Cinema-goers electrified by Patrick’s forestry plea ‘Habitat’

THE reaction of cinemagoers was immediate and unequivocal to the urgent message of Patrick Brendan O’Neill’s new film ‘Habitat’.

A striking documentary ranging from the Coillte-held forestry of Ireland to the rainforests of Tobago and stunning native woodland of the Manch Estate in Co Cork, it left a packed house at Cinema Killarney deeply shocked by its key message on its first cinematic screening in Kerry last week.

Its message is thus: That the Coillte model of forestry packing its publicly-owned land with choking plantations of Sitka Spruce is not only of no use to the environment, but actually very damaging to the whole biosphere.

It kills biodiversity with plantations so thickly packed few animals and insects can make use of it; requiring chemicals to control re-growth that leaches into our water systems amid a myriad of other problems.

Growing naturally in its native Pacific Northwest, the Sitka is a magnificent tree. But packed into dark, dense plantations dead to all other life in Ireland, its only potential is as a lucrative cash crop.

With our Government now effectively weaponising Sitka to meet its Climate targets – 70 per cent of the 440 million trees to be planted by 2040 will be in Sitka plantations – it’s high time people knew what is going on in their name, Patrick said.

“People deserve to know what is happening and what the real costs of this cash crop is,” Ballyheigue native Patrick told The Kerryman following the Killarney screening.

“It looks great on paper as trees are seen as being synonymous with goodness and health, but the Coillte model of forestry of dense Sitka plantations is very damaging and in no way supports the kind of biodiversity we need for a healthy environment,” Patrick said.

Now, he and the team behind the film are making it free to the public so that anyone can stream or download it to view privately or to screen it for communities – all you need to do is log onto www.habitatdoc.com to watch this visually striking feature film.

Patrick said he was delighted to see his film playing a part in getting a popular conversation started on this most pressing issue. One big supporter of Patrick’s work is Senator Frances Black, who’s now pushing to have Habitat screened in the Oireachtas.

That would be a vital step as the urgent change required can only now come from the top, Patrick said: “The solutions have to come from the top. The Irish Forestry Service which established Coillte, they are the ones that need to make the change.

“It’s all part of a much larger environmental picture that has to include the farmer.

“Soil is more important than oil. And as the custodians of the soil it is farmers who must be supported and subsidised to turn away from environmentally damaging practices to a green approach to the environment nourishing every part of the complex food chain.”

The message hit entirely home among the Killarney audience, which included such well-known faces as Pauline and Poppy Bewick, South Kerry Green party rep Cleo Murphy and Fr Pat Ahern, to name but a few.

Photos by Michelle Cooper Galvin Patrick Brendan O’Neill (third from left) with Jude and Mairead Slemon, Winnie Stack, and Seamus and Annaleise Slemon at the screening of Patrick’s film ‘Habitat’ in CinemaKillarney on Monday. ‘Habitat’ director Patrick credits Listowel man and sound engineer Seamus as the genius behind the soundscape of Habitat.

ABOVE: Cooper Galvin LEFT: Photo by Michelle Tommy Galvin and Paddy McGuire Killarney. Charlie Nolan, Rachel and Michael Guerin, Listowel, at the screening of Patrick Brendan O’Neill’s film ‘Habitat’ in Cinema Killarney on Monday.

Marie Kearns and Nora Galvin, Killarney, at the screening of Patrick Brendan O’Neill’s film ‘Habitat’ in Cinema Killarney on Monday.

Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin Patrick Brendan O’Neill (left) with Orla Diffily and Barry Murphy at the screening of Patrick’s film ‘Habitat’ in CinemaKillarney on Monday.