US FILM director Steven Spielberg made a flying visit to Co Clare recently, stopping off in Ballyvaughan for some cheesecake before returning to his private jet for an onward journey to Monaco.
The 64-year-old billionaire made the six-hour visit to Ireland last month. He arrived in Shannon with his family and drove the 70-minute trip to Ballyvaughan where he was met at the door of the local tea rooms.
“I’m back for the cheesecake I had last time,” said Spielberg, according to proprietors Jane O’Donoghue and Alan Clarke who received a call the previous night advising the director and a small group would call the next day.
“It was a busy Saturday lunch time when Steven Spielberg and his group wondered into the Tea and Garden Rooms in Ballyvaughan. He had visited two years previously with a group while on a tour of Ireland,” Mr Clarke said.
Spielberg’s last trip to Co Clare nearly turned to disaster when he took a tumble in the Burren and dislocated his knee. A local expert snapped it back and Spielberg was back on his feet, sipping Guinness with locals in a pub afterwards.
He later said his trip to Ireland was a “life-changing experience”.
