Cé go bhfuil go leor ráite fé 'Kneecap', 'An Cailín Ciúin' agus 'Arracht' le blianta beaga anuas tá argóint láidir ann nach mbeadh a leithéid á dhéanamh gan ceannródaíochta Bob Quinn - is cineál memoir é Count Me Out ar a shaol agus a shaothar.
In 2017 TG4 launched Cine4, a scheme designed to fund a new wave of film making in Irish. Five years later 'An Cailín Ciúin' received an Oscar nomination and this year ‘Kneecap’ has cleaned up at awards ceremonies around the world.
Tá bóthar fada siúlta ag scannánaíocht na Gaeilge ón uair gur dhein Bob Quinn an chéad fadscannán Gaeilge, 'Poitín', siar in 1978. Bhronn Galway UNESCO City of Film gradam Ceanntar Scannán ar Godfather na Gaeilge an scáileáin mhóir as ucht an méid a rinne sé ar son scannánaíochta na hÉireann agus tá a mhac Toner, anois, tar éis eagarhtóireacht a dhéanamh ar bhailiúcháin dá shaothar scríbhinní in Count Me Out: Selected Writings of Filmmaker Bob Quinn.
Quinn is always described as a maverick filmmaker because that is a perfect description of what he is. His work spans six decades and many genres. A filmmaker, photographer and writer his films include ‘Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoire’, ‘Poitín’, ‘The Family’, ‘Atlantean’ and ‘Budawanny’.
Two of his films are held in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He has also spent decades creating a photographic record of cultural life in Connemara and has written several books. Extracts from many of them make up this collection along with a fascinating mix of letters, essays and articles.
San réamhrá insíonn Toner dúinn fé bhualadh lena athair uair sa tseachtain le pionnt chiúin a chaitheamh leis in An Chistin ar an gCeathrú Rua, áit a mbíonn siad ag labhairt fén scríbhneoireacht, fén smaointeoireacht, fén gceol agus gach cuid den tsaol.
Agus é anois 89, tógann an bailiúcháin sinn tré geall le bheith gach gné de shaol Quinn. Instear dúinn féna laethanta luath ag fás aníos i mBleá Cliath. A chuid taisteal ar fud an domhain agus a luath ghairm in RTÉ agus a fhágáil ón eagraíocht in 1968 mar léirsiú in aghaidh an tráchtálachais.
Although there was more involved than just that as Quinn points out in a chapter from 'Sit Down and Be Counted'. He writes about the Americanisation of the channel and how there was little indication that it was the sound of an Irish broadcasting service. He writes about how RTÉ had changed and was now a passer on of policies and decisions formulated by higher powers rather than an investigator and commentator on the texture of Irish life.
Ba scéal mhór é gur fhág Quinn an stáisiúin, maraon lena chomghuaillithe léiritheoirí Lelia Doolin agus Jack Dowling agus d’fhoilsíodar leabhar géarcháinteach faoi RTÉ darb teideal dó ‘Sit Down and Be Counted’.
Shortly after the book appeared, all three returned to RTÉ with an appearance on The Late Late Show where Gay Byrne intended to debate the current and future state of RTÉ.
A clip from that debate can be seen on the RTÉ Archives Player and is worth watching to hear how Quinn dismisses the debate as pointless and claims he only turned up because they offered him a plane ticket back from London and £25.
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Tar éis dó fágáil, bhog Quinn go Gaeltacht Chonamara áit a ndeachaigh sé le roinnt jabbanna, ag díol úla tafé san áireamh, sula bhfuair sé ugach agus inspráid ón nGluaiseacht Chearta Daonna na Gaeltachta filleadh ar dhéantús scannán.
Bhunaigh sé comhlacht darb ainm Cinegael, d’fhoscail pictiúrlann bheag agus chuaigh i mbun scannán a dhéanamh dar lena mhiain féin agus an meoin aige nach ealaíon é murar propaganda atá ann.
This collection of his writings begins boldly with a letter to RTÉ from 1969 bemoaning the current state of what he calls ‘The Factory’ and continues with many critiques of the national broadcaster and the prevailing film culture in Ireland.
He writes brilliantly about the problems of financing a film and the chore of attending markets to hawk his wares. He gives some fascinating background into the making of ‘Budawanny’ and some of his other works. He writes passionately about the origins of Raidió na Gaeltachta and Teilifís na Gaeilge.
Maíonn sé gur fuath leis an scannánaíocht agus gurb é an cheann deireanach a dhéanfaidh sé gach aon cheann a chuireann sé tús leis. Ach lean sé leis.
Léiríonn a scríbhinní, ar uaireamh, cantalán agus cnáimhseálaí – rud a admhaíonn se féin fén uair gur chas sé ar an leathchéad agus gur chinn sé go raibh a mheoin ró-dhiúltach – ag bitcháil de shíor fé chóras agus gan rud ar bith á dhéanamh aige len é a athrú.
But that didn’t last. He continued to criticise mainstream filmmaking and RTÉ in particular.
He writes "In the film and television sewer down which are flushed billions of audio-visual objects, you are forced to swim against the stream or your work will end up a comfortable, anonymous and rapidly disintegrating turd in Dublin bay."
Mar léiritheoir agus stiúrthóir mé féin a bhfuil cuid den chac sin léirithe agam, tagann tuirse ort ag léamh altanna mar é. Ní propaganda é an ealaíon go léir. Is escapism agus siamsaíocht é cuid den telefís; cad tá cearr leis an méid sin?
Ní hamháin gur súil isteach ar an déantús scannánaíocht an bailiúcháin seo, is litir chumainn uaidh don Chonamara a d’uchtaigh é agus léargas mealltach ar áit ar leith in imeacht ama atá ann.
In alt as Irish Times sa bhliain 1971 cuireann sé agallamh ar phobal amhrasach Chonamara fé ráiteas rialtais go mbunófaí seirbhís raidió Gaeilge. In aistí eile scríobhann sé féna dhílseacht don ghníomhaíocht scannánaíochta aige "to raising Connemara’s profile above the romanticism of urbanites".
The collection also includes brilliantly written essays on meeting Gaddafi, the career of his friend, the actor Donal McCann, and a poignant reflection on death. The highlight for me was the passages from his 2001 book ‘Maverick’ where he writes about his appointment to the RTÉ authority.
A constant thorn in their side, he used the platform to advocate for banning advertisements aimed at children from kid’s TV. His insights into the workings of the RTÉ Authority are enlightening. They made strange bedfellows and it ended, unsurprisingly, with his resignation.
D’éinne a bhfuil spéis acu sa scannánaíocht nó sa chraoltóireacht in Éirinn, is sár-scríbhneoir é Quinn agus tá na haltanna seo foirfe le blaisíní d’fháil ar a mheoin cheanndána.
Seans nach n-aontófá le gach a deireann sé, ach is cóir bheith buíoch gur ann chomh fada sin é len é a rá.
Count Me Out: Selected Writings of Filmmaker Bob Quinn is on sale from Boluisce Press.
