Tóibín back in Enniscorthy for ‘Brooklyn’ screening

Writer Colm Toibín returned to his native Enniscorthy last night for the local premiere of Brooklyn, the Oscar-tipped movie based on his novel about 1950s life in the Co Wexford town.

Most of the Irish shooting for the movie took place in Enniscorthy, where three streets were taken back in time to the 1950s last year during filming.

Toibín said it was great that the Enniscorthy sequences were shot in the town. “All the people working on the film spoke of the beauty of the town itself and the warm reception they received from everyone they met.”

Saoirse Ronan, the star of the film which premiered last week, was unable to join Toibín at the Riverside Park Hotel for the screening due to commitments in the US.

Statia Maguire, one of 200 local extras who took part in the filming, said she had read Toibín’s book and knew the story so “it was great to be involved in the film, and that it was shot here in Enniscorthy where we went to school.”

Some of the novel’s fictional characters had people who remembered the time guessing if they were based on “real-life” locals – “but really you had no idea who the person was” – and both the novel and film were universally welcomed in the area, Mrs Maguire said.

“The place was buzzing and the excitement was huge (during shooting). People came in from the countryside and the counties around just to see what was going on. The town looked fabulous, all done up with flowers everywhere.”

Mrs Maguire, who is retired and lives in Enniscorthy with her husband Tom, plays “the mother of the bride” during a wedding scene and had no previous acting or film experience.

"I just happened to be walking down by the Riverside Park Hotel one day and saw the sign up, recruiting for Brooklyn, so I just went in, more out of curiosity than anything.

“A guy handed me a form and I filled it in and he told me to have my photograph taken. In about three weeks’ time I got a phone call from the film company to ask was I available the next day for hair and make-up and a costume fitting.”