI VAL Special I ssue

By Jim McDonough We are pleased to be part of the Scottish Festival again this year and we hope that our readers will enjoy this issue with the Six Page Festival & Highland Games I nser t that starts on Page 6. We also hope you attend this incredible Celtic Event and enjoy all that it has to offer! Please be sure to drop by our Celtic Community Outreach booth sponsored by McDonough Media & www.PubGuide.com.

Something new and exciting is in store for everyone this year: a Saturday Evening Celtic Concert!

On stage will be Eric Rigler, the world renowned and most recorded piper in history (Braveheart, Titanic)! Rigler will be accompanied by the the amazing virtuoso guitarist-musician, Dirk Freymuth.

Also, on stage will be Nuala Kennedy from Ireland on vocals, flute & whistle. These three musicians are longtime collaborators and all worked on the acclaimed PBS Special Concert:

" Celtic Jour neys: Songs & Soundtr acks" Her e is a lin k : w w w.pipesan dgu it ar .com

Whiskey Update

Besides a shared love of Celtic Music. most Celts and especially the Scots and Irish appreciate a fine wee dram of Whiskey! We are pleased to report that the WHISKEY TAVERN on the Fairgrounds will be hosting Whiskey Tastings again and they are adding an Irish Selection to the mix! www.scot t ishfest .com

H ap p y M o t h er 's D ay Gr an d Sel ect i o n o f I m p o r t ed & O n e O f A K i n d Gi f t s

Con gr at u lat ion s To Ou r Celt ic Wom an Tick et Win n er s!

James Manning, Melanie & Lonnie You r t ick et s w ill be @ Will Call at t h e Seger st r om Tick et Of f ice on 5/ 26 @ 6PM ,

Maurice Fitzpatrick Elisa Hastings Jim McDonough

Bealt ain e

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

Celtic Woman To Per for m at Seger strom Center for the Ar ts

By Patr ick Weld The phenomenal Celtic Woman, will be touring in California as part of the 2017 Voices Of Angels Tour. This amazing musical ensemble and stage show will perform at the Segerstom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa in late May. 2017 marks 12 years of success for this Irish group which first came to fame in the US with a PBS Special in March of 2005. Since then the Celtic Woman show, with an ever changing cast of stars, has sold well over 10 million albums and over 3 million tickets sold worldwide.

The current four members of Celtic Woman are: M áir éad Car lin from Derry in the north of Ireland. She got her singing career off to a great start at only 15 when when she won the title role of 'The Rose' in BBC Talents 'Young Singers' competition Éabha M cM ahon who was born in Dublin is an amazing vocalist. She has spoken and sung in the Irish language since childhood.

Susan M cFadden who is also from Dublin has been with Celtic Woman since 2012. McFadden is also a well known in Irish actress.

Tar a M cNeill is an Irish violinist, harpist, and soprano singer and she hails from Antrim, also in the north of Ireland. McNeill comes from a family that is musically inclined.

That first Celtic Woman show was recorded in 2004 for PBS television at The Helix, Dublin, Ireland, in front of a sold-out

w w w.h ar pin n .com

Page 5

audience. It was broadcast on PBS in March 2005 in the U. S. Within weeks, their eponymous debut album, Celtic Woman, reached No. 1 on Billboard's World Music chart & held the top position for 81 weeks, selling over 1 million copies ?The show was conceived as and has remained, " a joyful fusion of all things Celtic - from bagpipes and bouzouki to Irish dances. But it?s also so much more than that. It?s a universal celebration of life. It?s traditional. It?s contemporary.

It?s yesterday, today and tomorrow.? explains Dave Kavanagh the shows Executive Producer and one of the founders of the trend setting musical company.

THE CELTI C WOM AN pictured here in 2016 Since 2005, Celtic Woman have done numerous PBS specials and are often run during Pledge Drives around the US. To date, 12 albums to including: ?Celtic Woman?, ?A New Journey?, ?The Greatest Journey?, ?Songs from the Heart?, ?Lullaby?, ?Believe?, ?Emerald Musical Gems?, 'Solo', 'Decade', ?Destiny?and two Christmas CDs. They have also topped the Billboard charts for world music six times.

The Celtic Woman iStage Show is a unique experience and is a must for those who love Irish Music.

