Filmmaker Mike Hannon’s ‘My Beamish Boy’ screens on RTE One at 7pm on the 7th June

Youghal native Mike Hannon was in town recently and  special guest on the  ‘Shane Supple Show’ on local radio CRY last Friday. Mike is the son of Finbarr Hannon of Harmony Music and Drama. ‘My Beamish Boy’ was awarded the Made in Cork Award for Best Short Film at the Corona Cork Film Festival 2009, and was screened at the Chicago Irish Film Festival, 2010.
Photo: Michael Hussey www.youghalonline.com EMAIL:news@youghalonline.com

The much-loved two hundred year old brewery has shut its gates forever. As they reminisce, the ex-workers must come to terms with their grief at its closure. Suffused with bittersweet memories and wry affection, these are the stories of the famous Beamish and Crawford Brewery. All things must end, but the human spirit persists.

My Beamish Boy (director Mike Hannon), a half hour documentary on the people and stories of the closed Beamish & Crawford brewery, is to be broadcast on RTE One on Monday, June 7th at 7pm.

Part funded by Cork City Council Arts Office, the documentary is an affectionate piece of social history, recording the anecdotes, memories and feelings of many of the Beamish workers, as well as the unique traditions and character of the brewery itself.

The film was shot in 2009 around the time of the brewery’s closure and features creative contributions from some of the Beamish staff, including David Creedon’s photographs of the brewery interior. Johnny McCarthy, who was a fourth generation Beamish worker, and his son Cormac  play flute and cello respectively, with Hugh McCarthy (cello) on the original soundtrack which was composed by Irene Buckley and on an original song, My Lovely Smiling Beamish Boy, written by John Spillane for the film. The documentary was produced by Pat Comerford.

The documentary had very humble beginnings. I bumped into my friend, Pat Comerford, on the streets of Cork in December 2008 and he told me that the brewery was going to close. Pat had worked in the brewery for the previous ten years. He knew that I worked as an architectural photographer and he suggested that I document the buildings, and the people at work there. We subsequently decided that it would be better to make a small scale documentary, perhaps ten minutes long, featuring interviews with some of the people who worked there over the years.

The scope of the project grew as Pat convinced more of his co-workers that our project was worthwhile. We wanted to make a film that would be a tribute to the historic brewery and to the unique spirit of the people who worked there. We realised that we were making a longer piece – the final documentary is 25 minutes.

We interviewed fifteen people over the course of a number of weeks. These interviews took place around the time the brewery was closing. They were held in the upstairs premises of a bar, the Spailpin Fanac, which overlooked the brewery, and was like a second home for many of the workers. Since we were unable to secure permission to film in the brewery itself, this was the next best thing.

The final documentary also includes archival photographs dating as far back as the nineteenth century, and contemporary photographs from David Creedon, who worked the night shift in the brewery, and would take beautiful long exposure images of the brewery while on his “lunch” break!

Eighteen minutes of original music were composed by Irene Buckley, and local singer-songwriter John Spillane wrote an original song for the film. This music was performed by Johnny, Cormac and Hugh McCarthy, some of whom had worked in or been associated with the brewery. The music is a huge part of what makes the film successful.

The documentary is being screened on RTE One at 7pm, Monday 7th June.