Hollywood eat your heart out as Donegal GAA club from Ballyshannon hosts memorable 'Oskars' night

Six iconic movies and one tv series, ranging from The Field to The Snapper featured at a stunning 'Oskars' premier night hosted by the Aodh Ruadh GAA club on Saturday night. A fundraiser for the Ballyshannon club it caught the interest and imagination of so many who turned up in droves for what proved a fantastic night of entertainment and fun.

The red carpet, the cameras, the clinking of champagne glasses and the style was just something else. Everyone - and there were an estimated 700 people there - entered into the spirit of the evening with the magnificent venue at the Great Northern Hotel in Bundoran transformed into the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.

With the assistance of a professional film crew who worked with the actors, and the involvement of Kevin Rowe Events this was a very slick production on all levels. 

The movies recreated were: The Field, The Snapper, Bridesmaids, The Hangover, Misery, The Shawshank Redemption and the tv series, Love/Hate.

The movies starring all local casts and shot in often stunning local locations were superb. The organising team opted to run The Field as the first of the seven ten minute shows where actors reprised some of the outstanding scenes from the original 1990 movie which was directed by Jim Sheridan and starred Richard Harris, John Hurt, Sean Bean, Brenda Fricker and Tom Berenger. 

It was a good choice and proved an eventual winner, with Paul Tuohy as Bull McCabe outstanding. Paul last acted when he was in sixth class in an All Ireland winning play directed by Margaret McGinley, the mother of Hollywood star, Sean McGinley. 43 years later Tuohy's  long-awaited comeback was memorable, and it was both inevitable and fitting that he would win 'Best Actor'.

Adapted from the 1965 John B. Keane play of the same name, it was a happy coincidence that many of the scenes seen on Saturday night were shot in The Thatch pub on Bishop Street which Keane visited when he was invited by the town's Premier Players to Ballyshannon to see their version of another Keane classic, Sharon's Grave. Keane, who had seen the Premier Players in the All Ireland drama finals, was so impressed with the standard of acting by the Ballyshannon actors that they were the only amateur group to get performing rights for the play.

Looking at many of those who starred in all seven movies on Saturday night there were drama connections going back through the decades, but the majority of those on screen in the Bundoran venue were total new comers to the craft and all of them excelled in their respective roles. 

The mix of movies added to the entertainment. Who will ever forget Saturday night's version of the toilet scene in Bridesmaids or the cut of Eunan Doyle in his shiny tracksuit playing Dessie Curley as he threatened to 'snip snip' Georgie Burgess, played by Terry Hughes. That short but memorable scene, shot on Benildus Avenue as Doyle trimmed Josie Boyle's hedge, will live long in the memory. (Incidentally, like Paul Tuohy, Eunan Doyle was also part of that All Ireland winning cast directed by Mrs McGinley).

One of the many surprises of the night saw Ballintra's Seamus McHugh playing the very nasty Nigel 'Nidge' Delaney in Love/Hate. Seamus showed us a whole new side to his acting reach, a brilliant portrayal of a nasty buck...

Love/Hate also gave us the wonderful Caroline Roper whose stunning performance saw her win the 'Best Actress' award. 

The night, at all levels was an outstanding success and great credit must go to everyone involved in making this a memorable event. It was a brave decision by the Aodh Ruadh club to take on such a big project but clearly their bravery was rewarded and from a fundraising viewpoint my understanding is that this was a spectacular success on that front also.

The award winners were as follows:

Best supporting actress - Cathy Mc Veigh - Bridesmaids

Best supporting actor - Jon Dunt - Misery 

Highest grossing actor - Amanda Mahon (The Field) 

Highest grossing film - The Snapper

Best scene - The Hangover

Best production - The Shawshank Redemption

Best actor - Paul Tuohy - The Field

Best actress - Caroline Roper Love/Hate

Best film - The Field

* The best dressed awards, judged by the Democrat's Matt Britton and sponsored by EJs of Sligo were won by Caroline Loughlin and Donald Hannigan (pictured below).

Actors in the seven shows, all of whom deserve an Oscar each were as follows:

Misery:
Roisin Lee 
Jon Dunt
Catherine Mc Kee

Shawshank:
Ken Monaghan
Gerard Ferguson
Cian Dolan
Daniel Grimes
Diarmaid Mc Inerney 
Damian Conlon
Kenny Vaughan

The Field:
Paul Tuohy
Paddy Campbell
Daithi Breen
Teresa Maguire
Amanda Mahon 
Claire Downey 
Denis Daly
Ronan Brennan
Brian Gillespie

The Hangover:
Eamonn Mc Grath 
Chris Mc Hale
Jason Granaghan
Brian Gillespie
William Doogan

Bridesmaids:
Kathy Mc Eniff
Audrey Hannigan 
Aoife Mc Loone
Sarah O'Reilly
Aine Cronin
Cathy Mc Veigh
Catriona Doogan

The Snapper:
Sarah Daly
Eunan Doyle
Dolores Gillespie
Terry Hughes
Carol Devanney
Danika Doherty
Janette Mc Ternan
Natasha Gormley
Teresina Mitchell
Catherine Doogan
Gabby Mc Gloin
Geraldine Rodgers
Tanya Dunne
Aaron Brennan

Love/Hate:
Seamus Mc Hugh 
Andy Brennan
Diarmaid Mc Inerney 
Paul Gillespie
Ronan Mc Shea 
Donagh Mc Inerney 
Packie Mc Grath
Caroline Freeman Roper
Geraldine Killalea
Maria Mc Gee 
Marie Mc Cready
Sandra Hughes
Jackie Lilly
Cathal Gallagher

** The pictures for this gallery are in the main from Matt Britton, there are additional pictures from Patricia McShea Hill and Teresa Davis Maguire. Should anyone wish to add to this picture gallery with images from last night, again, feel free to email michael.daly@donegaldemocrat.com and they can be included