The Clash of the Ash should not be confused with Clash of the Ash.
| The Clash of the Ash | |
| Director: | Fergus Tighe |
| Producer: | Jane Gogan |
| Starring: | Liam Heffernan Gina Moxley Vinny Murphy Alan Devlin |
| Music: | The Pogues, various |
| Editing: | Jimmy Duggan |
| Studio: | Circus Films |
| Runtime: | 90 minutes |
| Country: | Ireland |
| Language: | English |
The Clash of the Ash Is an 1987 Irish film written and directed by Fergus Tighe, and starring Liam Heffernan as Phil Kelly, with co-stars Gina Moxley, Vinny Murphy and Alan Devlin.[1] [2] The film is set in the early 1980s and centered around the aspirations of a promising hurler, a popular Gaelic sport in Ireland.
The Clash of the Ash was produced by Circus Films and funded by Bórd Scánnán na hEireann and RTÉ.[3] It lasts 50 minutes and was shot largely in Fermoy, County Cork. The soundtrack includes The Pogues cover of Ewan McColl's "Dirty Old Town".
The Irish Film & Television Network describes it as a story in which the central character Phil is "under pressure from his parents who have decided how his life should proceed, [he] refuses to sit his Leaving Cert. and runs off to London to follow his own ambitions."[4]
According to the Irish Examiner, "the basic script would be familiar to frustrated youngsters anywhere in the world, all of them eager to clear out for the bright lights; the difference here is that the frustrated teenager in this case is a talented hurler."
The Clash of the Ash was critically acclaimed and became a widespread popular success in Ireland.[5] [6] [7] Time Out described it as a "sensitively portrayed slice of provincial life, which manages to tell its yarn with a great deal of humour and compassion."