New Zealand dispute may bring Hobbits to Ireland

THEY demand seven meals a day, are notoriously clannish and have peculiarly hairy feet but there’s a welcome mat here for Hobbits if filming of their life story in New Zealand runs aground.

The Irish Film Board confirmed it was in contact with the producers of the much-troubled film version of JRR Tolkien’s classic, The Hobbit, with a view to moving filming to Ireland.

“We are following a line of enquiry on the project,” a spokeswoman said, although she would not elaborate or indicate what response had been received.