New historical short film hopes to ‘put Tyrone on the map’

A NEW historical short film based on the disbandment of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) in 1922 has gained thousands of views since it was released online.

Made by David McCann, a porter in the South West Acute Hospital and part-time Gardaí officer, he hopes his film will ‘put Tyrone on the map for film locations’.

Shot in a church in Fivemiletown, the short film, called ‘Sgt Collins RIC: The Last Day’, is available to view on YouTube.

“The film is set in 1920’s Tyrone, specifically on April 4, 1922, when the RIC was disbanded. The station’s Sergeant is away and the inspector comes around to stand the officers down,” said David.

“It’s a historically-accurate short film based on books and letters from around that time.” David and his crew took to the rural church to shoot the scenes for his latest film.

“I suppose my time with the Gardaí Reserve inspired the idea for the film. Once I had my idea put together I put it out to different media groups on social media to gather some actors and a film crew. I wasn’t able to get funding this time, so the film was funded by myself,” he said.

“We were lucky to have been shooting in Mullaghfad church in Fivemiletown. I’m grateful that the minister there allowed us to make our film in their church. At the same time, it’s nice to see the church recognised and put on the map for Irish film locations.”

Although the film itself is not long out, David is already planning for his next project, which he hope will be bigger and better-funded.

“The fourth film is already on paper,” David said, “I’ve been emailing NI Screen, the Lotto Fund and The British Film Institute to apply for funding to fully develop the next film into a feature-length idea. Once this gets rolling I plan to return to Tyrone to film in Ogilby’s Castle in Dunnamanagh, as well as Lissan House in Cookstown, alongside some scenes in Monaghan.”