Young Tipperary actor to star in New York Irish Language short film screening

New York’s first Irish Language film, An Chathair Mhór will receive its premiere at the historic Aisling Irish Center, New York on Thursday, September 14.
The short film was directed and produced by Dingle native and award-winning writer/ director Cian O’Connor. It tells the tale of a young man who moves to New York from Ireland and develops an unlikely friendship with a distant relative through the Irish language.
Shot “as Gaeilge” with an all-Irish crew and featuring established actors Éanna Grogan (from Clonmel) and Katherine O’Sullivan,
An Chathair Mhór is, “a uniquely Irish story told in one of Hollywood’s most famous locations: New York City”.
The aim of the film is to capture the lives of both young and old Irish immigrants in New York. The film was shot over a number of days in Woodlawn, the Bronx, an area historically known for its Irish diaspora.
Cian O’Connor, director said: “We wanted to make something that captured the Irish experience in New York as authentically as possible. Where better to do that than in an area that has housed the Irish community for decades. The Aisling Center and the Consulate of Ireland, as well as the Cuff family in Woodlawn were a huge support while producing this film.
The film was made in March with an all-Irish crew, many of whom are living in New York. Actor Éanna Grogan, based in Clonmel, flew out to join the rest of the cast and stayed in Cian’s apartment in Brooklyn.
“It felt a bit like we were a band on tour, as we would shoot all around New York from Times Square to the Lower East Side all the way up to the Bronx, and back to Brooklyn.”
“I am proud to call myself an Irish artist in New York and I am delighted to be a part of the Irish community here. I am looking forward to sharing this film with a live audience for the first time, it’s going to be a very special evening”, said O'Connor.
Irish cinema has been on the rise recently, with over 14 nominations for Irish films at the 2023 Academy Awards with films including Martin McDonagh's Banshees of Inisherin, An Cailín Ciúin and An Irish Goodbye.
O’ Connor’s previous short film Sit Down and Shut Up, a documentary about when Irish soccer team Limerick FC played Real Madrid, was screened globally at prestigious film festivals, the Galway Film Fleadh and New York Independent Film Festival, and recently had its online premiere on Irish site Off The Ball Media.
An Chathair Mhór screens at 7pm at the Aisling Irish Centre on Thursday, September 14.