Thurles Information

In April of this coming year, Thurles resident Commandant Michael Walsh (Retd & former aide de camp to H.E. the President of Ireland), will undertake a 2500k trek on foot. His trek will begin here from Holycross Abbey, Thurles, in Co Tipperary, ending eventually in Santiago de Compostella Galicia in Spain, following the Ancient Pilgrims Route, known as “The Way of St James.”

Before he sets off on this trek Michael has planned many varied fund raising events, the first of which will be held at the Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) here in Thurles on Wednesday next the 23rd January 2013.

This first fund raising event is a screening of the film “The Way,” starring Martin Sheen, latter no stranger to Tipperary.

The film, supported by Lisheen Mine, Tipperary and promoted by Thurles Rotary Club & Tús Nua Autism Residential & Resource Centre Thurles, is a collaboration between Martin Sheen and his son Emilio Estevez, in an attempt to honour the Camino de Santiago and promote this traditional pilgrimage route.

The films plot highlights the story of Thomas Avery, an American ophthalmologist, who goes to France following the death of his adult son, killed in the Pyrenees during a storm, while walking the route Michael Walsh intends to follow, i.e. Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James), a Catholic pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. Tom’s purpose initially is to retrieve his son’s body. However, in his combination of grief felt and in homage to his son, Tom decides to walk the ancient spiritual trail where his son died. While walking this route, Tom meets others walkers from around the world, all looking for greater meaning in their individual lives. He somewhat reluctantly falls in with three other pilgrims. Joost (Yorick van Wageningen) is an overweight pilgrim from Amsterdam who is walking the route to lose weight in time for his brother’s wedding.  Sarah (Deborah Kara Unger) is a Canadian fleeing an abusive husband, and is trying to quit smoking. Jack (James Nesbitt) is an Irish travel writer who desires to be a great author like Yeats or Joyce. He is the last to join this unusual quartet of pilgrims. As they travel the Camino, they occasionally meet and talk with other pilgrims — two Frenchmen, a young Italian and an elderly priest from New York named Father Frank.

The film “The Way,” is a worthy effort from writer/director Emilio Estevez, and manages successfully to balance heartfelt emotion with clear-eyed drama, that successfully resists everyday cheap sentiment.

This event will begin at 7.00pm with a food & drinks reception and the film will begin sharp at 7.45pm. I promise you this is one moving event not to be missed.

Please do remember the time & date: Wednesday next 23rd January 2013, 7.00pm sharp at LIT Thurles.

Martin Sheen in 'Stella Days,' Fethard.

Three Irish movies are now set to do battle at the Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTA), having obtaining nine nominations each. The films nominated are the period piece “Albert Nobbs,” the Tipperary rural drama “Stella Days,” and the excellent black comedy “The Guard.”

All three will now go ‘head to head,’ with results promised at a showbiz ceremony on the 11th of next month, at the Convention Centre in Dublin.

All three movies indeed warrant recognition and all demonstrate the professionalism of our small but talented Irish film industry, which in recent years, despite our economic problems, have achieved world recognition for their talent.

Actors nominated for a lead role are Martin Sheen for his role as an Irish priest in “Stella Days,” and a man, Thurles rightly regards as a native son, (my own personal favourite) Brendan Gleeson, for his role as a member of the Gardaí in “The Guard.” Co-star Marcella Plunkett has also been nominated for her part in “Stella Days.”

But it’s “Stella Days,” adapted from the book penned by Borrisokane, Co.Tipperary native, Michael Doorley, Tipperary will be particularly interested in. Its success should be good for Tourism in Co. Tipperary, since it was filmed here in the small South Tipperary rural town of Fethard and indeed  actor Martin Sheen’s late mother Mary Ann Phelan originally hailed from Kilbarron, near Borrisocane in the North of the County.

Thurles Town also contributed to “Stella Days,” with the much loved local Thurles Bóthar na Naomh (Tran: Road of the Saints) Church Choir featuring in the film.