Having A Good Hair Day

Did ye get Healy-ed?

ure, that’s the great thing about getting involved in the world of filmmaking – you get to meet the good, the bad and the Healy-Rays of this world.

Such was the case when Greystones native Denis Dwyer set out to make his debut feature, a feelgood documentary all about a little Limerick market town called Abbeyfeale.

The one thing that makes this particular little Irish town a cut above all the others is that it boasts an incredible amount of hairdressers and barbers. For a population of 2,023, there are 16 places to go and get your locks chopped.

Is it any wonder that Alex Fegan (the man behind Older Than Ireland and The Irish Pub) would be drawn to such a place? Hitting our TV screens on Monday, April 20th at 9.35pm on RTE1, Abbeyfealegood was shot over three years. Just to be sure, to be sure, to be sure.

And standing right by director Alex Fegan’s side throughout was his producer, Denis Dwyer, the Greystonian making his film debut with this quirky and highly comedic little slice of Irish life.

Naturally, we had to find out the why, how, where and yawhat of it all…

Speaking as an incredibly handsome and distinctly bald man, what the hell is going on in Abbeyfeale – 16 barbers and hairdressers on two streets!? Is this the hairiest town in Ireland?
Incredibly handsome indeed!

As the locals in Abbeyfeale like to say, they love to look beautiful – and they certainly achieve that! We never saw a bad hair day in Abbeyfeale!

Young Dwyer…

There are several explanations, I think – one of which is that people of all ages nowadays crave new social places apart from the pub or the church to meet for a chat or to relax, or get the news. People also get their hair done much more often than we used to – whether it’s a blade one back and sides once a fortnight, or else a blowdry once a week. In a small town, people get to know one another very well over many years, sometimes decades. Like Frank Clarke, Florrie the barber in Abbeyfeale has been cutting hair for over 60 years. Farmers, councillors, business people, kids, all gather for a chat in his barber shop, which has never had a name over the door.

How did Abbeyfealegood come to be? A newspaper article? A chance visit to Limerick?
Alex Fegan, the director, used to drive through Abbeyfeale once a week on his way back to Dublin from Ardfert in Kerry, and he noticed the many hairdressers and barbers and their interesting names. He has a great eye for observing interesting parts of Irish life. At that time, he and I were working on the outline of a project about aspects of life common to us all, working around the phrase by James Joyce, “in the particular is contained the universal”. And Abbeyfeale, with its many hairdressers and barbers, kind of fell into place.

They are places of conversation and therapy, and gossip, and community, so you can explore and learn a lot there – from the tragic to the magic – with people of every age and every background. Going to the hairdresser or barber is something pretty much everyone has experienced at some point in their life, so they can hopefully relate to this in some way.

Also, my sister Caroline and I were born in Limerick before we moved to Greystones, and my Mum Fidelma (God rest her) used to visit Abbeyfeale when she worked nearby in Rathkeale. So, it sort of felt like it made sense. And when we started meeting those who owned the shops and their customers, it was clear there was something special about the town – really warm and witty, and welcoming, people.

A documentary that took three years to pull together – a lot to cover, or just the nature of making an independent documentary, where the budget won’t always cover a three-month stay…?
We initially visited there in September 2017, to meet the owners, to see if it would be possible. Alex was then working on other projects, and I have a day job in recruitment, so we only started filming sequences in summer 2018, and continued travelling down every few weeks or months, when we had time and budget. Sometimes we had agreed times with people who we knew would be brilliant, and other times we arrived spontaneously and that approach yielded some magical, natural moments. A mutual contact of ours – Paul Holmes, founder of Red Rage Films, came on board as executive producer in late 2018, and he has been a great sounding board, and a font of good sense ever since.

It’s your first solo production – a major leap, or a natural progression?
I have been friends with Alex for many years. I fell in love with his work on The Irish Pub and then worked with him to promote and distribute it at festivals and in cinemas internationally. It was great fun seeing people’s enjoyment, especially in America. Then he made the wonderful Older Than Ireland, about Irish centenarians, and in the meantime, we have worked on other projects which haven’t yet seen the light of day. It can take a long time to make a film and we were very lucky to get the support of RTÉ here, who gave us great assistance along the way.

Spending three years returning to a small Limerick town would result in quite the connection to Abbeyfeale. How do you think they’ll react to the documentary?
Time will tell! I think Alex has done a super job editing this, like weaving a patchwork quilt of intersecting stories. I think what comes across strongly is the great community spirit in the town – something that is enviable to those in big cities, particularly now. I hope they will be proud of their town, and how people react to their stories.

It always felt like a strange and wonderful privilege to be welcomed into the inner sanctum of the salon or barber while they were working. Sometimes, they would be sweeping or working, or chatting around us, or over us, as we sat there, holding the mic and camera. Their professionalism and ease was at times breathtaking…

Very easy to tip over into John Hinde twee when it comes to small Irish towns – something Alex Fegan managed to avoid with The Irish Pub, for example. Was it ever a concern here…?
From my perspective, when you know you’re working with someone brilliant, it’s easy to trust their judgement. And to be honest, there were so many hours of excellent footage and contributions to choose from, that was never going to be an issue. The town itself reveals many aspects and struggles of Irish life, but it has so much heart and wit that it’s easy to be charmed. And there are all sorts of establishments – chic, traditional, sporty, rural, older, younger, arty, etc. So, hopefully it’s a good and honest reflection of the town and the community.

Finally, what’s next, young man?
It’s a strange time for everyone. Staying well and staying useful is top of the agenda. There is another project in the pipeline. Fingers crossed it comes to fruition. You’ll be the first to know!

You can catch Abbeyfealegood on the RTÉ Player right here. And if you haven’t seen The Irish Pub or Older Than Ireland, get on that. Now.

You can find out more about Abbeyfealegood right about here. And hey, the film won Best Irish Factual Documentary 2020 at the inaugural Royal Television Awards on March 30th 2021. Nice.