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THERE was a super turnout in St Michael’s Theatre recently for the screening of a ground-breaking documentary on the St Kearns explosion which claimed the lives of five men.
This was the first time the documentary was shown publicly and there was great interest in it.
In 1920 the locality around picturesque St Kearns near Saltmills was shattered by an explosion on the night of October 12. Fourteen men from the locality were making explosives in a unoccupied house when one accidentally 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 councillor Michael Whelan produced the hour long documentary which gives an indepth 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.
The Saint Kearns Explosion Commemoration Committee secured funding from the documentary from Wexford County Council Arts Department.
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 the services of video production team, Bailey Blake, were secured. The production became a labour of love for Martin Blake and Oliver Fallon.
The process of making the documentary took two and a half years from the initial idea to the screening.
Cllr Whelan said they were delighted with the turnout on the night saying that everyone in attendance had been hugely impressed with the documentary.
He said that the committee are now toying with the idea of screening the documentary in the parish hall in Saltmills and are currently trying to gauge the level of interest in such a screening.