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http://vimeo.com/83843825
FUNDING HAS POURED in for an Irish short film about a “unique event” in which two members of the LGBT community were invited to speak at a Novena.
Novena, which is directed by Anna Rodgers and co-produced by her brother Hugh Rodgers, centres on a special mass at St Joseph’s Redemptorist church in Dundalk.
The church holds a Novena mass every year, but last year the priest, Fr Michael Cusack, invited members of the LGBT community, Kay Ferriter and Stephen Vaughan, to address the congregation about their experiences of being lesbian and gay in Ireland.
They spoke about feeling excluded by Catholic doctrine, and also on the topic of ‘the courage to be yourself’, which was the theme for that year’s Novena.
Anna Rodgers told TheJournal.ie that they were delighted the Fundit campaign has already exceeded its goal. “It’s fantastic – we didn’t think it would happen so quickly.”
They used Fundit after exhausting all possibilities in terms of traditional avenues.
Rodgers said that using such a means of fundraising works in a number of ways. “While you’re actually getting the financial support, you’re also buildng a bit of community around the film,” she explained.
Stephen Vaughn, first got in touch with her about the event. After meeting with him, Fr Cusack and Kay Ferriter, Rodgers was on board. “It was an instant yes, even though I didn’t have any funding,” she said. “Somebody has to record this.”
She said that when she spoke to Fr Cusack, she saw he was coming “from a very genuine place”.
Catholic Chuch
“I think within the LGBT community there would be a lot of negativity towards the Catholic Church and a lot of people would have left the church,” said Rodgers.
Whenever there’s any kind of discussion around the Catholic Church and sexuality it’s usually very negative and this represented something really unusual.
The Novena was, she explained, an opportunity for people who are gay or lesbian to be welcomed into a Catholic church in a very obvious way.
In the film, Fr Cusack explains that “the future has to be inclusion – you can’t build a world based on division”.
It is, said Rodgers, a reminder that there are Catholic nuns and priests who are very inclusive.
“The whole speech was about Kay and Stephen’s life stories,” she explained.
It’s very hard for people to be judgemental when they come face-to-face with a real person who has a real life story and who has struggles and difficulties because of people being judgemental. It’s hard to maintain that judgement when faced with humanity.
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Do not give a private organisation public funds unless there will be some public ownership. After forking out 50 million on pairc ui caoimh, not 1% belongs to the public. Sick of this corporate welfare. Heineken where able to buy out a profitable competitor and close it down. To get its hand on the site why don’t they cough up the cash.
Heineken have sold their share of the site to BAM.
The reasoning behind the government backing it without part ownership is that everything they invest they’ll get back through indirect tax builders prsi etc.. it’s worth 17million to the economy year on year ,that’s what Coveney was saying anyway on the radio.
The real scandal here is the €30m gift that was given to Pairc ui Chaoimh / GAA which gives them an income stream for the next 40 years from matches, concerts, conference … all for promising to hold one or two rugby games, which if they do happen, the GAA will charge extortionate rent to allow happen.
and do you think if the gaa wanted to use the aviva that it would be for free
If we won the bid for the 2023 world cup , it’d be worth around 2billion to the economy. All those matches concerts and conferences would contribute big money to the local economy as well. It’s about time cork has some decent investment in infrastructure. There is literally nothing there now!!
2 billion to the economy? Maybe in the press release for the bid but I seriously doubt it contribute a tenth of that. Look at Brazil and south Africa both where fleeced for hosting the world cup with not much to show for it. Let’s build a north ring road, a few hospitals before we build things that will be used once or twice a year
That was football and they’re two countries that had to build brand new stadiums and infrastructure. We have the stadiums and infrastructure in place. It was worth over a billion to new Zealand economy in 2011, who didn’t have to build anything stadiums either, so take into account inflation, increased interest in the sport, the amount of jobs it would create, I reckon the 2billion would be accurate enough. When has Ireland built roads that weren’t funded by the eu? the orthopaedic hospital is a fine building and they shut it, the south infirmary has no a&e now and the mercy’s a&e has been scaled back tenfold so the hospitals are there they just need to be managed properly. I agree with you cork needs all those things but it also needs a decent stadium and an events centre. The events centre will be in use at least 3times a week as well to make it profitable. Live nation the company taking control have said that’s the minimum it’d take to make it profitable. If the park brings in the likes of Springsteen a handful of times a year it’s well worth it to the local economy. Improving the stadium would also bring more Munster finals and even a replay or two as well.
Get the finger out lads. Get it built. #cork needs it
It’s the worst place to build an event centre, surrounded by narrow streets and one way systems. The whole site will become a student village.
It’s a pity o Callaghan properties didn’t get it,I feel it would of being up and running a few years now,it’s actually a wind up that no construction has started yet
I think every contractor who has worked for BAM in the past has a very good notion what is going on, who is delaying it and why it’s taking so long.
@Guybrush Threepwood:
Aren’t BAM the winning contractor in the National Childrens hospital also, which has also mysteriously increased in price by €400 million.
This is pitiful. City council in cork couldn’t get a helium balloon off the ground. A city’s vibrancy depends on a venue like this, and cork sorely needs it. The population of the city has hardly grown in the last 40yrs, a terrible indictment. It’s tumbleweed barre Friday Saturday nights. This is the opportunity to energise the city midweek. City council has an innate fear of progress…Oh, so like there might be large crowds in the city centre midweek…noooo down with that sort a thing. Pathetic
Why should a event centre be funded by the tax payer ??? There are more important issues in the country that need funding !
