Once again it is after a hectic week of late nights, countless film screening, heated and insightful conversations with directors and friends from a lot of the northern hemisphere that I need a 'get a reality' breather and reflect on what was a very successful International Würzburg Film Festival 2005, for both the cinema visitor and the St Kilians GAA Club.

Our 'littlest, but bestest', German GAA Club was conceived by JP and myself, with much enthusiasm, nearly three years ago. The goals were lofty then - try and get a group of predominantly non-Irish players to learn the rules of hurling and football, train regularly and play any and all teams we could find on the mainland! Having played in 8 tournaments, winning one outright and by training more than 30 players in sessions at the public park on the banks of the River Main we feel a certain amount of fulfilment and achievement at where we are at the beginning of this new European GAA season.

During the winter of 2002 we decided to get involved with International Würzburg Film Fest. It was partially co-incidence, but also a definite conscious decision to be involved in the main cultural event in this Franken city's annual calendar. It offered us a chance to credibly prove how much of a serious GAA organisation we were, by moving within this established indigenous Cultural elite organisation, offered the possibility of recruiting newer players from a captive audience of close to 14,000 ( hasn't happened yet!!) and would help keep member interest active during the GAA Off-season months from November to March.

The Film Festival people were very open to us from the beginning. Pre-conceived ideas of a group of academic, cliquish, older and conservative film freaks gave quickly away to that of a group of individuals who were aged from 17 to 70, slightly chaotic, friendly, fun, driven and 'up for a little of anything'!! So we blended in well. Anyway to make sure the Irish impact be felt we hit the ground running in the 2003 Fest by figuring out how to get Sarah Share, her film "If I should fall from Grace" and ist main protagonist Herr Shane MacGowan to appear as the festival highlight!

After the 2003 spectacle we were walking on the rare air but, determined to keep the momentum going. After seeing the audience attendance for such non fiction films we pushed the Film Initiative for a 'Best Documentary' Award section. They agreed and the game was afoot! Seeing as we'd screened a Tipp native based film for JP it was only right and proper that the 2004 St Kilians choice was coming from the Banner...oder! And so it was that Dierdre Lynch and her wonderful documentary 'Photos to send' swept into town capturing the inaugural award along with hearts of the audience and the local film going population! So taken was Dierdre by the 2004 Festival antics that she travelled at her own expense to this year's event! Local cinemas are currently running her film, many that see her work want her to return annually to screen 'Photos to send' as part of their Festival experience!

Setting of high bars and boats being pushed out beyond the horizon sum up St Kilians involvement in Fest 2005. Two films "Battle of the Bogside" & "The Saw Doctors - a different kind of world" along with their respective directors Vinny Cunningham and Steven Lock. AND Dierdre Lynch last year's winner from Boston AND cousins Tom, John with his wife Nora AND Brendan AND JP AND 'de four boyz from Borris' all hit town for an action packed few days last Jan 21^st ish!!

It was a weekend where all schedules were met..just!

Dierdre arrives - ist great to see her again in CinemaxX. She is just in time for the official Opening Ceremony of the Festival. 'Battle of the Bogside' is screened and there is a Q&A sessions afterwards. As it's the first night there is lots and lots of champagne floating about until all hours Friday morning.......Tone is set for the weekend and no point trying to change it now!

Friday:

Steven Lock was picked up from the airport at Frankfurt two hours before his film screened on Friday. Aer Lingus, bless their souls, arrived 20 minutes ahead of schedule which allowed us make our train with 15 minutes to spare!! A quick stop at the hotel and straight to CinemaxX where Steven was in time to introduce his film and spent 15 minutes afterwards in an open discussion with an enthusiastic audience.

At 23:00 JP arrives by train from Geneva. Eventually de boyz from Borris arrive into the pub after the screening. Couldn't find the cinema but, consoled themselves in Würzburg only ( albeit well hidden ) Lap-dance club. At about 2:30 we're leaving the Barleycorn Pub heading for home, but the Tipp contingent were just getting into a rhythm and are looking for Nightclubs - off with em!

Tom, John and Nora come in at 11:30 from Düsseldorf and Cork respectively. Old pros of the circuit, they were well orientated. We agreed to meet at the 17:30 screening of Steven's film. Everybody managed to get in either a film or a walk in the snowy Würzburg wine mountains before CinnemxX. Steven again does the needful after his second screening. Good vibe as the Cinema is packed with the Saturday crowd. JP can not explain the absence of 'de boyz'. Steven, a Londoner, begins to have niggling doubts that this phenomena of 'de boyz' exists at all!!

