Whitehead actor’s praise for Monday Club
Derek Halligan stars in The Monday Club, which had its debut screening at the Movie House in Belfast last Thursday evening.
The veteran performer has a number of film, television and stage credits to his name, including Fifty Dead Men Walking, Divorcing Jack, and Hollyoaks.
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Hide AdThe 75-minute film centres on Danny McGlinchey, played by Halligan, the last surviving member of a group of friends known as The Monday Club.
In the film, Danny spins a series of “yarns” about his deceased friends, interspersed with tales from the “characters” of modern-day Belfast.
“[One] thing I loved about The Monday Club was that there was no mention of The Troubles at all; when I first got the script, I flicked through waiting for the first mention of the IRA or the UVF,” he told the Times.
“We have such a wealth of talent here and there are so many great stories to tell, yet everything tends to concentrate on that period of conflict.
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Hide Ad“Another thing I loved was the dialogue - anyone can write a script, but writing good dialogue is difficult.”
Derek’s scenes were filmed over three days at Millar’s Bar in Ballycarry - a location chosen for its old-fashioned feel, according to producer Corinne Heaney.
“We were overwhelmed by the support we got on Thursday night,” added Corinne, also from Whitehead. “[The film] was to be shown in a smaller screen but it sold out, so they moved us to a larger 250-seater which sold out as well.”