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Every week, we post the best covered stories that were sent through MediaHQ’s press release distribution tool. This week the TG4, Macra Na Feirme and Kilkenny County Council made it to the top of our list.
We would also like to pass our condolences to everyone who was affected by the Creeslough tragedy. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families during this very difficult time.
1) TG4
Title: An Cailín Ciúin hits €1m at the box office.
Author: Deirdre Ní Choistín, Communications Manager
Email delivery rate: 98%
Time of release: 13:35 on 10/10/2022
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AN CAILÍN CIÚIN HITS €1 MILLION AT IRELAND UK BOX-OFFICE
An Cailín Ciúin has grossed over €1million at the box-office, a remarkable feat for an Irish Language film after 22 weeks in cinemas in Ireland and the UK. Since it’s release last May, the film has been a major hit at international film festivals, won a slew of awards and become a critic’s darling garnering 5-star reviews across the board. AN CAILÍN CIÚIN is also Ireland’s entry for the Oscars® Best International Feature Film category at the upcoming 95th annual Academy Awards.
Based on Irish author, Claire Keegan's acclaimed story, Foster, AN CAILÍN CIÚIN is an intricate, deeply felt coming-of-age drama that delves into the meaning of family through the eyes of a neglected young girl. Set in rural Ireland in 1981, the film follows Cáit (Catherine Clinch) as she is sent from her overcrowded, dysfunctional household to live with distant relatives for the summer. She is welcomed with open arms by Eibhlín (Carrie Crowley), but her husband (Andrew Bennett) keeps Cáit at arm’s length. Slowly, however, a warmth grows within this makeshift family and Cáit begins to blossom in their care. But in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one painful truth. An Cailín Ciúin was produced by Cleona Ní Chrualaoi of Inscéal, the production company she established with Colm Bairéad in 2012. It was made as part of the Cine4 funding scheme for Irish-language films in partnership with Screen Ireland, TG4, and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). The film is also in receipt of the Irish Government’s Section 481 tax incentive.
Writer/Director, Colm Bairéad and Producer, Cleona Ní Chrualaoi of Inscéal said "We are truly humbled by the manner in which audiences in Ireland and the UK have embraced our film. To every single person who bought a ticket for An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) and who championed the film since its release in May, we say thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Huge thanks and congratulations to our fantastic Irish and UK distributors, Break Out Pictures and Curzon, who continue to work incredibly hard on the release. We are enormously grateful to all the cinemas who have allowed the film the time and space to grow and to Access Cinema for its extraordinary work in making the film available to local audiences. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude also to Claire Keegan for allowing us to adapt her work to the screen. The film's success is testament to the truly universal work she created in "Foster". And last, but not least, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to TG4, Screen Ireland and the BAI, as funders of the Cine4 scheme, for believing in us as filmmakers and supporting us during this extraordinary journey. It has been a life-changing experience".
Alan Esslemont, Director General of TG4 said: "TG4 congratulates everyone at Inscéal and all their creative and distribution partners on this superb milestone for
‘An Cailín Ciúin’ at the Irish and UK box-office. Most of all we thank Cleona and Colm for creating this beautiful film about speech, silence and love which is already being seen worldwide as one of the classics of Irish cinema. It is also a wonderful affirmation of the quality of creative talent working through the medium of the Irish language and a strong endorsement of the TG4, Screen Ireland and BAI partnership which launched the Cine4 scheme and regularly brings cinema-goers into a new world - the world of Irish language cinema."
Commenting on this remarkable achievement, Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive Fís Eireann Screen Ireland said “All of us at Screen Ireland are deeply proud to have supported An Cailín Ciúin. Seeing the impact the film has had on audiences from every generation has been truly moving, and we believe a watershed moment for Irish-language cinema, which has been redefined by the incredible output from the Cine4 scheme in recent years. In the middle of an intensely difficult time for cinemas and the cinema-going experience, an Irish-language film broke domestic box office records and told a beautiful story about childhood, connection and the power of care. Our congratulations to director Colm Bairéad, producer Cleona Ní Chrualaoi, actress Catherine Clinch and the entire team behind bringing An Cailín Ciúin to life.”
It’s a historical first for an Irish language film to reach such incredible heights and speaking on its continued success Nell Roddy and Robert McCann Finn, joint MD’s of Break Out Pictures commented: “It’s a fantastic result and we’re thrilled that audiences in Ireland and the UK have embraced the film as much as we did. It’s a phenomenal achievement for any film to cross the €1 million mark, but especially now given the increasingly difficult market. Many thanks to everyone for coming out to see this special film and to all the cinemas for their unwavering support. Huge congratulations to Colm, Cleona and all the ‘An Cailín Ciúin team for reaching this significant milestone.”
Louisa Dent, MD of Curzon added: “Passing €1,000,000 at the Irish and UK box office is a remarkable achievement. It has been wonderful to see An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) connecting with audiences in such a deeply emotional way. Huge congratulations again to Colm Bairéad and the whole filmmaking team.”
An Cailín Ciúin is still on release in select cinemas nationwide.