Get everybody into the lovely Rats Keller for some well deserved food. Just as the five non German speakers ( Steven, Brendan, John, Nora and Brendan ), Tom and myself are getting the menus my phone rings. JP is having difficulty with his key getting into my apartment. I go to help him, everybody has English Language menus and if there are problems Tom's well fluent German will sort it out. Eventually the door and JP are reconciled, he gets the shirt changed and is off to meet the wan from last night! I return 25 minutes later to the Ratskeller.

Here I find five fairly contented non German speakers with Tom looking very pale, worn and rambling incoherently about a conspiracy theory and the JP's phone call being a hoax!! Apparently our intrepid five guests quickly figured out that the English language menu was far inferior in choice to the German language menu and soo.. they promptly disregarded the English ones and all eagerly set upon Tom. He had to explain every nuance that exists in dishes and sauces to a group of very selective culinary experts and there was no let up for the whole 25 minutes. In fairness I understand his plight, as his ordering of food is much akin to my own.. I'm either having the beef, pork, fish or lamb - sauces, side orders, subtle enhancements are really inconsequential. It presents a problem when you've got to describe the taste, texture and growth life cycle of these niceties let alone just translate the German!! Tom and I ordered Schnitzel & Pommes.

Anyways after copious amount of beer Tom forgets about his prolonged interrogation. We go to the Festival 'Stamm Kneipe' meeting pub 'The Standard'. Good buzz there until three in the morning - film goers, directors, organisers, actors, normal, un-normal people of all nationalities floating in and out. No sign of 'de boyz', JP or the wan.......plot thickens!

Vinny Cunningham's flight is delayed out of Heathrow and he misses his Frankfurt train connections. We delay the start of his film, rush from the train station to the CinemaxX and cool as an Alpen breeze he walks into the screening with 10 minutes to spare and really impresses, entertains and informs the audience during the Question and Answers session afterwards!! Outside in the hall people come up to me looking to keep the film's poster once the festival is over. It is a cool poster and one of them will be hanging in the apartment soon - being in the committee does have ist privileges!

Drop Vinny off to Hotel, where he wants a few hours sleep - he's been on the go since 5:00am. We all meet up later in town with the St Kilians' players and visitors. Per chance we end up sharing a table with talented Welsh director Timothy Lyn and his effervescent wife - we manage to get the English sorted out before it's time to head back for the Awards Ceremony.

This year the Ceremony was a highly technical produced affair. It went off reasonably well. Unfortunately Steven, Vinny or Tomothy didn't win any award. It would have been nice but, that's not really why we organise these festivals. All of their three films were very well received by the audiences here and it bodes very well for their future success.

Off to the Festival Closing dinner and afterwards back to the Standard, where everybody associated with the weekend turns up and expends whatever energy they've in reserve after a hectic, but record breaking attendance-wise, weekend. At this stage Steven is convinces 'de Boyz' are a figment of our over active imagination BUT, right on time three of them walk in the door to set his mind at ease. In true Borris fashion, they ignore us, any wimmin, any other attention catching individuals and go straight to the counter. Here they looking loving into one another drink induced bloodshot eyes and silently lament their inability to charge up their mobiles due to de kontinent having different power adapters! JP also showed up with de seriously eye-catching wan (" don't say you wasn't der JP cause you was!! "). AND even she couldn't extract a nod of acknowledgement from 'de bhoys' at the counter. Tipperary - you're breeding them still!!!!!!!!

Being the civilised bar that it is, after 2:30 the owner locks the door, pulls down the curtains and starts lashing out free rounds! 'De bhoys' were gone for this as was Steven who'd a 7:00am train to catch. Vinny was on the ball the whole evening and I think he and John had the Northern Ireland 40 mil Euro bank robbery well sorted before we eventually struggled away home.

Great night, great weekend, great Fest and great people!! It was a pleasure to have your company for a few days and hopefully we'll get to do it all over again pretty soon!

There were more events and Dierdre's screening during Monday to Wednesday, accounts of these days are to be found by other authors elsewhere on the www.stkilians.de site.

"What about yeah!"

"This Frankfurt airport is very big and confusing!"

"1:00 pm JP, I'll never be able to get up for a film that early! Can you not put it back to 6 or 7 O Clock in the evening?"

"If we're going for a refreshing walk in the woods, I want it to be dirt tracks. This walking on tarred roads codology is the closest you get to shopping without spending money!"