Life in the fast lane

Watching a movie or television programme, how many of us pay attention to the action vehicles whether they be police cars, ambulances, fire engines, streets cars or helicopters?

Well Carlanstown native Noel Kearney knows all about them having carved out a successful career supplying all sorts of vehicles for films, music videos and photo shoots, working with some huge stars along the way.
In 1987 Noel saw an opening for a vehicle supply company and set up ‘1st Position Vehicles’. Thirty years on, his company is still going strong and just recently supplied all the action vehicles for Liam Neeson’s new movie ‘The Commuter’ due out in October.
Noel from Staholmog is a son of the late Michael and Elizabeth Kearney. He told how his father, known as Mickey, was as all Ireland Button Key accordion Player in the 50s. “He had his own band so music is was a big part of the Kearneys’ lives and the reason I get involved in so many music productions.”
Noel’s brother Mick, sisters Betty and Cathy still live in the local area, while his sister Peggy is based in Kilcoole. Noel left school at a young age and went to London to make a life for himself.
“I left school at 14 and started working on a farm, milking cows. When I was 15, I decided to go to London. My sister Peg was living there so I went over to her.
“My first job was working in a shoe factory. I also worked in a music shop and then got into hiring cars out for weddings and chaffeuring celebrities. Then I moved on to supplying vehicles for films and television and set up my own company in 1987.
“I was watching all these vehicles and thought somebody has got to be supplying them so that’s how I got into it,” he explained. There were not many companies supplying movie vehicles at the time and it was a bit of a niche.
Noel’s company is based in London and is close to Pinewood Studios where the ‘The Commuter’ was filmed.

Some of the vehicles Noel supplied for 'The Commuter' due for release in October.

He explained that in the movie, Liam Neeson plays an ordinary businessman on his daily commute home but the commute becomes anything but routine as he realises a deadly plan is unfolding and he is unwittingly caught up in a criminal conspiracy that has life and death consequences. Liam Neeson plays the lead charactor, and the movie also stars Sam Neill, Vera Farmiga and Elizabeth McGovern.
“The movie is set in Westchester County in New York State, but most of the film was shot in Pinewood Studios and on location in the UK. The train and carriages were built in the American style in the UK. and some of the scenes were filmed in New York.
“Pinewood studios is now being called the new Hollywood as so many American features are being short there and on locations,” he commented.
The action vehicles were all modern day vehicles and Noel’s company was responsible for supplying all the street vehicles, the police cars, the ambulances, fire trucks and even a helicopter. They also supplied the vehicle used by Liam Neeson’s charactor to get to the train station- a BMW X5.
Noel recently worked on a photoshoot with Robbie Williams, supplying a red mini convertible and a photo shoot for French Vogue with a 1952 Rolls Royce, as well as a Vo5 shampoo commercial. Noel’s company has a data base of owners with all sorts of modern and classic vehicles to draw on. His website ‘1stpositionvehicles.co.uk’ has a vast range of vehicles that can be booked for jobs- with a vaste range of motorbikes, military vehicles, taxis, buses, funeral vehicles, commerical and much more.
He also worked with One Direction for three days making their music video before their last world tour, much to the delight of Noel’s daughter Phoebe (16) who got to meet the band members. “I worked on all their music videos and photo shoots and took my daughter on a three-day shoot for work experience with 1D in London.”

Noel's daughter Phoebe pictured with Niall Horan during a three-day film shoot with One Direction.

Noel laughed that his daughter’s school friends weren’t believing her when she told them until she produced the photos! Noel also has three older children, Billy (26), Michael (21) and Kate (18).
He has also supplied vehicles for Olly Murs videos, Kanye West and over the years worked with Madonna, Paul McCartney and Barbara Streisand.
In 2007, Noel moved back to Ireland and now lives in Kilnaleck, Co Cavan. With a number of trusted employees he can rely on to deliver the vehicles to the locations for shoots, he can run his business from his home in Ireland and explained that he still travels to the UK for any big projects that come up.