THE US-Ireland Alliance is a Washington-based, non-partisan, non-profit organisation to educate Americans about Ireland and improve relations between the nations. It is run by Trina Vargo, who was Ted Kennedy's adviser on the North. Only a year old, its main project is the distribution of George Mitchell Scholarships for US post-grads to study here, North and South. Our Government has given £2 million: 250 people have applied for the first 11 scholarships, and a glitzy film premiere is to be held in Dublin on December 9th to aid the cause.
Agnes Browne directed by and starring Anjelica Huston and based on Brendan O'Carroll's The Mammy is the film in question. Huston is due at the Savoy on the night and at the fish 'n' chips party in the Temple Theatre afterwards. Agnes Browne got a lot of publicity at Cannes in May where the reviews were mixed, to say the least. The film's beach party, however, was a big hit, due entirely to the appearance of Tom Jones, who makes a cameo appearance in the film and stormed through a dozen songs before an adoring audience. If he does the same in Dublin it could be quite a night. And a premiere ticket only costs £50.