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 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

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

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

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 [email protected] and they can be included