Search Results for 'Alfred The Great'

The Prom Restaurant in the Salthill Hotel brought back some happy memories of my very first experiences of really fine foods.

The Prom Restaurant in the Salthill Hotel brought back some happy memories of my very first experiences of really fine foods.

The Prom Restaurant in the Salthill Hotel brought back some happy memories of my very first experiences of really fine foods.

IT WAS a quiet midday morning in Bohermore when Galway writer Ken Bruen received the call that would change his life forever. However, he was somewhat unprepared for the moment.

It is a fact that when few people had a job in Galway the late Christopher (Christy) Dooley of Renmore Park, had many. They were all of an amazing variety. One of them was a factory on the Mervue Industrial estate where he made parts for German railway engines. He had a specialised scrap business in Munster Avenue, the site of the old family forge, where he recycled aeroplane parts and exported them to Spain.

In 1968 MGM came to Galway to make a ‘swords and sandals’ epic film called Alfred the Great. A lot of preparatory work had gone into selecting three main locations in Kilchreest, Ross Lake, and Knockma, each of which encompassed 90 acres. A vast amount of money was spent on the exact replication of every aspect of the ninth century it depicted, turning some corners of County Galway into Wessex, including etching a 200-feet long white horse into the hill at Knockma.

IN TIMES of recession, when uncertainty is the name of the game, there is something solid and comforting about a book. It will always be there on the shelf, a source of strength, consolation, and reassurance.

I have often been intrigued by the stories of German spies parachuted into Ireland during World War II. It was quite an intriguing time. De Valera was anxious to steer the country in neutral waters, despite serious pressure from Britain and America to at least open our ports to the transatlantic convoys which were being hammered by German U-boats. The IRA and its sympathisers, were pro German to such an extent that Germany believed it could foster a lot of trouble in Britain’s ‘back yard’ by encouraging the IRA to make mischief.

In one final flurry to mark the 40th anniversary of the release of MGM’s multi-million dollar production, Alfred the Great, the Cinemobile announces that it will screen a special showing of the movie on location where many of the famous battle scenes were filmed at Castlehackett four decades ago.