On The Town: The stars were out this week for the film première of Inside I'm Dancing in aid of the Centre for Independent Living (CIL). The President, Mrs McAleese and her husband, Dr Martin McAleese, were hooted out of the way by a woman smiling mischievously at them from her wheelchair. Then Celestine English from Balbriggan, Co Dublin, tooted her horn some more.
"I loved the fact that the film is good humoured. It is pacy and the issues are issues for everybody," said Martin Naughton, co-founder of the CIL. There are now 27 centres around Ireland since the first one was set up in 1992.
Mary Duffy and her husband, Denis Buckley, of Newcastle, Co Wicklow, enjoyed the night. "As a disabled person, it's the first time I've seen disability in its reality reflected on the big screen," said Duffy.
Stars including singers Brian Kennedy and Liam Ó Maonlaí, and actor and comedienne Deirdre O'Kane, attended the pre-film drinks reception. The actor Tom Hickey, who plays a key role in the film, gave interviews and posed for the cameras with Alison Barnes from Finglas, and her sister, Mary Barnes. His next role, he says, will be at Christmas in a production with CoisCéim Dance Theatre.
"This is an extremely big social event and lots of peole who are disabled can not generally attend social occasions like this," explained Donal Danagher, programme manager with the CIL in South Tipperary.
The film's screenwriter, Jeffrey Caine, travelled from Glengarriff, Co Cork, to attend. Working on the film "opened my eyes to a whole section of the population that you tend not to notice", he said.
Ian Berkery and his friend, David Smyth, who have been friends for 26 years since they met at the Central Remedial Clinic as children, were both there with their parents to enjoy the night.