A FESTIVAL is being held in Co. Galway next month to celebrate the work and Irish roots of Quiet Man director, John Ford.
Taking place in An Spidéal, Féile John Ford runs from September 5-7 and will feature film screenings and exhibitions of previously unseen photos and artefacts.
By reflecting on his extraordinary life and body of work, the festival aims to inspire a new generation of storytellers from his ancestral home-place and beyond.
Ford was born John Martin Feeney in Maine, USA in 1894 to Galway parents.
His father hailed from Tuar Beag, half-a-mile west of An Spidéal, while his mother came from Coill Rua nearby in a region known as Cois Fharraige (‘Beside the Sea’),
Throughout his life, Ford maintained strong ties to Ireland, regularly visiting An Spidéal and later transforming Connemara into the unforgettable backdrop for his Oscar-winning 1952 classic, The Quiet Man.
He won a record four Oscars for Best Director for The Informer, The Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My Valley and The Quiet Man, while he also helmed two Oscar-winning documentaries.
A true giant of cinema, Ford shaped the course of American film and influenced generations of filmmakers around the world.
However, despite being revered worldwide as a cinematic master, Ford’s deep connections to the West of Ireland remain surprisingly under-appreciated.
Legacy
This three-day festival brings his legacy home, honouring him through film screenings, talks and a special exhibition.
It will explore the creative thread that connects Ford’s legacy to the thriving film and TV industry along Cois Fharraige in the South Connemara Gaeltacht region today.
There will be screenings of The Quiet Man, The Searchers, the Irish-set anthology film The Rising of the Moon and one of his silent films, The Shamrock Handicap, accompanied by live music.
A documentary on The Quiet Man will also be screened, while there will be storytelling workshops for children.
Talks and panel discussions will focus on Ford’s roots in An Spidéal, Irish immigration to Maine and the influence of Irish culture in Ford’s work.
An exhibition will feature photographs and original artefacts from his films, including unpublished photos of extras on the set of The Quiet Man,
It will also include actress Maureen O’Hara’s original shawl from the movie and Ford’s director’s chair.
For more information on the festival, please visit www.feilejohnford.com