AFTER weeks of speculation, the people of Wexford finally learned at the weekend that plans are advanced for producer/director Steven Spielberg to restage the D Day landings on one of the county's finest beaches.
Barring technical hitches or legal challenges, a major sequence of the Spielberg film Saving Private Ryan will be shot this summer on a 1,000 yard stretch of sand and cliffs at Ballinesker, the most northerly part of the seven mile Curracloe beach.
At a public meeting in a Wexford theatre on Friday night, civil servants and Wexford County Council officials flanked a representative of Mr Spielberg's production company and fielded questions on the project, in which Tom Hanks stars.
Mr Kevin de la Noy, an executive producer of D.W. Productions (UK), avoided giving a castiron commitments. After investigations, they concluded that "certain aspects of the beaches here match Omaha beach", he said. "We identified some areas that may be suitable."
The attitude of the Irish officials, however, and all the other details revealed, indicated preparations are advanced. The landowners behind the "beachhead" have been involved in negotiations, and have even been brought to London for briefings. The county council has already advertised intended road closures.
The production company has rented many holiday homes in the beach area. Arrangements have been made for over 900 Army and FCA personnel, who will act as the Allied invading force, to be billeted in St Peter's College, Wexford.
Questions from the audience indicated concerns about access to the beach and about possible environmental damage. It emerged that there might be some disturbance of the beach area, of wildlife habitats and of flora.
Dr Tom Curtis, of the Forest and Wildlife Service, said there could be some disturbance. The ecology should recover spontaneously, but some replanting might be involved. There was a possibility of some disturbance of habitats on the cliffs, and reseeding might be necessary.
Mr Ralph Kelly, of the Department of the Marine, said the film company had applied for a foreshore licence for the use of the beach. There might be some moving of sand, but surveys had been taken of the shape of the beach from all angles so that any alterations could be assessed.
Mr Chris O'Grady, of the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, said the Minister had made it clear from the outset that the imperative of restoring the ecological integrity will take priority in the final decision about permitting the use of the location.
Mr de la Noy emphasised that in filming Mel Gibson's Braveheart, sets had been built on top of ancient monuments. He said a sum of money was to be deposited with the Department as in effect a bond that everything would be put back as it had been. Two consultants had been retained to oversee environmental precautions.
Mr Spielberg's man stressed the film makers would be conscious of being guests of the community, and were anxious to secure local cooperation.
The local officials highlighted the potential economic benefits for the area. Mr Adrian Doyle, secretary of Wexford County Council, said: "Obviously, the benefits for the area are enormous in terms of spinoff."
The council believes that the filming activity will not disrupt the normal holiday traffic to the area, the audience was told.
The filming is to take place over three weeks, from the end of June to July 19th. There will be extensive movements of large numbers of actors and extras in the early morning and late evening.
Mr Tommy Carr, chairman of Wexford Film Commission, said they were delighted that the film was coming to Wexford. They had been waiting quite a while for such an opportunity.
While the major beach landing segment, and some inland action scenes, will be shot at Curracloe, other segments of Saving Private Ryan will be filmed in England and the United States.
The audience was abuzz with excitement, and several queries sought to ascertain if local businesses could get involved in supplying any of the necessary services. Mr Carr said the Wexford Film Commission was establishing a database of service suppliers.
From the rear of the audience, a voice intervened in a Cockney accent, with some irritation: "I'm skint, man, and I'm on the street. I need a job." He got a polite, but noncommittal answer.