This event centre has the potential to deliver many millions not only for the local Cork region but for the state in increased spend by event tourism,just look at the numbers the Marquee concerts attract every summer,and why not raise the extra finance needed through crowd funding or kickstarter,i and many others would support such a venture, its a no brainer.
Cant believe places like the Lobby and especially Sir Henrys went. That was a great night club! Why did they do it?? Sir Henrys was iconic. The site for this new centre is great. Stones throw from city centre and located near Finbarrs. Hope it happens.
The naievety of the press and the public on this matter is astounding.
Firstly, the site is unsuitable. Desireable but ultimately unworkable.
Take a look at the trafgic chaos at 8.45am and 5.30pm on the Grand Parade/Washington St and ask yourself how it would be possible to accommodate an extra 2000 cars – where would they all park ?
Secondly, the proposed capacity is too small. The CEO of Live Nation (then Clear Channel) told me at a meeting in 2005 that any Cork events centre would need to be from 6500 – 8000 seats to be commercially viable – otherwise it would only ever draw 2nd rate artists, or the ticket prices would be ubworkable. We subsequently saw the old Point Depot grow from 5000 to 12500 seats.
Thirdly, Joe Gavin, our ex City Manager proferred up to €8m of City Council money towards such a centre, but, as an equity investment, for a share of ownership. That was awarded to the now insolvent Howard Holdings for the site on the Marina.
Our proposal for an 8500 seat centre in the old Showgrounds site in conjunction with the Munter Agricultural Society was shot down by Joe Gavin at the deciding council meeting.
Live Nation (Clear Channel) have sonce thrown their weight behind various projects/suggestions, all of low seat numbers – why would they want to split artists runs between two venues ( with double set-up costs etc) when they could keep everything in the 3Arena with No real competition ?
South Main street is wrong – BAM look like they mainly want to biuld accommodation and get the taxpayer to pay for it. A small centre will fail and kill off the Opera House & Everyman Theatre.
The city has now given away half the Showgrounds for c€1m to the GAA (Even though they paid the Munster Agricultural Society over €11.5m for the site).
There is still one site in Cork city suitable for this centre, with access, parking and enough space for equipment delivery and storage , but the right parties with the right motovation have to be
involved or Cork will still be waiting in another 20 years and at the mercy of commercial greed and manipulation of those who monopolise this industry.
We have already been SHAFTED by the DAA and Norwegian Air and the government because they must have known of the Dublin / Shannon flights yet it was projected as Cork 1st International connection. Basically we were used as a Trojan Horse under the nose of our local politicians who seem to me to be headless or asleep.
You lost me there Tony.
@Teddyzigzagbigbag: he is talking about the Dublin airport authority which run cork airport… and its lack of flights to anywhere… again more cork people heading eastwards to travel anywhere… our city is blocked on all fronts by vested interests sadly…
Let’s not mention trying to park 2000 cars..that’s 3 people per car..on that Warren of little streets in the area.
The 12 million was allegedly earmarked for more dressing rooms and a larger crew area for sets and extra rigging, if they ever wanted to hold attract international acts like Disney on Ice etc.
To go and then apply for planning for extra student accommodation puts a new slant on the affair as this suggests the 12 million will be used not for purpose.
Either way it be benefits the developer personally.
If they want another 12million I would suggest it be as a top up of the taxpayers initial ” investment ” making the taxpayer a very healthy percentage partner. This makes it more palatable than just handing it over and being told you’ll get it back in taxation prsi and footfall over the next ” how-many ” years etc etc
The archeological dig hasn’t started properly yet so that’ll add another delay as this area was the once great South Gate to the original city.
I sincerely hope it goes ahead as it’s well needed as I’m broke from driving to Dublin for gigs.
I think there’s a long road ahead though with many more twists and turns.
On a Side note It’ll be exciting times for developing in that part of the city as BAM also have planning for a hotel and offices in the old tax office across the bridge from the ” event Centre” and there’s a new development planned for the Brooke’s building on south terrace. Busy times ahead
Heineken dumped on BAM and they are blackmailing the council because development costa in Ireland are crazy. Nothing is ever built on budget.
Build it somewhere else. Beamish & Crawford is an iconic building and should not be dwarfed by this monstrosity. It is the wrong site and I do not see why €30 million of scarce public money should be given to BAM for a project which will only create further headaches for the city. Access is woeful, parking totally inadequate. If being built at all it should be built on the outskirts of the city, somewhere close, for instance, to the Park & Ride on the Kinsale Road with free shuttle buses. Cork City Council is itself in dire straits, is not building enough social housing (despite Coveney’s media hype) and has more important priorities. It also owns its own, admittedly small concert hall and has a major role in the not-for profit Cork Opera House. The Opera House is an important part of Cork city’s cultural life yet has been struggling for years. It will almost certainly go under if the event centre goes ahead. In the 1990s politician after politician was lining up looking for public funding to be put into the Green Glen’s Arena in Millstreet,. Cork City Council also put money into Cork Swansea Ferries – twice – where are they now? This will become a bottomless pit. The last two years of wrangling and missed deadlines should serve as a warning.
There’s been nothing done with the event centre site since there was talk of the marina being back on the agenda. It’s going to become a honeypot for BAM as the government will throw money at it until it’s complete.
Harder to explain the delay when the massive shopping centre right in the centre of the city absolutely flew up.
Another point is that if they are trying to fit more student accommodation and a multi purpose venue then it is clear that there aren’t even plans at this stage for the convention centre, are they going to start throwing up walls and hope for the best.
This is going to take a load from Simon Coveney’s fighter jet money
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