Page 6

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t Special Scot t ish Fest Sect ion

M ay

Bealt ain e

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

Page 7

Page 8

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

h t t p:/ / w w w.scot t ish f est .com / abou t 1-c1cbt

M ay

Bealt ain e

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

w w w.scot t ish f est .com

Page 9

Page 10

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

w w w.scot t ish f est .com

M ay

Bealt ain e

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

w w w.scot t ish f est .com

Page 11

Page 12

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

M ay

Steve O'L oughlin; The Ar t and the Ar tist For well over 25 years, a local Los Angeles artist, Steve O'Loughlin has been hard at work creating objects of beauty, whimsy and inspiration. O'Loughlin has now crossed the threshold to the sacred and sublime with his latest work,

The Holy Nativity Tr iptych Completed in 2017, the Holy Nativity Triptych was created and brought to life by this multi-talented Celtic Artist! (O'Loughlin is also a sculptor and musician).

Some time ago, good friends, Father Peter Rood and Steve O?Loughlin were discussing ways to develop the space behind the altar at Holy Nativity. The two tossed about the idea of enhancing the existing crucifix but also providing a mood change when the church hosts concerts, readings, meditation, and other interfaith events.

O'Loughlin's artistic light began to glimmer. He envisioned a triptych, an art form that has been around since the Middle Ages, that would enclose the crucifix and allow another theme to be explored on the outside. What might that be? Father Peter suggested a ?Tree of Life? theme; Steve immediately let that image take hold, and we are looking at the stunningly beautiful final piece.

The Tree of Life symbolizes the life-giving energy that enhances and perpetually sustains all physical life on earth. Steve?s design captures life?s vitality bursting forth from an enormous mandala in the center of the tree. The Tree of Life is set in a beatific landscape as planets from our solar system float around it in a glorious sky.

Smaller mandalas, birds, fish, a whale, an astronaut, and other themes explode from the center of the large mandala like fireworks on the Fourth of July. The artwork also celebrates man?s intellectual growth and continuing evolution. With the doors of the Triptych open, the splendid existing crucifix is amplified by golden rays of spiritual energy.

25TH ANNUAL ST. AMBROSE FALL FEISSeptember 30 & October 1

w w w.clear yir ish dan ce.com

Celt ic Ar t ist St eve O'Lou gh lin f in ish in g h is m ast er piece at West ch est er 's Holy Nat ivit y

Bealt ain e

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

Page 13

A disk centers this energy at the cross-section of the cross and directs the eye to the face of Jesus. On the inside of the doors, eight stories from the life of Christ are illustrated within golden hues, symbolizing the divine light and indicating a state of the blessed connection to divinity itself.

Steve O?Loughlin lives in the Westchester area of Los Angeles and with his wife and children. He has been a professional artist for over thirty years. He has created dozens of public art pieces, paintings, and private commissions for individuals and public entities around the Southern California area.

O'Loughlin is a Minnasota native who moved to LA shortly after receiving his MFA from the Sn Francisco Art Institute in 1983.

I rish Arts & Entertainment readers and Irish Music lovers are also probably familiar with his fine traditional band The Pr aties.

For more on his work, please visit his website:

www.st evenoloughlinart .com

Fr eew ay M an 1983

"Much like America, my artwork is a cross section of ethnic influences and urban development" "Certainly Celtic Art is one of my dominant influences. I began by combining Celtic elements with a narrative style... The knotwork for me symbolizes the bond and commonality among people." ...Steve O'Loughlin

Page 14

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

M ay

Ir ish Spot ligh t Feat u r es M an y Film s as Par t of Diver se NBFF

The Secret Scripture Among The Best Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur

By Elisa Hastings sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod It may not ut belabore the et chic, tempor invidunt dolore magna sophisticated of France, aliquyam erat, sed South diam voluptua.

At vero eos but popular, charming, upscale et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum.

South Orange County is not Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata exactly backwater. Newport sanctus est.

Beach is just as exciting and inviting as dolor Cannes forLorem an ipsum Lorem ipsum sit amet.

International Film Festival dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscingand elitr,so sed it went at the 18th Annual diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore Newport Beach Film Festival held et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam from April 20-27, 2017. voluptua.

The festival had over 350 entries, At vero eos accusam et justo duo dolores (which is et more than Cannes).

It et ea rebum.

