For our January spotlight, we’re pleased to spotlight the fantastic work of Club Scannán Sailearna.
Based in Conamara, the club has been bringing the best of world cinema to the Gaeltacht region since 2007. Their programme has consistently brought an ambitious and diverse selection of titles to audiences. As well as world cinema, their programme has included a strong focus on Irish-language cinema from the outset – showcasing everything from the earliest features produced as Gaeilge to recent hits such as An Cailín Ciúin and Kneecap.
Dan Dwyer has kindly put together the following reflections on the club’s work – as Gaeilge agus as Béarla, of course!
GAEILGE
Tá Club Scannán Sailearna lonnaithe i Seanscoil Sailearna, Chois Fharraige, i gcroílár Chonamara agus is ann atá scoth na scannán domhanda agus Gaelach feicthe ag baill an chlub ó 2007 i leith. Is sna 1970í a chonacthas scannáin ar an scáileán mór den chéad uair i gConamara, a bhuí leis an scannánóir Bob Quinn a shocraigh pictiúrlann bheag ina theach féin ar an gCeathrú Rua. Spreag na scéalta sin an club scannán píolótach do mhic léinn ar champas Gaeltachta Ollscoil na Gaillimhe ar an gCeathrú Rua in 2006, tionscnamh a fuair comhairle ó Access Cinema agus tacaíocht fhlaithiúil ó Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge. D’eascair comhrá ina dhiaidh sin maidir le club scannán a chur ar fáil do phobal Conamara i gcoitinne. Rinneadh obair athchóirithe ar Sheanscoil Sailearna cúpla bliain roimhe sin agus de bharr na suíochán srathach tograíodh gurbh í an áit ab fheiliúnaí le club scannán a lonnú inti. Ní raibh teilgeoir ná scáileán san fhoirgneamh ag an am, áfach, ach fuarthas iasacht de chinn so-iompartha agus bhíothas réidh ansin le spéis an phobail i scannánaíocht dhomhanda a mheas.
Le go mbeadh rochtain ag cách ar an gclub, coinníodh praghas na dticéad ballraíochta chomh híseal agus ab fhéidir tar éis gur glanadh costas na gceadúnas scannán. Ba mhór an cúnamh don chlub go raibh tacaíocht le fáil ón tús ó Chomhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe, a chuir deontas bliantúil ar fáil ón gciste ealaíon. Tugadh urraíocht áitiúil dúinn chun teilgeoir a cheannach agus is as ábhar a fuarthas i monarcha dallóg a rinneadh an scáileán mór. Stóráladh an scáileán sealadach i bpíopa fada, caol agus crochadh gach aon seachtain é roimh an scannán. Is mar sin a bhí ar feadh roinnt mhaith blianta go dtí gur feistíodh scáileán pictiúrlainne inardaithe san fhoirgneamh.
Ón uair a bunaíodh an club, de bharr gur lonnaithe sa Ghaeltacht a bhí muid, bhí sé tábhachtach dúinn go dtaispeánfaí scannáin Ghaeilge chomh maith. D’éirigh linn an sprioc sin a bhaint amach le tacaíocht ó TG4 agus ó léiritheoirí áitiúla. Thosaigh an chéad séasúr i bhfómhar na bliana 2007, le scannán gach Déardaoin ar feadh sé seachtaine. Taispeánadh cúig scannán idirnáisiúnta chomh maith le Cré na Cille (2007), saothar Gaeilge a léiríodh go háitiúil agus a bhí bunaithe ar úrscéal Mháirtín Uí Chadhain. B’in an cur chuige: scoth na scannán Gaeilge agus domhanda taobh le taobh, agus is mar sin atá ó shin. Laistigh de dhá bhliain bhí ar a laghad deich scannán á dtaispeáint le linn shéasúr an fhómhair agus an méid céanna arís san earrach. Ar chuid de na scannáin idirnáisiúnta a chuaigh i bhfeidhm ar bhaill an chlub sna luathbhlianta bhí The Lives of Others (2006), The Lunchbox (2013) agus Leviathan (2014). Chomh maith le Cré na Cille, bhí an-tóir go deo ar na scannáin Ghaeilge Kings (2007), An Píopa (2010) and Murdair Mhám Trasna (2017).
