The Return of Colmcille was for the thousands of people gathered along the banks of the River Foyle, simply one of the stand-out moments of Derry’s year as City of Culture.
The mid-summer highlight saw writer Frank Cottrell Boyce and Walk The Plank join with the people of Derry to stage an epic confrontation on the River Foyle between the Lough Ness monster and Colmcille.
The excitement and sense of wonder as the Loch Ness Monster sailed into the city centre to once again confront his nemesis St Columba was the culmination of two days of colour, sound, dance and music which engulfed the whole city.
But the story actually began on the Isle of Iona several weeks before where the small community of 14 children created the gift of a book which was ferried across the Irish Sea by a 12-man curragh, making the reverse journey’s Derry’s patron saint made 1,500 years ago.
Filmmaker Margo Harkin charted both that journey and the celebrations which followed on the banks of the Foyle on those two memorable summer days on 8 and 9 June and her film, The Return of Colmcille, is being screened on BBC 1 Northern Ireland at 10.35pm tonight.
Culture Company chief executive Shona McCarthy said: “I will never forget that first moment when we saw the Loch Ness Monster, breathing fire and roaring down the River Foyle.
“Thousands were enthralled as Columba, tiny against the menace of the giant monster, set out, backed by the voices of the city raised in song to vanquish his old enemy. Margo’s film is a moving insight into the epic journey from concept to public spectacular.
“It was impossible to witness all of the elements of the unfolding story when it was actually happening so this will be a first chance for people to see the whole story.”
She concluded: “And of course for the people that weren’t able to be there, it’s a chance to see for themselves one of the standout moments of 2013.”
The film is narrated by the man who conceived the entire project, Frank Cottrell Boyce, and features contributions by Walk The Plank, the company which produced the show and were behind the incredible pyrotechnical showdown on the river.
Both were attracted by the unifying story of the patron saint of the city, Saint Colmcille. The scale of the project required one thousand local participants to play their part in entertaining the public with the story of the city over 1,500 years.
Producer and Director Margo Harkin said: “As soon as I heard that Frank Cottrell Boyce was coming to Derry to create the story of Colmcille for the city I knew it would be something special.”
She concluded: “There was only one chance to capture the mighty battle on the River Foyle with the Lough Ness Monster and I’m delighted to say it’s all there in the film in glorious Technicolor shot from every angle.”
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