Documentary based on Tipperary village to be screened at film festival in Rome next month

Tipperary filmmaker Nicholas Ryan-Purcell says he is "very glad" to hear that his documentary titled 'Loughmore to the Front' is part of the official selection at the 21AM International Film Festival in Rome this October.

The documentary tells the story of the parish of Loughmore Castleiney from early days to present day, and includes the GAA and The Cottage Tearooms, but also surrounding villages including Holycross, Moycarkey and Upperchurch.

It revolves around the birth, decline, and revival of the community, and features a variety of interviews with locals, including Jean Whyte, and Tipperary All-Ireland winning hurler Bryan McGrath.

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This area was of particular interest to Nicholas, as his ancestors owned land there up to the early 1700s.

Ryan-Purcell recently attended a screening of 'Loughmore to the Front' at The Source Arts Centre in Thurles (pictured below).

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Since then, he has discovered that his Loughmore-based documentary is set to go international.

A congratulatory letter from 21AM to Nicholas Ryan-Purcell said the following:

"Dear Nicholas,

"We are thrilled to inform you that your project, Loughmore To The Front, is now part of the Official Selection of the 21AM International Film Festival 2025!

"Congratulations on this outstanding achievement!

"Your work has profoundly impressed our selection committee with its creativity, passion, and storytelling and we are honored to have your project join this year’s lineup.
As part of the Official Selection, Loughmore To The Front is now eligible for consideration in our 22 award categories.

"This recognition highlights the incredible talent, vision, and dedication you’ve poured into your work, and we look forward to celebrating your contributions to the art of filmmaking."

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Nicholas is also involved in another project, 'Voices of the Abbey' with Thurles historian Tom Gallagher.

These are video recordings of people who worked on restoring the abbey church in the 1970s.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the restoration of Holycross Abbey, locals have collected and edited a series of videos of people associated with the Abbey.

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