Irish News Digest

Members of the anti-war Catholic Worker Movement were yesterday charged with trespass and criminal damage at Shannon Airport.

Members of the anti-war Catholic Worker Movement were yesterday charged with trespass and criminal damage at Shannon Airport.

A Dublin student, Ms Jenny Hannon (20), and a self-employed construction worker, Mr Martin McGowan (41), from Sligo, were later released by gardaí and are to appear in court in Shannon on May 8th.

Kilkenny film named for festival

A film made by Young Irish Film Makers, a Kilkenny youth film training and production organisation, has been nominated as a finalist in the Moondance Film Festival.

READ MORE

This festival, held in Chautauqua Park, Boulder, Colorado, was voted the third most important film festival in the world (after Cannes and Sundance) by 150,000 film industry professionals and will run from Thursday, May 15th, to Sunday, May 18th.

Moondance winners and finalists represent the best of the best internationally, and three have been nominated for Academy Awards.

More than 82 countries are represented in Moondance entries, and winning film and finalists have been purchased and distributed worldwide for television and in cinemas.

The Young Irish Film Makers entry is The Children, which tells the story of a ragged group of orphan children who attempt a desperate walk to freedom across a war-torn country armed only with hope and courage.

It was shot during the summer of 2002 in and around Kilkenny as part of the first National Youth Film School.

The National Youth Film School comprises 23 young film-makers aged 13 to 20 from 13 counties in Ireland.

Councillors seek Sellafield meeting

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown councillors are seeking a meeting with their counterparts in Cumbria about the prospects for closing the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant.

A local Fianna Fáil TD, Mr Barry Andrews, says he hopes the meeting will give both local authorities a better understanding of each other's position.

"If we are to succeed in our legal efforts to shut Sellafield we should be willing to offer Cumbria our experience in diversifying into new industries. Our experience in attracting IT and other high-tech employment could be invaluable in finding replacements for the nuclear plant," he said.

Grant and Co here to play golf

Actor Hugh Grant and a party of friends arrived in Killarney yesterday to play golf, reports Anne Lucey. The actor completed the full 18 holes in just under four hours.