Offaly peat documentary to premiere at Esker Arts Centre

An Offaly-made documentary recounting a number of personal stories of the county's legendary peat industry will have its premiere at Esker Arts Centre in Tullamore on Wednesday, March 4 next, at 7.30pm.

The short film, called 'Closed for Lunch' tells the heartwarming stories behind Offaly’s peat industry through the lens of lunchtime — whether it’s the craic and camaraderie of the canteen or the simple pleasures of tea and sandwiches on the bog. Not only is this charming documentary a tribute to a local industry, but also to the now-dwindling lunch break in today’s era of supermarket sandwiches and pressured working days.

The film interviews different generations of those closely involved with the peat industry, together with archive footage of the factories through the ages. It was produced by Offaly’s Mixed Bag Media as part of FilmOffaly’s Documentary Mentorship Scheme.

The scheme saw a group of five local filmmakers receive training in documentary skills from IFTA-nominated filmmaker Garret Daly. After the workshops with Garret, the filmmakers worked together to produce 'Closed For Lunch' themselves, taking on all the production roles and earning their first professional production credit while doing so.

The film is a highly personal piece of Offaly history and it will be premiered in Esker Arts Centre alongside behind-the-scenes footage and a supporting documentary. The event will also feature a short Q&A with the filmmakers, who will discuss their experiences working on the project.

Full details and booking information are available on the Esker Arts website at www.eskerarts.ie