In Part 2 of this series of fifteen short form location features, well known Irish people, representing diverse walks of life, introduce us to their favourite spot in Ireland: a place in which they revel, reminisce, dream, relax, go wild. The seven features broadcast at 10 minutes to the top of the hour on Newstalk 106 - 108 FM on Bank Holiday Monday 2rd August, 2010. Produced by Maud Hand with the assistance of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland's Sound & Vision Fund, reporter Sarah Keating goes on location to meet the contributors for ‘an eye full’ of their chosen spot.
 
Passing through the pillars in Jamestown, Co. Leitrim was a magical portal to actor, Aidan Gillen’s childhood holidays in the North West. Thirty years on, Aidan continues to be drawn back to the bridge as he holidays with his own family in this tranquil Shannonside-town.

The annual outing from Athlone to Kerry heralded the start of memorable family holidays and a coming of age for comedienne Eleanor Tiernan. Full of romance and mischief, playing pool with the locals was as important as the campfire parties on the beaches of Ballinskelligs.

Kilmainham Jail in Dublin is actor and director Adrian Dunbar’s chosen place. As he takes us on a tour of its cells, Adrian recounts poignant tales of Robert Emmet and Countess Markievicz’s incarceration whilst retracing the steps of James Connolly to the stone-breakers’ yard and the birthplace of the modern Irish Republic.

Former Galway hurler and footballer Alan Kerins worked at The Galway Bay Golf and Country Club as a lad. Now as a member, the sportsman retreats regularly to Renville to reflect on the people he meets on his forays to Zambia as founder of The Alan Kerins African Projects Charity.

Noeline Kavanagh, Artistic Director of Macnas is enthralled by the celtic mysticism of the Flaggy Shore in Co. Clare. She imagines its rugged limestone landscape being dug by the hands of mythical giants. The greyness of the sea reflected in the sky inspires her love of poetry, in particular, Seamus Heaney’s Postscript.

There's no place like home for Jon Kenny whose holding in Bruff, Co. Limerick is the sanctuary that sustains his work as actor, comedian and musician. Set in nine acres of native woodland, Jon serenades us as he introduces his menagerie of peacocks, ponies and Gertie the pot-bellied pig.

Artist Michael Flaherty brings us to Sás Creek on the Dingle Penninsula, Co. Kerry. Climbing Mount Brandon, the wind howls and the wildness seeps in to his brain as Michael remembers the vivid colours and shades that inspire the canvases he creates back in his studio in Clochán.

An Eye Full was conceived by Maud Hand (Ex-BBC, Channel 4 & RTÉ producer) on her return home to Ireland in 2007 after 19 years in London. She now runs Hand Around the World Productions from Co. Galway.

Galway based Sarah Keating is a freelance reporter who trained as a broadcast journalist in London. She has worked in a wide variety of genres including current affairs, features and drama.

Special thanks to John Hand for his suggestions; Rory McSwiggan for graphic design, and to everyone who helped – Enjoy!

An Eye Full Part 1  FACEBOOK GALLERIES: An Eye Full Part 1    and An Eye Full Part 2
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Contact: Maud Hand, M: 086 602 0749; T: 091 793 900; maudhand@gmail.com; www.maudhand.com