Poitín (Film)
Encyclopedia
Poitín was the first feature film to be made entirely in Irish
. It was also the first recipient of a film script grant from the Arts Council of Ireland
.
, and starred Cyril Cusack
as a moonshiner in rural Connemara
, living in an isolated cottage with his adult daughter. Two local degenerates, played by Donal McCann
and Niall Tóibín
, terrorize the old moonshiner for his contraband liquor, threatening to kill him and rape his daughter, until the moonshiner outwits them and tricks them to their deaths.
on Saint Patrick's Day in 1979 and caused a national outrage. Taken by many as a direct insult to the idealized Western Irish identity, particularly pointing to the "spud fight" scene in the film, criticism echoed the response to John Millington Synge
's stageplay "The Playboy of the Western World
" (the "Playboy Riots") some seventy years earlier and the reaction to Flann O'Brien
's Irish language novel "An Béal Bocht
" some forty years prior, both of which also played on Irish stereotypes, to which Irish nationalists are sensitive.
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
. It was also the first recipient of a film script grant from the Arts Council of Ireland
Arts Council of Ireland
The Arts Council of Ireland was founded in 1951 by the Government of Ireland to encourage interest in Irish art and channel to funding from the state to Irish artists and arts organisations...
.
Plot
The film was produced by Cinegael, written and directed by Bob QuinnBob Quinn
Bob, Rob, or Robert Quinn may refer to:* Bob Quinn * Bob Quinn , American baseball executive* Bob Quinn , his grandson, American baseball executive...
, and starred Cyril Cusack
Cyril Cusack
Cyril James Cusack was an Irish actor, who appeared in more than 90 films.-Early life:Cusack was born in Durban, Natal, South Africa, the son of Alice Violet , an actress, and James Walter Cusack, a sergeant in the Natal mounted police. His parents separated when he was young and his mother took...
as a moonshiner in rural Connemara
Connemara
Connemara is a district in the west of Ireland consisting of a broad peninsula between Killary Harbour and Kilkieran Bay in the west of County Galway.-Overview:...
, living in an isolated cottage with his adult daughter. Two local degenerates, played by Donal McCann
Donal McCann
Donal McCann was an Irish stage, film, and television actor best known for his roles in the works of Brian Friel and for his lead role in John Huston's last film, The Dead.-Early life:...
and Niall Tóibín
Niall Toibin
Niall Tóibín is an Irish comedian and actor. Born in Cork into an Irish speaking family, Tóibín grew up on the north-side of the city in Bishop's Field. He has appeared in Ryan's Daughter, Bracken, The Irish R.M., Caught in a Free State, Ballykissangel, Far and Away, and Veronica Guerin, and has...
, terrorize the old moonshiner for his contraband liquor, threatening to kill him and rape his daughter, until the moonshiner outwits them and tricks them to their deaths.
Response
The film first aired to the Irish public on RTÉRTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
on Saint Patrick's Day in 1979 and caused a national outrage. Taken by many as a direct insult to the idealized Western Irish identity, particularly pointing to the "spud fight" scene in the film, criticism echoed the response to John Millington Synge
John Millington Synge
Edmund John Millington Synge was an Irish playwright, poet, prose writer, and collector of folklore. He was a key figure in the Irish Literary Revival and was one of the cofounders of the Abbey Theatre...
's stageplay "The Playboy of the Western World
The Playboy of the Western World
The Playboy of the Western World is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge and first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on January 26, 1907. It is set in Michael James Flaherty's public house in County Mayo during the early 1900s...
" (the "Playboy Riots") some seventy years earlier and the reaction to Flann O'Brien
Flann O'Brien
Brian O'Nolan was an Irish novelist, playwright and satirist regarded as a key figure in postmodern literature. Best known for novels such as At Swim-Two-Birds, The Third Policeman and An Béal Bocht and many satirical columns in The Irish Times Brian O'Nolan (5 October 1911 – 1 April 1966) was...
's Irish language novel "An Béal Bocht
An Béal Bocht
An Béal Bocht is a 1941 novel in Irish by Brian O'Nolan, published under the pseudonym Myles na gCopaleen. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest Irish-language novels of the 20th century. An English translation by Patrick C...
" some forty years prior, both of which also played on Irish stereotypes, to which Irish nationalists are sensitive.