Beragh all set for ‘Night at the OsKaRs’

BERAGH Red Knights and Breacach Handball club are counting down the days to what promises to be a hugely memorable ‘Night at the OsKaRs’ ceremony on Saturday, April 6 at the Armagh City Hotel.

Budding actors and actresses from the club have come together to star in leading and supporting roles in seven short films which will be unveiled on the night itself with a special guest appearance from Drumnakilly comedian Kevin McAleer in a fresh new twist on Channel 4 show Derry Girls.

It’s all part of a fundraising effort which will go towards the club’s new development on the Radergan Road just outside the village of Beragh. The club is set to develop a new full-size training pitch with floodlighting, changing rooms, car parking and a perimeter walkway to help cater for its growing membership.

Speaking ahead of their ‘Night at the OsKaRs’ ceremony, Beragh Red Knights PRO Fionnula Horisk says that it’s been an immensely gratifying experience for all the local people who have taken the plunge into the world of acting.

“We had a casting night where 100 plus local people came forward to be cast into seven movies, and there were four weeks of acting training which took place. We filmed the seven movies over two weekends, across both Saturday and Sundays, from 7am to 8pm, and there were so many great locations, from Farley’s Bar, the Corner Bar, Heaney’s, the Glenpark Estate, Dean Maguirc School and various people’s houses.

“It’s all been overseen by Kevin Rowe productions, they do this for a lot of clubs and the output they put out is unbelievable. Local man Conor McMahon has also taken part as assistant director.”

The night itself will be a red carpet event where awards will be handed out in an array of categories including Best Actor and Actress, but for all involved it’s been an opportunity to meet new people and try their hand at something different.

Horisk said: “The craic has been brilliant, there’s a great buzz around the club and everyone’s looking forward to seeing how the movies turned out.

“We’ve had a big turnout and a lot of people have commented about how they’ve met a lot of people in the community outside of their usual circles.

“We had a launch night where we named all the people involved, and many others came forward after that to be extras and they’ve really enhanced the productions as well. We’ve also had numerous mini-events and personal fund-raising activities like Facebook draws leading into the night itself.”

It’s a thriving club and Horisk says that it’s crucial that they raise funds for their new development on the Radergan Road.

“Beragh have purchased the field on the Radergan Road and this event is geared towards the development of a full sized pitch.

“It will mean we have better opportunities for training times for our boys and girls, it’ll give us a bit of flexibility.

“Our club is growing and our youth numbers are strong which is great to see but we’ve outgrown our current facility and we realise the importance of building for the future.

“I’d also like to express thanks to the local businesses who have sponsored our event, including from neighbouring clubs like Carrickmore and Errigal Ciaran, we’re very grateful for their support.”