As part of the 30th anniversary celebrations of the film Braveheart, a large crowd descended on Trim to meet cast members, including Mel Gibson.
In Trim Court Hotel, across from Trim Castle, fans and extras from the film queued for up to 90 minutes to get film posters and other memorabilia signed by the cast.
The celebrations were part of the King John Summer Prom being held in the town over the weekend.
Some people travelled from abroad to be there , including Paul Wilson (42) from Irvine, Scotland. He explained that, as well as getting a Braveheart poster signed by the cast, he also had a photograph he took of the valley in Glencoe, Scotland, where Gibson stood during the film, signed by the star. “That meant an awful lot to me,” said Wilson.
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He has always had an interest in the history of Scotland and feels the film has had a profound effect on the people there. “Thanks to Braveheart, it gave Scots a sense of pride and patriotism, it inspired more people to think about independence. That is still there,” he said.
William Wallace, who is the subject of the film and is played by Gibson, was a national hero in Scotland in the late 13th and early 14th centuries and helped inspire resistance against England’s King Edward I.
Locations in Ireland used for the film include Trim Castle, Bective Abbey, which is to the east of Trim, and the Curragh in Co Kildare.
During filming, members of the FCA (Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil), the previous name for the reserve force of the Irish Army, were used as battle scene extras, including Gary Downes (47) and Vinnie McConnell (47), who were also in Trim today.
Downes, who is from Dublin but lives in Alicante, Spain, said that during filming, he and McConnell received a photograph of Gibson in full battle dress and blue face paint which the actor signed today. “When Mel heard we had the photos, we met him at 10 o’clock this morning. He’s a gentleman, he took time out to meet us. When he saw the photos, he said, ‘oh my god, the Panavision camera!’,” said Downes.
Panavision cameras were used to shoot various scenes in the film.
McConnell, who is from Firhouse, Dublin, and who was a member of the FCA in Cathal Brugha Barracks, said that he and Downes were 16 years old at the time of the film. “We put peat moss on any exposed skin to reflect the dirty look,” he added.
Downes recalled some of his memories of being on set. “It was one of the hottest summers, we would be up at 4am, Mel was a very good horseman, the craic in the barracks at night time was great.”
Another extra present for the signing this morning, and who was also an FCA member, was Eamonn Moloney (49). “I got my Leaving Cert results on the Curragh. I was a member of the 22nd Infantry Ennis, F platoon. There were three of us on the shoot [and] we called ourselves F platoon. We were the last to get our costumes, we got the same coloured tartan as Mel,” he said.
He recalled that despite being extras, they were up close and personal with the stars.
Stunt performances were a standout memory for Moloney, who recalled being “surrounded by sheets of fire in Ballymore Eustace”.
He was also at the signing to extend his thanks to Gibson and the cast, as his experience gave him a great sense of confidence. “I’m still proud 30 years later to have been part of it,” he added.
Another Scot who travelled over for the celebration was John Mitchell (50), from East Renfrewshire, in Scotland. “I can visit all the monuments and cairns to William Wallace that stand to this day,” he said.
It is reputed that Wallace was born near Paisley, which is about 10km west of Glasgow, in about the year 1270.
