Groundbreaking film on 1920 St Kearns explosion
NEW FASCINATING DOCUMENTARY INTO DEATHS OF FIVE MEN IN WAR EXPLOSION
A groundbreaking documentary on the St Kearns explosion which claimed the lives of five men is being shown for the first time publically at St Michael’s Theatre in New Ross this Saturday night.
In 1920 the locality around picturesque St Kearns near Saltmills was shattered by an explosion on the night of October 12th. Fourteen men from the locality were making explosives in a unoccupied house when one accidently exploded killing five and injuring the others. The event resulted in the biggest single loss of life in County Wexford during the War of Independence.
Six of the amateur bomb makers were subsequently imprisoned and three more went on the run from the RIC. A monument was erected on the site in October 1970 to commemorate this local tragedy on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the explosion.
A group of local enthusiasts, including relatives of the deceased and injured and headed up by Ballycullane county councillor Michael Whelan have produced an hour long documentary which gives an in-depth look at the events of that night. It paints a picture of life in the locality in the lead up to the explosion and captures the affect that this tragedy had on the area in its aftermath.
Following a number of meetings by the Saint Kearns Explosion Commemoration Committee, funding for a short documentary was secured from Wexford County Council Arts Department. An application for a TUS worker was successful and the painstaking research of primary sources and of archives commenced.
The group enlisted the help of Rathangan-based film maker Els Dietvorst and, under the stewardship of local amateur historian, Billy Downes, initial filming began. It quickly became obvious that the story deserved more than a ten minute slot on YouTube and and the services of video production team, Bailey Blake, were secured. The production became a labour of love for Martin Blake and Oliver Fallon.
After countless meetings and numerous edits of the footage, consensus was finally reached on what would become the finished article. St Michael’s Theatre in New Ross then came on board and generously agreed to provide their services for the launch of the film. The venue is expected to be packed to the rafters from 8 p.m. on Saturday evening when the documentary will be premiered. It will have been two and a half years since the idea was first mooted at the initial committee meeting in Colclough Hall in Saltmills, but it will have been worth the wait.
DVDs will be on sale on the night and in subsequent weeks. They will also be made available to schools in the areas surrounding St Kearns. Those behind the documentary believe that it is important that awareness of this event is raised as we approach the centenary of October 12, 1920, and that the memory of those who perished and were injured that night is honoured in a fitting manner.
A limited number of tickets are on sale from the box office in St Michael’s Theatre at 051 421255 and admission is only €5. Tickets are also on sale from Cllr Whelan, Ballycullane Post Office and The Vine Cottage in Saltmills.