We have always had a great interest in the history of Dublin on the big screen on this blog. Some of my favourite posts to write and research were on the theme of Ireland and the cinema, for example this post looking at Ireland, A Nation, a 1914 nationalist film that fell victim to British censorship, or the time they built a Berlin Wall in Smithfield (and its unusual connection to Saint Patrick’s Athletic!). That’s not to mention Fu Manchu, Educating Rita or political attacks on Dublin cinemas in decades past.
A new exhibition at the Little Museum of Dublin looks at an unusual aspect of the story of Irish cinema – costumes. Some of my favourite films, including Intermission, The Wind that Shakes The Barley and Jimmy’s Hall feature. The exhibition covers 1987 onwards, and has been brilliantly curated by Eimer Ni Mhaoldomnaigh and costume historian Veerle Dehaene.
Intermission, from 2003, remains one of the finest (and funniest) films set in Dublin, with Colin Farrell playing a blinder as petty criminal Lehiff. In the run-up to the release of the film, many journalists were sent bottles of brown sauce, and no doubt thousands were convinced to pour HP sauce into their cups of tea having seen the film! This is just one of several dodgy Colin Farrell jumpers in the exhibition:
Intermission.
The last exhibition in this space drew from the Christy Brown collection recently acquired by the Little Museum of Dublin and the National Library of Ireland, so there is some continuity with the inclusion of some costumes from the classic My Left Foot.
My Left Foot
The uniform of The Big Fella, or Liam Neeson, makes an appearance. Not to be considered Treatyite by nature, the exhibition also includes a costume from . Damien O’Donovan, Anti-Treaty volunteer in Ken Loach classic The Wind That Shakes The Barley!
Michael Collins.
A more recent addition comes from Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank, featuring Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Fassbender. The head was of course inspired by Frank Sidebottom, the comic persona of Chris Sievey. Frank left the world such classic songs as ‘Guess Who’s Been on Match of the Day’ and ‘Christmas is Really Fantastic’.
Frank
There’s a lot more, including Good Vibrations and The Commitments. Get in for a look.
