Victoria Smurfit returned to Ireland from LA to take a starring role in twisty thriller about to be screened at the Cork Film Festival, writes Esther McCarthy

A new film about Dervla Murphy paints a fascinating picture of the 85-year-old travel writer, says Ellie O’Byrne

IN Hollywood it would have cost millions of dollars and taken months to shoot, but the burning passion of two film-makers and the support of a community created a powerful period drama in three weeks — and on a shoestring budget.

Philomena Lee, Robbie and Claudine Keane, The Strypes and Snow Patrol were some of the guests at the US-Ireland Alliance’s ninth Oscar Wilde party which saw TV host Conan O’Brien and YouTube founder Chad Hurley honoured.

AWARD-winning travel writers such as Ranulph Fiennes, Jan Morris, Tim Severin and Damien Lewis will be travelling en masse to Co Waterford in June for the annual Immrama Festival of Travel Writers.