Festival Mass with Joe Tomelty

Festival Mass with Joe Tomelty

Cork Film Festival, Joe Tomelty, Festival Mass, St Francis Church, Liberty Street, Cork

This is a black and white photo of Joseph Tomelty, the Irish character actor, novelist and playwright, reading from the pulpit of St. Francis' Church on Liberty Street in Cork. Joseph Tomelty (1911-1995) was a cultural tour de force from the North of Ireland known for his work on radio as well as the stage. His was a familiar face on the screen, with his distinctive white-haired, bushy-browed features. Born in County Down, on the east coast of Ulster, he was based in Northern Ireland where he made a significant contribution to its cultural history. He was instrumental in founding and managing the Group Theatre in Belfast in 1940 where his plays would be staged (apart from the controversial 1944 play The End House, which was premiered at the Abbey Theatre because the Northern theatres wouldn't show it). He wrote comedy dramas for the BBC, in particular The McCooeys which lasted seven years. He also worked in Hollywood but it was for his enduring committment to the North of Ireland that he is fondly remembered.

In this image Tomelty is standing at the altar of the Byzantine-styled red-brick Church and Friary of St Francis. Behind him we can make out the elaborate decorated mosaic tiles of the apse behind the altar and beside him four priests stand with hands folded in prayer. St Francis Church was founded on Liberty Street in the mid-nineteenth century before being rebuilt in July 1953. It is tucked behind the Cork City Courthouse and partially stands on the site of old Broad Lane Church. Its city location and spacious interior made it an ideal location for the crowds that attended the annual Cork Film Festival St Finbarr Mass.

University College Cork, Cork Film Festival, Finbarr O'Connell

Cork Film Festival Collection

University College Cork

Finbarr O'Connell

Photo
TIFF
JPEG

English, eng

Cork, Ireland

Photo

254 x 203mm