Stet clita kasd gubergren, was truly international withnoallsea continents (save takimata sanctus est Antarctica represented. From the Americas, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum were many from the US and dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed Canada as well as Mexico, diam nonumy eirmod inviduntBrazil ut labore Nicaragua, Chile,tempor Argentina, and more. Europe was represented from allerat. over - many from Germany, France, and et dolore magna aliquyam Italy as well as Spain, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands,

Roon ey M ar a excels as t h e you n g Pr ot est an t w om an Rosean n e M cNu lt y

"I had the fabulous opportunity to view The Secret Scripture, a film by Jim Sheridan, the esteemed director of acclaimed films such as In the Name of the Father and My Left Foot. Based on the best-selling novel by Sebastian Barry, the film features a litany of favorite Irish and British actors!"

Below : Th eo Jam es as Fat h er Gau n t

and Sweden, into Armenia, and our focus of interest, Ir elan d!

Australasia had a fair share with many from Australia and New Zealand as well. The festival also included a retrospective with 1992?s Aladdin, 1952?s Singin?in the Rain, w it h Gen e Kelly and a tribute to Joh n Wayn e with showing of 1962?s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence. Wayne made his home in Newport Beach, as shown by Orange County Airport named for him. The extensive 2017 Newport Beach Film Festival magazine included a write-up from ?Team Duke?and the John Wayne Cancer Foundation founded in 1985. w w w.joh n w ayn e.or g

Con t in u ed on Page 26

Bealt ain e

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

Pg 15

Page 16

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

Su b-h eadin gs

M ay

Bealt ain e

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

Page 17

Page 18

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

M ay

The View from I reland

M ar tin M cGuinness, An I r ish Statesman and His L egacy Remembered

By Maurice Fitzpatrick In surely the biggest and most significant Irish political funeral in living memory, Martin McGuinness was wholly feted as a statesman last month. His tenacity in espousing political means in the 1990s, despite considerable adversity, was singled out for Th e lat e M ar t in M cGu in n ess w ill be r em em ber ed as particular praise. Yet as late as 1986 McGuinness said in a BBC an Ir ish Statesman and leader willing to embrace change for the Common Good. documentary: ?We don't believe that winning elections and any amount of votes will bring freedom in Ireland? At the end of the day, it will be the cutting edge of the IRA that will bring freedom?. Th e Lif e & Tim es (The man who said that in 1986 also claimed until the end of his of M ar t in life that he had renounced IRA membership in 1974).

M cGu in n ess The ?cutting edge?of the IRA?s campaign continued into the following decade. For example, in 1990 the IRA seized an innocent member of its own community, Pat Gillespie, strapped a Pict u r ed in 1974 M cGu in n ess w it h bomb to his person and forced him to drive a van full of h is w if e, Ber n ie, explosives into a British army base outside Derry, killing himself on r igh t an d and five soldiers. Such cowardice greatly diminished the dau gh t er , perception of the IRA among its supporters. What a lot of people Fion n u ala, on lef t . missed about McGuinness?Damascene conversion is that it was Mortal Foes preceded by a conversion on the part of his support base in No More...

Derry which started to realise that the violent campaign to McGuinness & achieve a United Ireland was a sham.

Ian Paisley

When Sinn Féin leaders saw this shift in people?s perceptions they changed accordingly. By February 1993, the Army Council of the Last ly, Provisional IRA sent a message through their backchannel to the then British Prime Minister, John Major: ?The conflict is over but Depu t y Fir st M in ist er M ar t in we need your advice on how to bring it to a close? We cannot M cGu in n ess announce such a move as it will lead to confusion for the volunteers, because the press will misinterpret it as a surrender ?. pict u r ed at Par liam en t Martin McGuinness?legacy vacillates between such misinterpretations and an almost obsessive compulsion to draw Bu ildin gs, St or m on t w it h h is a line under the year 1994, the date of the IRA?s Cessation of n ew M in ist er ial Hostilities. In short, it is a struggle between emphasising the t eam Ch r is political co-operation that happened after that date, and Hazzar d, M eagan de-emphasising (or lying about) the violence before it. His Fear on , M ich elle funeral last month and the extraordinary rostrum of world O'Neill an d M áir t ín leaders, incumbent and retired, who attended it, helped to Ó M u illeoir . ensure that the seesaw remains tipped upwards, elevating

the post 1994 Martin McGuinness.

Ph ot o by Kelvin Boyes / Pr ess Eye.

