Cavanman's doc to screen at weekend

Short film- 'My Cure and Me'- funded by Creative Ireland through Cavan County Museum.

A documentary directed and produced by Virginia's Alan Bradley will screen at the prestigious Galway Film Fleadh at the weekend, Sunday, July 16.

The 13 minute short film- 'My Cure and Me'- funded by Creative Ireland through Cavan County Museum, will be shown at the Town Hall Theatre in Galway at 12 noon.

The film explores the experiences of two elderly, rural, Irish faith healers with 'the cure', examining a practice rich in history and folklore.

One of those interviewed is Alice Smith from Crosserlough.

The film was also selected to screen at Docs Ireland in Belfast which took place last weekend.

“I always was interested in the cure, because I never could get my head around it. I don’t understand how it works, but it does work for people, so it’s always been something that’s fascinated me,” explains Alan, who says the documentary was a “passion project” that relieved a particular creative itch he’d had niggling him since he was a child.

“It’s such a uniquely Irish tradition and custom,” he assesses. “But when I mention it to people in the UK they haven’t a clue. It just sounds completely mad to them. Even some people in Dublin who I’ve mentioned it to aren’t aware. It’s a very rural Ireland thing.”

He says never his intention to set out to “prove or disprove” whether cures work. So did he ever find out how the cure really works?

“I did in so far as the processes that people do, because everyone does cures in different ways. So I understand that. But I still don’t understand how it works, or why it happens.”