Anuas ar an ngnáthsceideal, eagraíodh go leor ócáidí speisialta anuas tríd na blianta. Ba í Féile Scannán na Réabhlóide 2016, an ceann ba mhó tráth a ndearnadh comóradh céad bliain ar Éirí Amach na Cásca 1916. Le go mbeadh scáileáin bhreise ar fáil, tógadh cineama sealadach i bpub gar don tSeanscoil agus páirceáladh an Phictiúrlann Taistil (an Cinemobile) sa gcarrchlós. Taispeánadh 21 scannán faoin Éirí Amach agus Cogadh na Saoirse chomh maith le scannáin aitheanta idirnáisiúnta ar théama na réabhlóide. Ar chuid acu sin bhí Mise Éire (1959), October -Ten Days That Shook the World (1928), The Battle of Algiers (1966) agus Mother Ireland (1991) chomh maith le go leor scannán faisnéise nua-léirithe a chuir TG4 agus a léiritheoirí ar fáil.
I Márta 2023, mar chuid de Sheachtain Frithchiníochais Nelson Mandela, bhronn Ollscoil na Gaillimhe maoiniú orainn chun ocht scannán a thaispeáint faoin gcaoi a léirítear na pobail Taistealaithe agus Romacha ar an scáileán mór. ‘Whist A’ Thary: Féile Scannán na dTaistealaithe agus na Romach’ a tugadh air agus taispeánadh leithéidí Float Like a Butterfly (2018), Pavee Lackeen (2005) agus Latcho Drom (1993) chomh maith le naoi ngearrscannán a léirigh pobail na dTaistealaithe agus na Romach.
Idir 2022 agus 2024, thapaigh an club an deis a chuir Access Cinema ar fáil páirt a ghlacadh i bhFéile Scannán Idirnáisiúnta Átha Cliath (DIFF) ar Chamchuairt. Sa chéad dá bhliain taispeánadh scannán amháin ón bhféile sa tSeanscoil agus in 2024 taispeánadh dhá scannán agus seisiún gearrscannán le linn dheireadh seachtaine na féile. Tháinig Oge Obasi, léiritheoir Mami Wata (2023), scannán bunaithe ar bhéaloideas na hAfraice, chomh fada linn leis an scannán a chur i láthair agus thug sí léargas dúinn ar scannánaíocht na Nigéire agus na hAfraice.
I measc na scannán a chuaigh i bhfeidhm ar bhaill an chlub le deireanas tá Gagarine (2020), Rose (2022) agus Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (2024) chomh maith leis na léiriúcháin Ghaeilge An Cailín Ciúin (2022) agus Kneecap (2024). Tá borradh faoin scannánaíocht Ghaeilge le tamall de bhlianta, a bhuí le tacaíochtaí cosúil le Cine4 agus is deas gur taispeánadh iad agus sárscannáin eile ar nós Arracht (2019), Foscadh (2021) agus Róise & Frank (2022) i bhfoirgneamh na Seanscoile mar is ann a rinne Bob Quinn an chéad scannán ficsin Gaeilge Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire in 1975. Rinneadh comóradh caoga bliain ar an saothar le linn Fhleadh Scannán na Gaillimhe mar ar taispeánadh an scannán san áit a ndearnadh é. Nochtadh plaic speisialta sa tSeanscoil chun aitheantas a thabhairt don éacht. Bhí Bob agus a chlann ann chomh maith le cuid mhaith den chliar agus den chriú agus b’iontach go deo an ócáid a bhí ann.
Ar ndóigh tá Club Scannán Sailearna ag tnúth go mór le tuilleadh ócáidí iontacha amach anseo!
ENGLISH
Club Scannán Sailearna is based in Seanscoil Sailearna, the old schoolhouse in Cois Fharraige, Conamara where club members have been enjoying the wonders of cinema since 2007. Showing films on the big screen in the Conamara Gaeltacht was pioneered in the 1970s by filmmaker Bob Quinn who converted his home to a cinema space and invited in his neighbours. It was the stories of those magical times that inspired a pilot film club for the students at University of Galway’s Gaeltacht campus in An Cheathrú Rua in 2006 and this initiative, guided by Access Cinema and generously supported by Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge sparked a conversation about developing a film club for the wider Conamara community.
The Seanscoil building in Cois Fharraige had been renovated as a community hall and live-performance theatre a few years previously and its retractable tiered seating made it the ideal location. As there was neither a projector or a screen there at the time, a small foldable screen and a projector were borrowed from a local theatre group so that local audience interest in World Cinema could be tested.
