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Maeve Murphy |
‘We will never come to terms with this corruption’
The scandal of abuse in the Catholic Church has inspired a new film by Maeve Murphy focusing on Camden’s Irish lives, writes Dan Carrier
WRITING Beyond The Fire, a film about a man abused by a family friend who is also member of Ireland’s Catholic Church, could be seen as a brave move by Camden Town-based director Maeve Murphy.
But tackling big and uncomfortable topics from recent Irish history comes naturally to her.
Her last film, Saving Grace, told the story of female Republican prisoners who went on hunger strike in the early 1980s – and whose real stories had been ignored by the press at the time.
Now, as the findings of a report authored by Irish high court judge Sean Ryan are published this month and lays bare the systemic abuse over many decades in church-run industrial schools and orphanages, Maeve has personalised and expressed the horrific stories so many must be carrying around with them.
“The idea for the film came to me after I had been reading about what had happened,” she says.
A friend in Dublin told her they knew someone who had been abused by a Catholic priest.
“They said they’d see if the person would be willing to have a chat with me,” she said.
Maeve flew to Ireland and met the man. She was surprised by his stoical attitude.
“I found it strange because he did not come across in the way you would imagine,” she says. “He had left it behind in his past and was looking forward, not back.”
This gave Maeve an angle from which she could start writing, using Camden Town’s deep-rooted Irish community as a backdrop.
“I wanted to do a love story based in London but I wasn’t sure what direction it would go,” she says. “There were a lot of people who came here for work, but there were also lots of others escaping something else. A lot of people who had suffered abuse had to leave Ireland and I thought it was interesting to hear how this may have affected people living in London, and consider the healing process. The focus of the film is about the road to recovery and it is about how you can get there.”
Making the film made her confront her own upbringing.
“It was weird talking about a priest in this way, having been brought up in the Catholic Church,” she says. “We were brainwashed to obey and revere and it is a real shock to the system to Catholics throughout the world.”
The situation did not lead to a crisis of faith for Maeve as it had done for many other churchgoers – she had already left behind the teachings of the Catholic church. “I am a Buddhist now,” she admits.
She began practising Buddhism around 15 years ago and says it has helped her consider the pain that has been caused.
“I read a book by Buddhist philosopher Daifaku Ikeda,” she explains, “and he was writing about healing and how people come to terms with devastating incidences. His is a very encouraging way of looking at things – he says you must not allow yourself to be defeated. This gave me a positive idea for the film – a film about people coming together and tackling the issues in their past.”
And while her film comes quickly on the tails of the comprehensive Ryan Report, and her characters manage to maintain a sense of optimism, she knows that for many, the church will never represent trust and honesty.
“I do not think we will ever come to terms with the level of corruption within the church that allowed this happen and be covered up,” she says.
Beyond the Fire
SHEAMY (Scott Williams) is a former priest for whom life has dealt the occasional cruel hand.
Recently released from a stretch in prison and suffering a crisis of faith, he decided to head to Camden Town to find his one-time religious mentor and close family friend, Father Brendan.
Tracking him down is harder than he thought it would be, and Sheamy has to turn to the only other contact he has in the city, rock and roller Rory (Chris O’Neill).
He meets Katie (Cara Seymour) and the pair start seeing each other: but as Sheamy’s affection helps her come to terms with the sexual violence she was subjected to in the past, he then has to face up to what happened to him at the hands of Brendan back in Ireland...
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Your comments:
The Lenkiewicz exhibition is stunning from the remarkable St Eustace sculpture to the drawings featuring unicorns, tigers and Elvis! The skeletons and skulls were my particular favourite along with the octopus drowning the Titanic. The surroundings are fabulous; the Pite architecture lends itself so well to the mood. I admit I have a particular fondness for
the building having worked there for 26 years.
J. Trend-Hill
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