The Boys from County Clare
The Boys from County Clare is a 2003 Irish comedy/drama film about a céilí band from Liverpool that travels to Ireland to compete in a céilí competition in County Clare. Directed by John Irvin, the film was released in Canada on September 12, 2003, and in the U.S., on a limited release, on March 13, 2005.
| The Boys And Girl from County Clare | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | John Irvin |
| Produced by | Wolfgang Esenwein Evzen Kolar Ellen Dinerman Little Bill Kenwright |
| Written by | Nicholas Adams |
| Starring | Bernard Hill Charlotte Bradley Andrea Corr Colm Meaney Stephan Brennan Eamonn Owens Shaun Evans Ian Shaw Brendan O'Hare |
| Music by | Fiachra Trench |
| Cinematography | Thomas Burstyn |
| Edited by | Ian Crafford |
| Distributed by | Samuel Goldwyn Films Studio Hamburg WorldWide Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Ireland United Kingdom Germany |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $8 million |
| Box office | $132,000 (U.S. theatrical release) |
The film was entitled The Boys and Girl from County Clare for the U.S. release and The Great Ceili War for the U.K. release.
Plot
Set in 1965, Jimmy McMahon (Colm Meaney) is an Irishman living in Liverpool who directs a céilidh band of young men who go to a competition of traditional Celtic music in Ireland in County Clare. A native Irish band directed by John Joe McMahon (Bernard Hill) is also present to compete as well, with animosity between Jimmy and John, as they are brothers. The two brothers could not be more different, as they have taken different paths. There are multiple surprises for them as the competition takes place, with a familial twist at the very end.
Cast
- Bernard Hill as John Joe McMahon
- Andrea Corr as Anne
- Charlotte Bradley as Maisie
- Stephan Brennan as Miko
- Colm Meaney as Jimmy McMahon
- Eamonn Owens as Pat
- Shaun Evans as Teddy
- Ian Shaw as Johnny
- Brendan O'Hare as Brendan
- Malachy Bourke as Ben
- Leslie Bingham as Leslie
- Phillip Barantini as Alex
- Frank Twomey as Roger
- Emmet Kirwan as Clive
- Patrick Bergin as Padjo
Awards
- Winner - Best Supporting Actress, Charlotte Bradley - Irish Film and Television Awards
- Nominated - Best Music, Fiachra Trench - Irish Film and Television Awards
- Winner - Best Actress, Andrea Corr - U.S. Comedy Arts Festival
Reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 46% based on reviews from 28 critics.[1]