Con t in u ed on Page 24

Bealt ain e

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

King's Head Brit ish Pub and Rest aurant 116 Sant a M onica Blvd Sant a M onica, CA 90401

310 451-1402 w w w.yeoldek in gsead.com

Page 19

Page 20

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

M ay

The Celtic Camer a

CILLIAN'S BRIDGE, played at t h e Ir ish Spot ligh t Scr een in g in New por t Beach .

Rick Boyle of TROOPER THORN

Th e M an n in g Br ot h er s

and Irish Singer Chloe Agnew

Sean & Michael Manning played at the

at the Annual Emerald Society

Muldoon;s Pub NBFF After Party and will

Fundraiser in March

be at the NEW BIG IRISH FAIR in LB, CA

Ir ish f ilm com poser Br ian Byr n e spok e ver y br ief ly abou t h ow m u ch h e en joyed w or k in g on t h e f ilm an d h ow deligh t ed h e w as t o be in New por t Beach an d par t of t h e diver se an d en ligh t en in g NBFF

Follow Us To Scottish Fest 2017!!!

Bealt ain e

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

w w w.m yir ish pr ide.com

Page 11

Page 22

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

M ay

Ir ish Ar t & En t er t ain m en t Calen dar By Date Fr om Now t h r ou gh Su n day, M ay 21 Spor t ive Tr ick s ar e per f or m in g EVERY WEEKEND! Shows Every Saturday and Sunday at both 10:00am & 7:00pm Ren aissan ce Pleasu r e Fair e San t e Fe Dam Recr eat ion Ar ea Ir w in dale, CA w w w.spor t ivet r ick s.com Sat u r day, M ay 13 @ 7:30pm If you ar e an Ir ish M u sic bu f f , You can't do m u ch bet t er t h an Th e Wh ooligan s w it h t h eir m ix of t im eless Ir ish pu b an d r ebel son gs!

Th e Red Lepr ech au n 4000 E. An ah eim Lon g Beach , CA

w w w.r edlepr ech au n .com

SAVE THE DATES!!

Th e Ir ish Fair an d M u sic Fest In c. is t h r illed t o an n ou n ce t h e

Ir ish Dan cin g an d a lot m or e t o be an n ou n ced soon !

Hope to see you there!!!

NEW BIG for 2017 IRISH AND M USIC FESTI

Advance Tickets Now on Sale!!

Sat u r day & Su n day, Ju n e 10-11 at Beau t if u l El Dor ado Par k in Lon g Beach of f of t h e 605 f r eew ay.

7550 E Spr in g St , Lon g Beach , CA At t r act ion s f or t h e en t ir e f am ily.

The Feature Band is...

w w w.Ir ish f air an dm u sicf est .com

Rides f or t h e k ids, M u ch M or e Ir ish M u sic, Ir ish Food an d Dr in k s Sh eep Her din g Dem on st r at ion s,

Th e Favor it e Ir ish Son s of SoCal ar e on e of t h e m ost popu lar Ir ish Ban ds in t h e US!

Bealt ain e

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

On Goin g Celt ic Calen dar SUNDAYS Au ld Du blin er in Lon g Beach IRISH SESSION Starts at 4:00pm.

GOES TILL AFTER 7:00pm

w w w.au lddu blin er .com O'Br ien's Ir ish Pu b Authentic OPEN IRISH SESSION Starts at 7:30pm

23r d. & Wilsh ir e San t a M on ica, CA w w w.obr ien sla.com Ye Olde Kin g's Head Su n day Kar aok e Starts @ 9:00pm (till 1:00am)

w w w.yeoldek in gsh ead.com Sh am r ock Ir ish Pu b an d Eat er y Sunday Evening Game Night Starts @ 9:00pm till closing

w w w.t h esh am r ock ir ish pu b an deat er y.com

M on days @ 7:00pm Celt ic Ar t s Cen t er Session & Ir ish Classes M eet @ M ayf low er Clu b Det ails & M or e on lin e: w w w.celt icar t scen t er .com M ost Th u r sdays @ 5:00pm Ken O'M alley Solo Sh ow Du blin n at ive, LA based, Ir ish Balladeer , O'M alley en t er t ain s w it h t or y an d son g alm ost ever y at t h is ear ly sh ow !

