Made in Eire and raising ire

THE back room of the Mills Bar in this small town about 45 miles outside of Cork City is an unlikely place to meet two of Ireland’s latest acting sensations. Mary and Danny O’Riordan, both farmers in their 80s who have lived in this area all their lives, arrive without publicists, makeup assistants or cellphones, and their entrance barely raises a nod from the attending bar staff.

“It was great for Ken and for all of us ordinary people involved in the film. That’s what made it special, the fact that so many locals were involved,” Mary says as she pours herself a cup of tea.

“Ken” is award-winning British director Ken Loach, and the film -- “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” -- recently picked up the Palme d’Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival, catapulting this remote part of rural Ireland and its inhabitants onto the international stage. Life may never be the same for the many locals who took part in Loach’s hard-hitting drama, which stars Cillian Murphy and is based on events during the Irish War of Independence.

Despite an overwhelmingly positive response from the local population, the reaction to the film’s success has been less favorable in parts of the British media. The film follows a band of rural Irish people who unite to fight British soldiers sent to their area, and some commentators have called it “anti-British” and “IRA propaganda,” while others have gone so far as to compare it to Hitler’s “Mein Kampf.”

Michael Gove, writing in London’s Times, said the film helps to “legitimise the actions of gangsters.”

The British historian Ruth Dudley Edwards, in an article headlined “Why Does Ken Loach Loathe Us So Much?,” proclaimed: “Loach is so mired in the past that he is incapable of making a film that is not, at bottom, old-fashioned propaganda.... The truth is that, as empires go, the British version was the most responsible and humane of all.”

The outbursts are notable, given that few journalists have actually seen the film ahead of its Friday release in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Loach is unperturbed, though, making the point that Ireland was a country under British colonial rule, and it is widely accepted that brutal acts took place.

Throughout his career, he has used film to tackle issues of injustice and oppression that cut close to the bone of public opinion, and he’s accustomed to dealing with accusations of disloyalty by fellow countrymen.

As far back as 1966, Loach tackled issues of social injustice with “Cathy Come Home,” a hard-hitting look at homelessness in Britain; 1995’s “Land and Freedom” was hailed as a masterly look at the brutality of the Spanish Civil War. The Palme d’Or is seen as vindication of his long and distinguished career, and he says the only crime he pleads guilty to is a willingness to tell the other side of the story.

“The bones of the story are very clear,” Loach says of “The Wind That Shakes the Barley.” “It’s not something you can change your view about, just like World War II or the Spanish Civil War. Before taking this on, we read a lot of material about Ireland, not just academic but also eyewitness accounts of the time, and we began to unravel lots of different strands of republicanism.

“We were well aware of the complexities involved. There isn’t a political agenda at work on our part -- I think you’d need a pretty closed mind if you approached something like this with a set agenda. Our film is a little step in the British confronting their imperialist history. Maybe if we tell the truth about the past, we can tell the truth about the present.”

Along with fellow director Mike Leigh, Loach has always been something of an anti-establishment figure in Britain, and he says he wasn’t at all surprised by the negative response to the film in the U.K.

“What we’re seeing in Britain is a rabid right-wing reaction, really, from personalities who can’t bear to have their sacred truth challenged. Many of these people can’t accept the fact that the empire wasn’t just about giving sweets to the natives. It was also about oppression and brutality and exploitation. It’s the most despicable form of journalism, which is both personal and vitriolic, from people who haven’t even seen the film.”

The film’s historical advisor, Donal O’Drisceoil of University College Cork, is also adamant that the film represents a true version of Irish history and claims it to be as comprehensive as any academic work. A well-regarded historian, he argues that the film is both balanced and accurate, and he has staked his professional reputation on its historical validity.

“Ideological nonsense” is how he describes the reaction from the British media. “Ask anyone in the local area if the film is fantasy, and those that can remember will tell you just how brutal a time it was,” says O’Drisceoil.

While the academic debate rages on, the inhabitants of Ballyvourney are oblivious to the criticisms. After all, with hair salons in the area fully booked and local fashion outlets reporting a brisk trade, they have far more pressing matters on their minds, such as the upcoming premiere.

Yet no one around here is getting too carried away.

“So far, life has gone on as normal,” affirms Mary O’Riordan, who plays Peggy. “When we walk down the street, people congratulate us and ask jokingly when are we moving to Hollywood. I’d never done anything like this before, but no matter how long each day was I never got tired of it. It was a wonderful experience. It’ll be strange seeing ourselves on the big screen.”

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Using her experiences

HER life has been far from glamorous; she’s had to work hard to make a living as a small farmer in an area of Ireland not renowned for the quality of land. In the movie, she plays the role of the matriarchal grandmother, using her own life experiences to help inform her characterization. Her participation had as much to do with liking Loach’s personality as it did with any long-held ambition to star on screen.

“You couldn’t meet a nicer man than Ken Loach,” she says as she pours another cup of tea and offers cookies. “When I first met Ken Loach, we got on grand, and I said I’d have a go at it.”

With upward of 100 locals involved in making the film, everyone in the region is basking in the temporary spotlight and welcoming the media intrusion. For local actor Martin Lucey, being cast in the film has rejuvenated a career that looked dead as doornails a few months back.

“Before getting the role, I hadn’t worked in about five months,” says Lucey. “I got one of the main parts and everything changed overnight. First off, I earned more money in eight weeks than I had earned in the past five years. While casting directors who didn’t want to know me a year ago are calling me for auditions and congratulating me on my success. From now on, though, they can deal with my new agent!”

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O’Connell is a freelance writer based in Ireland and has written for the Irish Times and other publications.