FILM DEPICTS IRA BOMBING IN LONDON
Film depicts IRA bombing in London
By Catherine Morrison
THE story of how IRA bombers struck at the heart of the City of London in 1992 killing three people, including a teenage girl, has been made into a film.
Following in the footsteps of Omagh and Bloody Sunday, Reckless Minds dramatises the events surrounding the bombing of the Baltic Exchange, a historic trading house in the British capital.
Three people died in the explosion on April 10 1992, a day after the general election, and around S700 million of damage was caused.
Fifteen year-old schoolgirl Danielle Carter was killed, and her young sister badly injured when they were caught up in the bombing on a day trip to London from their Essex home.
Bystanders Paul Butt (29) and 49-year-old father-of-four Thomas Casey also died.
Their story has now been dramatised by Irish actor and film director Tom Begley, who also wrote the script.
The Co Longford native said the film was a "loose dramatisation" of the bombing and the days leading up to it.
"The Baltic Exchange bombing has always stuck in my mind. I was living in London at that time and was working very close to it when it went off," he said.
"We stuck to the facts as much as we could. It is not biased for or against anything. It is a drama documentary to show what happened the week before the bombing and the IRA operation leading up to it."
Dramatising real-life events, in films such as Omagh, Bloody Sunday and The Murder of Stephen Lawrence, is becoming an increasingly common and useful method of film-making.
However, sticking to the facts of what happened is essential, according to Michael Gallagher, whose own story of losing his son Aidan was made into the film Omagh.
"When people are making a film like this it is important that it is based on actual facts, that they get them right and that they don't overdramatise things," he said.
"Film can be a very effective medium for informing people about events that they otherwise wouldn't know about, and to educate future generations.
"Films can get beyond the statistics and show the human being behind them but it is important to remember that the families of victims are still alive and this can be very traumatic for them."
Reckless Minds premiered in London last week. Anyone interested in learning more about the film can visit www.fcekfilms.com.
A DVD is available and there are some clips of the film on the website.
By Catherine Morrison
THE story of how IRA bombers struck at the heart of the City of London in 1992 killing three people, including a teenage girl, has been made into a film.
Following in the footsteps of Omagh and Bloody Sunday, Reckless Minds dramatises the events surrounding the bombing of the Baltic Exchange, a historic trading house in the British capital.
Three people died in the explosion on April 10 1992, a day after the general election, and around S700 million of damage was caused.
Fifteen year-old schoolgirl Danielle Carter was killed, and her young sister badly injured when they were caught up in the bombing on a day trip to London from their Essex home.
Bystanders Paul Butt (29) and 49-year-old father-of-four Thomas Casey also died.
Their story has now been dramatised by Irish actor and film director Tom Begley, who also wrote the script.
The Co Longford native said the film was a "loose dramatisation" of the bombing and the days leading up to it.
"The Baltic Exchange bombing has always stuck in my mind. I was living in London at that time and was working very close to it when it went off," he said.
"We stuck to the facts as much as we could. It is not biased for or against anything. It is a drama documentary to show what happened the week before the bombing and the IRA operation leading up to it."
Dramatising real-life events, in films such as Omagh, Bloody Sunday and The Murder of Stephen Lawrence, is becoming an increasingly common and useful method of film-making.
However, sticking to the facts of what happened is essential, according to Michael Gallagher, whose own story of losing his son Aidan was made into the film Omagh.
"When people are making a film like this it is important that it is based on actual facts, that they get them right and that they don't overdramatise things," he said.
"Film can be a very effective medium for informing people about events that they otherwise wouldn't know about, and to educate future generations.
"Films can get beyond the statistics and show the human being behind them but it is important to remember that the families of victims are still alive and this can be very traumatic for them."
Reckless Minds premiered in London last week. Anyone interested in learning more about the film can visit www.fcekfilms.com.
A DVD is available and there are some clips of the film on the website.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0783
Published Date: 21-Mar-06
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