Au ld Du blin er Ir ish Pu b 71 S. Pin e Ave. Lon g Beach , CA 90802 562 437-8300

w w w.seaside-gam es.com

Page 23

Page 2 4

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

M ay

M ar tin M cGuinness L egacy ...From Page 18 Nearly every news article written in response to his passing weighed up his political career thus: on the one hand, the fiery young IRA volunteer and commander; on the other hand, the politician who managed to work with his former adversaries and who helped to accomplish the enormous feat of persuading the IRA that they could cease their terror campaign and yet keep face.

Th e r it e of absolu t ion , conditional on a feeling and expression of contrition, is a tenet of the Catholic faith, of which McGuinness was a life-long observer. Lord Tebbit, a direct victim of the IRA?s violent campaign, therefore withheld forgiveness because, he said, ?forgiveness requires confession of sins and repentance? There was none of that?.

It is a fact that McGuinness was unrepentant to the end for his violent past. McGuinness told me in an interview last year that he made ?no apology?for the fact that he embarked on a campaign of violence.

Whether formally ordained by a priest or collectively conveyed by the strength of public feeling, absolution has palpable political potential. Consider, for example, Adams? recent pressure on Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire to call another election, which indicates that Adams believes that Sinn FĂŠin?s stock could rise yet higher after McGuinness?funeral. Adams?punt is probably correct.

Another election could even result in Sinn FĂŠin pipping the DUP at the post for top position at Stormont, a ghastly proposition for hardline unionists. Conclusion next page...

Fr an ces Black sin gs besides t h e Ir ish Tr i Colou r f lag-dr aped cof f in of M ar t in M cGu in n ess ou t side St . Colu m ba's Ch u r ch .

Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times (Used with permission)

Headin gs

w w w.m yir ish pr ide.com

Bealt ain e

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

Page 25

I n his eulogy for M cGuinness, Bill Clinton imagined what McGuinness himself would say if he were speaking at his own obsequies: ?Here's my eulogy: I fought, I made peace, I made politics?.

True, McGuinness fought for a United Ireland, made peace for a free Ireland and made politics for an agreed Ireland. His language evolved with the mode in which he pursued political change. Bill Clinton also urged those who wish to honour McGuinness?legacy to ?finish the wor k of peace?.

Would it be unseemly, then, to wonder if the journey from armalites, through to the armalite and ballot box approach, and finally to the ballot box as the exclusive method of effecting political change was a defensible one? Maybe it is unseemly, but the Continuity IRA, of which McGuinness was a stern critic, exists partly because of the contradiction at the kernel of McGuinness?political life? in his adopting undemocratic means to united Ireland and his latter-day embrace of politics to do the same.

Commentators and peers, in their response to his death, were apt to follow the politicians?lead, eliding his past and focusing on the fact that he had persevered in a power-sharing executive. Ian Paisley Jr. was on cue to consecrate McGuinness?legacy: ?It?s not how you start your life that is important, it?s how you finish your life?. Well, no, both ends of a life matter. It remains very regrettable that Martin McGuinness was so slow to embrace politics.

Paisley Jr.?s view, applied more broadly to legacy issues of the Troubles, bristles with problems because it misses an essential point about Martin McGuinness, one which Bob Geldof, for example, was at pains to highlight. Geldof saw in McGuinness?latter-day conversion ?a model for why [non-violence] is always better. Always. Always better. You know, that talking and cooperation, fighting your corner with argument and debate?. The weakness of being selective, and borderline amnesiac, in assessing McGuinness?legacy is that it downplays that important truth.

ABOVE: M ar t in M cGu in n ess Fin al Sen d Of f in Belf ast ., Nor t h er n Ir elan d LEFT Police st an d in t h e r u bble in Om agh Aftermath when a bomb ripped through the market town of Omagh and killed twenty people and injured scores more on August 15, 1994. Republican dissidents opposed to the Irish peace process were blamed. Some suspects died violently and some were acquitted in 2008.

Th e " Tr ou bles" (Ter r or ) Rem em ber ed: h t t p:/ / bit .ly/ 2r 96Ww B

Photos by Crispin Rodell and Irish News/

Page 26

Ir ish Ar t s & En t er t ain m en t

NBFF from Page 14 One of the features that has been part of the festival for some time, and one in which I was honored to take part in os the Irish Spotlight. This is the showcase of several Irish films entered in the NBFF. This year was the largest celebration of Irish Cinema on the West Coast during the eight-day run (April 20-27). Highlights included an Irish showcase event including performances by Celtic band Cillian?s Bridge, several premieres, ten feature length narrative and documentary films, two Irish shorts, and After-Party at Muldoon?s Irish Pub in Newport Beach, just around the corner from one of the theaters that showed some of the films.

