Author’s movie premiere wish comes true

A LIMERICK author whose books have become world best sellers, yesterday spoke of his delight that a film based on a series of his books will be premiered in Limerick next Tuesday.

Universal Pictures will premier Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant – which is based on the Cirque du Freak series of books by Darren Shan – in the Omniplex Cinema, Dooradoyle, next Tuesday.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant is a fantasy-adventure about a teenager who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, one teen will vanish from the safety of a boring existence and fulfil his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares.

Author Mr Shan said: “It was a dream of mine, many years ago, that if a film ever got made of my books that I would love for the premiere to take place in Limerick, at my local cinema, where I’ve been going to films for as long as I can remember. And guess what: dreams do come true.

“One of the first public showings world-wide is going to be at the Omniplex Limerick. I’ve been going to the Omniplex ever since it opened so I’m delighted that we’ve been able to make this work. This will be as special for me as it will hopefully be for everyone else who comes. I can’t wait to share the pleasure of watching it with a group of hard core bloodthirsty fans.”

Darren Shan, real name Darren O’Shaughnessy, was born in London in 1972. His parents emigrated from Co Limerick and, at the age of six, he moved to Pallaskenry with his parents and younger brother, and has lived there ever since.

Shan went to primary school in Askeaton, where his mother was a teacher, then to secondary school in Copsewood College in Pallaskenry. Later, he went back to London to study sociology and English at Roehampton University. He worked for a cable television company in Limerick for a couple of years, before setting up as a full-time writer at the age of 23.

Although Shan always wanted to be a writer, it was only in his teenage years that he began writing in his spare time for fun.

He said: “Before that, I only wrote stories if they were for homework.”

He bought his first typewriter when he was 14 and never looked back, knocking out loads of short stories and comic scripts, and making false starts on several books, which he never completed.

Shan enjoyed his first taste of literary success at age 15, as a runner-up in a television script-writing competition.

He lives in Pallaskenry with his girlfriend Bas.