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2) Macra Na Feirme
Title: Macra to deliver pilot Mental Health Training programme
Author: Derrie Dillon, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Manager
Email delivery rate: 98.6%
Time of release: 14:48 on 10/10/2022
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Macra to deliver pilot Mental Health training programme
Over the coming weeks and months Macra through its mental health programme ‘Make The Moove’ will deliver tailored specific training to students in Agricultural Colleges across the country. The training is funded by Mental Health Ireland and supported and facilitated by Teagasc, and will run on a pilot basis between now and Christmas.
“This training programme has been developed in conjunction with Mental Health Ireland and informed by the issues identified by young rural people as affecting their mental wellbeing. The issues identified included, financial pressures, succession on farm, social media and also the negative perception of farming in the general public,” said John Keane Macra, National President.
This programme is a first of its kind as it is developed specifically to meet the needs of the students and is tailored to address the factors affecting their mental wellbeing.
"We hope to deliver this pilot training programme to around 150 students over three separate sessions before the end of November. We have also planned over the next number of months to expand the programme, to develop specific training programmes for older age groups working in and supporting agriculture.
As today is world mental health day, it is important that this topic is highlighted and spoken about in rural communities across the country. We all have a role to play in breaking down the stigma and addressing the challenges that face us all," concluded John Keane.
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3) Kilkenny County Council
Title: Press Release: Adam’s Hug becomes immortalised in Kilkenny Statue
Author: Catherine Cooney, Communications and Administrative Officer
Email delivery rate: 98.6%
Time of release: 12:15 on 10/10/2022
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The now famous and celebrated Virtual Hug, which leapt to national prominence at the height of the COVID19 pandemic on RTÉ’s Late Late Show, immortalised in Kilkenny as a major piece of sculpture has been unveiled in Kilkenny. President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins sent a special letter of congratulations to the young Cork man who inspired the nation at a crucial time and praised his positivity, which lifted the nation.
The sculpture piece was unveiled by Adam and inspiring Paralympian and Kilkenny native, Mary Fitzgerald as part of yesterday’s Kilkenny Day celebrations in the City.
President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, in a special message read at the event, said of the statue:
"May I say that your positivity and uplifting personality shone through this beautiful artwork. I would like to thank you for your important piece of citizenship by which we have all been touched. It is young people like you who, through your creativity, enthusiasm, generosity, willingness to engage and participate, are contributing to the creation of a kinder, more compassionate and inclusive Ireland for us all".
Adam and his family were delighted to be present at the event and the family said that they were delighted with the finished product: Speaking on behalf of the family, Adam’s Dad said;
"We are delighted that Adam’s appearance on the Late Late Show with Ryan Tubridy touched such a nerve with people. Adam’s message at that time was that we needed to show love and kindness to everyone and particularly to those who were working so hard to get us through tough times. Adam saw it on a daily basis with nurses, doctors and other health workers doing so much to lift our spirits.
Adam wanted to reassure people to keep believing that we would get through the hardest of times. He wanted to help people to feel a little more positive, when some of the real fears they were suffering seemed overwhelming.
We have all learned the lesson that in standing together, we learn the best about ourselves.
Now as we thankfully emerge from the pandemic, Adam's hug continues time and again to be the symbol of choice for Irish people at home and all over the world to connect with loved ones, especially at times when it is challenging to do so. It is hard to believe that such a tiny gesture has had this much of an impact on the world. We are incredibly proud and grateful to everyone who has embraced Adam's Virtual Hug."
Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr. Pat Fitzpatrick said that the statue is a fitting memorial to the most challenging health epidemic in over a century:
"Our grandparents, who lived through the flu epidemic of 1919 could hardly have believed that we would face such a challenge, just over a century later. Despite the fantastic leadership of people like Tony Holohan as Chief Medical Officer and the local and national voices who did so much to reassure us during the COVID19 crisis, Adam’s simple message rang through.
At a time when local and national media came to the fore for a nation in crisis, Adam stole the show. His simple, yet complex message, showed us all the way that we needed to return to the basics of community, family and interpersonal solidarity. That is what, despite awful losses for so many families, got us all through."
Director of Services for Kilkenny County Council, Tim Butler said that Kilkenny always led in celebrating public achievement through the visual arts:
"From the creation of Kilkenny Design Workshops in the seventies, we have always led the way in celebrating human endeavour through art. This piece, created by Adam and produced by CDS Engineering from Kilkenny, captures a unique moment in time but will also stand as a monument to the struggles our County and nation went through, in the most challenging of times.
Just as Kilkenny woman Vicky Phelan captured the essence of public emotion at a very difficult juncture in our public lives, so too did Adam capture the spirit of the nation.
A hug, whether virtual as the times demanded, or in real life, as we all prefer, encapsulates our most basic need for support, nurturing and reassurance, which was sadly denied to so many at such a crucial time’".
Project Manager, Marian Flannery, described the day as momentous:
‘The putting in place of any piece of public art is always a time of collegiality and we are grateful to all those involved in making this happen, Adam and his family, Kilkenny County Council and CDS Architectural Metalwork. We are hopeful that the public message of positivity will ring through and that Kilkenny people of all generations, but particularly of Adam’s generation, will see this installation as a symbol of hope. By sticking together, we can overcome the most challenging obstacles placed in our path.
Whether we are battling a future health pandemic or the sometimes daunting battle against climate change, Adam’s message is clear. We must stick together, hold each other tight and keep on smiling and being positive. Hopefully, our future generations will experience this as they walk, run or wheel along this peaceful stretch of our city centre green space.’
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