Moynalty woman and film producer long-listed for an Academy Award

An award winning film co-produced by a talented Moynalty woman has been long-listed for an Academy Award.

Moynalty's Elaine Gallagher was co-producer of 'North Circular', a multi award-winning documentary musical that travels the length of Dublin's North Circular Road, from the Phoenix Park in the west to Dublin Port in the east. On the way it encounters some interesting characters and explores contemporary and historical narratives of the city and the nation.

Elaine co-produced the documentary with its writer and director, Luke McManus.

The winner of eight festival awards, North Circular has now been long-listed for the Oscars.

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE...

“It is great that it is getting recognition. It continues to surprise us,” says Elaine.

Elaine, a daughter of Mary and the late John Gallagher grew up just outisde Moynalty and went to school in Ughtyneill National School and Eureka Secondary School, before studying Arts in Trinity College.

She then did a post graduate course in TV and Radio Production in Maynooth College, which got her into television and media work in 2007.

Elaine is a writer, producer, director, stand up comedian and animator. While she is currently living in Moynalty, she lived on Dublin's northside for almost 20 years.

“North Circular Road was an area I connected with. I cycled along it every day, my mother worked in St Brendan's psychiatric hospital in Grangegorman which features in the film and my dad died in the Mater Hospital.”

Elaine got involved in the North Circular Project in 2021.

“We got some Reel Art funding for it from the Arts Council.

“It was a real Covid project as the distance we could travel was limited but we were able to travel the length of the North Circular Road.

“Luke was already up and running when he asked me to join. One of the first things happening was Kellie Harrington's Olympic win and the support for her in Portland Row.

“He had already documented the campaign to save The Cobblestone pub, a real hub for taditional music run by the Mulligans, which had been in danger of being sold by the owners.”

Elaine explains that North Circular Road was made up of neighbourhoods like Grangegorman, Phibsboro, the Five Lamps and Sherriff Street.

“We made the film in chapters about each neighbourhood and we used music to transition between each chapter.”

Elaine worked on the recording of that music - all of which was done in the Cobblestones pub and featured singers such as Lisa O'Neill, Annie Hughes, John Fraces Flynn, Ian Lynch, Willa White, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, Séan Ó Tuama and Gemma Dunleavy.

“They were beautifully shot by Richard Kendrick,” she says.

The documentary follows singer and activist, Gemma Dunleavy, and documents her rehearsals and a concert in The Academy.

'North Circular' is Elaine's first credit for a feature length project - her previous work was for television and short films.”

While the documentary has brought the production team to festivals at home and abroad, Elaine's fondest moment was its screening at the Meath Film Festival in the Solstice Arts Centre where she was interviewed by fellow Eureka past pupil, Deirdre Reynolds from Kells.

“Another screening that meant a lot was in Mountjoy prison, which features in the film.

“It was a powerful moment to have it screened in the prison - it is as much a part of North Circular Road as anything else.”

The film looks at the darker side of the road's history, starting at the Phoenix Park, the hub of colonial power and features Grangegorman, the prisons, homelessness and the housing crisis, but looks at the brighter side including the huge sense of community and Olympic hero, Kellie Harrington from Portland Row.

Elaine Gallagher worked a lot in television and short films and was the writer/director of 'An Rinceoir' about an Irish dancer which has been on the Junior Cert Irish syllabus since 2017

Her other shorts include Reel: Irish Women (2016), which explores the untold story of the women who took part in the 1916 Rising, the comedy shorts Follow Me (2017), The Don'ts Of Cycling (2018) and A Fistful of Coupons (2019). In 2018 Elaine co- directed the comedy-drama independent film, The Comeback, starring Rob Arkins (The Commitments). Elaine has also written for television, for the RTÉ sketch comedy series, The Mario Rosenstock Show.

Elaine is also a stand up comedian who has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

She is also a talented animator and works on 'Dizzy Deliveries' the popular preschool series which features Lámh, the Irish sign language.

North Circular screened as part of the second annual Meath Film Festival at the Solstice Arts Centre, Navan back in September this year, but for those who missed it, it's being released on DVD/digital download.

Details on how to purchase the film can be found at www.northcircularfilm.com