Ireland, as a subject in
fiction, lies in the curious hinterlands between fantasy and reality. While the
gritty, ugly violence in the North remains a present memory, Éire cannot quite shake off her aura of romance. Even in the bleak urban setting of films like Into the West,
a hint of the mystical remains.
Waking Ned Devine embraces the magic side of Ireland,
perhaps to too great an extent, forgetting to ground itself in a harsher
reality. Yet even in its absurdest moments, the talent and charm of the cast
anchor the story, lending just a touch of gravitas to what is ultimately the
tale of leprechauns stealing gold.
Our chief leprechaun is the
irrepressible Jackie O'Shea, played with panache and roguish delight by Ian
Bannen. His best friend, and every bit his equal, is lanky, timid Michael
O'Sullivan (the great David Kelly). They live in Tullymore (Tulaigh Mhór), an idyllic coastal village with
52 inhabitants. When Jackie and Michael deduce that a local has won the
lottery, they concoct a string of harebrained devices to identify and
ingratiate themselves to the “lucky sod.” It takes a while to discover that he is, in fact, elderly fisherman Ned Devine, who promptly after realizing
his win, died from the shock of it.
