04/03/2024 - The new coming-of-age drama follows Molly, a 10 year-old girl who believes that if she learns to play the fiddle and wins the All Ireland championship, she can wake her father up from a coma

After the ground-breaking success of Colm Bairéad’s Oscars hopeful coming-of-age drama The Quiet Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Colm Bairéad
film profile], another intriguing Irish-language feature is in the works, namely Anne McCabe’s Blue Fiddle (Irish title: Fidil Ghorm).

Over the last thirty years, McCabe has been working as a drama director for three national broadcasters: RTÉ, TV3 and TG4. Her credits include J.J. Biker, a film about a little girl making her dying father’s dream come true, starring Brendan Gleeson and Liam Carney, which won the Golden Rose award at the Bulgarian Film Festival; They Call Me Mammy Now, a docudrama starring Liam Cunningham about Aids orphans in inner city Dublin, which won a Jacob’s Award; and the crime drama series Deception for TV3. More recent endeavours include the series Faoi Bhláth for RTÉ and Sloinne for TG4.

McCabe’s latest project, now in post-production, was filmed between August and October last year. 

The picture, penned by Patricia Forde, tells the story of Molly, a 10 year-old girl who believes that if she learns to play the fiddle and wins the All Ireland championship, she can wake her father up from a coma. In the rehabilitation centre where her father is being treated, she befriends Malachy, a grumpy old man whom she hears playing the fiddle beautifully. Malachy challenges the friendship at first and over time, she coaxes him to teach her, learning that he has ‘magic in his hands.’ This brings Molly great hope that learning how to play like her father did will help him regain consciousness.

The main cast includes Edith Lawlor, Siobhán O’Kelly, Barry McGovern and Aindrias de Staic.

Key crew members are director of photography Ronan Fox, editor Eoin McDonagh, production designer Conor Dennison, costume designer Lara Campbell, line producer Ivan McMahon and gaffer Micheál Ó Mogáin, of Apollo Lighting.

“Blue Fiddle is a beautiful story of innocence, music and family. Edith Lawlor is a talented young lady, her remarkable fiddle playing had us in awe both on and off screen. I cannot wait to see what is yet to come for her. I look forward to the audience seeing the truly beautiful landscape of Rathmullan, County Donegal,” commented Sinead Flaherty, the team’s production secretary.

Budgeted at €1.5 million, Blue Fiddle is being produced by Bríd Seoighe and Pierce Boyce for Inverin-based outfit Abú Media Films (Ireland), with backing from Screen Ireland, TG4, Coimisiúin na Meáin, Cine4, and Section 481.

The picture will be ready for release in June this year.