Membership pricing was kept as low as possible after the costs of licensing the films was covered so that the club would be accessible to all. A grant provided through Galway Couny Council’s Arts Fund, and renewed on an annual basis since, was very welcome and with the generous support of local sponsors a projector was purchased and a large cinema screen was fashioned from material sourced from a local blinds factory. This improvised cinema screen was stored in a pipe and hung up with ropes and pulleys before every screening for the first few years until a fully retractable cinema screen was eventually installed at the venue.
As a film club based in the Gaeltacht it was important from the beginning that we showcase the best of Irish-language filmmaking alongside films from around the globe and it was the generous support of TG4 and local film producers that made this possible. In Autumn 2007, we began with a film every Thursday evening for six weeks with five international films programmed alongside Cré na Cille (2007), the locally-produced screen adaptation of Máirtín Ó Cadhain’s novel. The Club Scannán Season template, in which the latest in Irish-language film is presented side-by-side with the world’s best was thus established, and after a year or two the biannual (Spring and Autumn) season had increased to show 10 films. Among the international films that made a big impression on members in the early years of the club were The Lives of Others (2006), The Lunchbox (2013) and Leviathan (2014), while alongside Cré na Cille, other notable Irish-language productions included Kings (2007), An Píopa (2010) and Murdair Mhám Trasna (2017).
Alongside the biannual season the club has curated several once-off events and festivals down through the years. Féile Scannán na Réabhlóide 2016, was a three-day film festival on the theme of revolution to mark the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. A nearby pub was converted into a cinema and the Cinemobile was hired to add two more screens to that of the Seanscoil and a total of twenty-one films on 1916 and other risings around the world were shown. These included Mise Éire (1959), October -Ten Days That Shook the World (1928), The Battle of Algiers (1966) and Mother Ireland (1991) as well as a number of newly-produced documentary films about 1916 that were generously provided by TG4 and their content producers.
In March 2023, funding provided by the University of Galway for Nelson Mandela Anti-racism week saw the club screen a series of eight films on the main University campus on the theme of Traveller and Roma film representation. Whist A’Thary: A Traveller and Roma Film Festival included Float Like a Butterfly (2018), Pavee Lackeen (2005) and Latcho Drom (1993) as well as nine short films produced by the Traveller and Roma communities.
The club was delighted take up Access Cinema’s invitation to be a part of the Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF) on Tour initiative in recent years. In 2022 and 2023 this involved a single film screened on the Thursday of the festival and forming part of our usual season, but in 2024 two films and a session of shorts were screened over the weekend of the festival. Oge Obasi, the producer of African folklore tale Mami Wata (2023), came all the way to Conamara to discuss the film and share with us her fascinating insights into Nigerian and African filmmaking.
Of the many films that made a big impression on club members in recent years Gagarine (2020), Rose (2022) and Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (2024) deserve a special mention as do the internationally-acclaimed Irish-language titles An Cailín Ciúin (2022) and Kneecap (2024). Irish-language filmmaking has flourished in recent years thanks to supports such as Cine4 and it feels apt that the aforementioned Irish-language titles and other wonderful Irish-language films such as Arracht (2019), Foscadh (2021) and Róise & Frank (2022) were screened in the Seanscoil as it was in the very same building in 1975 that Bob Quinn directed Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire, the first independently-produced Irish-language fiction film. As part of the Galway Film Fleadh last year, Club Scannán Sailearna celebrated the fifty-year anniversary of that groundbreaking film of with a special screening in the Seanscoil and the unveiling of a plaque to mark its significance. It was a wonderful evening with Bob and his family in attendance as well as many of the films cast and crew.
Club Scannán Sailearna is looking forward to many more wonderful evenings to come!
August 2024 – Garter Lane Arts Centre, Waterford
September 2024 – My Little Film Club, Dublin 4
October 2024 – Esker Arts Centre / Eagla Fest, Tullamore
November 2024 – Sligo Film Society, Sligo
December 2024 – Kilcullen Bridge Cinema
February 2025 – The Picture House / Wexford Film Society
March 2025 – Source Arts Centre, Thurles
April 2025 – Millbank Theatre, Rush
May 2025 – Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny
June 2025 – Clonakilty Film Club, Co Cork
July 2025 – Cultúrlann Sweeney, Co Clare
August 2025 – Solstice Arts Centre, Navan
November 2025 – Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda
