Short film shares life lessons of 94-year-old Donegal farmer

A short film which shares the life teachings of a 94-year-old Donegal farmer has won a number of industry awards.

Echoes of an Irish Lifetime, a debut film by Frances Maguire, reflects the simple and quiet life of her uncle, Owney McGoldrick who has a farm in Pettigo.

To date it has won eight international film awards and has been selected to screen at six international film festivals across the world.

Director Frances said when she told Owney about the film’s success he laughed and replied: “What would people want to see an old man like me for?”

Mr McGoldrick has farmed in the west of Ireland and has lived in the same house for his entire life.

“It’s such a non-spoiled part of the world as well, where the modern world hasn’t touched it,” she said.

“Nothing is modern about his house or outside, and that’s what’s actually really beautiful.

“The 94 years are there to be seen clearly and I think that’s what’s so rich about the story.”

Frances told BBC News NI her family lived with Owney in the house for the first 13 years of her life.

Frances worked at the post office before she decided to study Film and Media Production at the Atlantic Technological University (ATU) in Donegal.

“At the back of my mind was always filmmaking because I always had an interest in that from a young age,” she said.

“But then, that’s just not the way life went for me because I had my family.”

When Frances was tasked with making the film as part of her dissertation final, she was inspired to share Owney’s “poignant, beautiful story”.

At first, Frances said she wasn’t sure if Owney would be willing to take part because he is “very private” but he was “delighted” to tell Frances stories.

Reacting to the success of the short film, Frances said she was “really shocked”.

“I know his story is beautiful. It’s beautiful to me because it’s my uncle,” she said.

“But I am looking at it from other people’s point of view and I’m thinking: ‘okay, so they all think the same’.”

In the local town, where Frances said her uncle is “highly respected”, there has been high praise for the film, with many commenting on how “lovely” it is to have a film about Owney.

“People would think fondly of him… and we as a family know how important that is and that the significance of the house as well because it’s such an old house, it’s [been] in the family for so many generations.”

Frances said in the world of film, Owney’s story is “very unique”.

“There’s so little people left of that generation that have lived on their own their whole life, that have had no family and stayed in the same house their whole life.

“We don’t understand them because we didn’t grow up in that era. But he understands.

“It was really, at the end of the day, all about a simple life and I think that’s what’s resonating with people and the judges in the film festivals.”