Irons to promote ‘paradise’ Cork as movie location

JEREMY IRONS has signed up as an ambassador for the new body promoting Cork as a film location.

And the 63-year-old Oscar winner, who lives in West Cork and who has traced his ancestors to Innishannon, said he would love to make a movie in the city.

Mr Irons, who is currently starring in Neil Jordan’s The Borgias, was speaking after agreeing to act as an ambassador for the Cork Screen Commission (CSC).

The star of the legendary Brideshead Revisited TV series — and blockbusters including The Mission, Die Hard with a Vengeance and Lolita — said Cork’s natural beauty and light lends itself to cinematic shooting.

“I was attracted to Cork by its end-of-the-roadness, by its culture, its music, by its landscape and by the way the waters knit into the land,” he said.

“When I discovered Cork, which was 23 or 24 years ago, I thought it was sort of, like, paradise. And while a lot has changed in the intervening years, much has remained the same.

“There was nobody here then, but that has changed of course. With the Celtic Tiger, there are more people here now but West Cork still has an extraordinary beauty and strength.”

He said the county has many natural advantages that lend themselves to film and filmmaking, including the “magical light”, “the wonderfully varied landscape” as well as a skilled labour force and “cinematic characters”.

“I think the light here, with the water and the colours of the landscape is cinematic.

“Even on grey days, it’s good for cinema because the light is so balanced. But we get spectacular days here also.

“There’s a beautiful variety to Cork; the landscape is very different from west to east. You have Cork City, of course, and some spectacular mountains to the north.

“I would love to make a movie in Cork because I love to work from home.”

He now plans to help CSC to encourage filmmakers to come and examine Cork as a potential film location.

CSC is a jointly funded initiative by Cork City and County Councils, which will act as a “one-stop shop” for all film needs in Cork City and county.

It will help film and television producers find, secure and make the best use of various locations and highly skilled film work force.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have Jeremy agree to be an ambassador for us,” CSC director, Jason O’Mahony, said.

Mr Irons won the 1990 Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of accused murderer Claus von Bulow in Reversal of Fortune.