Execu t ive dir ect or an d co-f ou n der of t h e t h e NBFF Gr egg Sch w en k spoke briefly before a showing , welcoming all and introducing some of the sponsors, which included Air Lingus, Muldoon?s Irish Pub and our one-and-only beloved Irish Arts and Entertainment Magazine. Mr. Schwenk expressed his excitement and pride in the festival in general and the Irish Spotlight in particular and offered his gratitude to all volunteers from programmers and managers to event planners & interns Three of the films included were premiers and highly anticipated. All from 2016, these were A Date for Mad Mary, Tomato Red, and The Secret Scripture. I had the fabulous opportunity to view The Secret Scripture, a film by Jim Sheridan, the esteemed director of acclaimed films such as In the Name of the Father and My Left Foot.

Based on the best-selling novel by Sebastian Barry, the film features a litany of favorite Irish and British actors.

These include the much-loved academy award-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave, Aussie Eric Bana ( Star Trek, The Other Boleyn Girl), Susan Lynch (Elizabeth: the Golden Age, Waking Ned Devine) Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Aidan Turner (Poldark, Being Human), Theo James (the ill-fated Turkish emissary from ?Downton Abbey?), Jack Reynor (What Richard Did, A Royal Night Out) and Adrian Dunbar ( UK tv series ?Broken?, The Crying Game), just to name a few.

The film, somewhat dark yet very compelling, tells the story of Lady Rose (Redgrave) who is a long-term resident of St Malachi?s Mental Hospital in rural Ireland. It is believed that many years before she (aka Roseanne McNulty) murdered her baby.

M ay

The powers that be are planning to close the hospital and Lady Rose is refusing to leave. She is then assessed by psychiatrist Dr. Grene (Bana) to evaluate her potential for release. What we see is a series of flashbacks to 1942 with the young Roseanne (Mara), and we learn of her involvement with the church and a young priest (James), her marriage, the war and political and social upheaval, and ultimately the mysterious fate of her newborn baby. We learn much of this through a diary that is kept within the margins of a Bible (thus the name ?Secret Scripture?) as she pleads her case.

The film illustrates the complicated relationship between women and the Church and how rural Ireland dealt with it.

Young Roseanne moves to live with her aunt to work in her restaurant. She is attractive and very independent. Men are both attracted to and intimidated by her. Mara captures the character quite believably. The young priest tries to take her under his wing and the relationship raises eyebrows. James is adept at playing the kind-hearted and very human priest A militant (played by Turner) is another who tries to seduce Roseanne. He provides another strong, if not major, performance. She ultimately is in love with a young pilot, Michael McNulty (played strongly by Reynor) and this complicates the mix because he fights for the British in the war which deeply offends the Irish Nationalists. The ensemble cast represents that complex, volatile relationship that existed between the community, the IRA, the British and the church. With a surprise ending the film is engaging from beginning to end and the cinematography shines.

Other Irish features screening at the NBFF this year include Aerial Ireland, directed by Stephen Rooke; Between Land and Sea, directed by Ross White; Cardboard Gangsters, directed by Mark O?Connor; Elian, directed by Tim Golden and Ross McDonnell,; Moon Dogs , directed by Phillip John,; Out of Innocence, directed by Danny Hiller,; Sanctuary , directed by Len Collins; South, Directed by Gerard Walsh; and Strange Occurrences in a Small Irish Village, directed by Aoife Kelleher.

For information regarding the festival visit w w w.New por t Beach Film Fest .com .

The release of The Secret Scripture is tentatively set for December 31 of this year.

PAY PER VIEW EVENT CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL FOR COVER CHARGE POLICY w w w.t h esh am r ock ir ish pu ban deat er y.com

w w w.obr ien sla.com

om alleyssealbeach .com

w w w.legen dsspor t sbar .com

w w w.get sh am r ock ed.com

T h e BEST EN T ERT A I N M EN T VA L U E I N CA L I FO RN I A , JUST GOT BET T ER! UseThe Get Shamrocked 2017 DISCOUNT CODE For Our Readers SAVE $5. OFF per t ick et M u st Pu r ch ase On Lin e Use Code IRISHARTS at Ch eck ou t