Kerry, the location for the screen classic Ryan's Daughter, now has an organisation of its own to capitalise on the county's many attractive locations for film-making. The Kerry Screen Commission was launched several months ago by Ms Sile de Valera, Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and Islands, and has developed a strong marketing plan to develop the potential of the region.
There will be a website, a brochure for international promotion and an international media campaign. And, of course, the commission will maintain and build on the momentum of film-making in Kerry.
Recently, it assisted Parzival Productions in making Most Important, starring Colm Meaney. The Kerry-born director P.J. Dillon won the best first-time director award at this year's Celtic Film Festival.
The county that was chosen to produce Ryan's Daughter has had an enduring attraction for American film-makers. That tradition began as far back as the 1920s in the era of the silent movies, when up to 70 full-length features were made in Kerry. In more recent times, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were in the area to shoot Far and Away.
Ms Michaela Connolly, of Connolly Productions in Ventry, Ms Connolly says: "We are capitalising on an area of proven growth in TV and film production, and linking into the strategies of Screen Commission Ireland, a State agency promoting Ireland as a film location internationally.
"The commission will actively promote and market Kerry to attract film and television productions to the region. We will assist production companies by providing comprehensive information about all aspects of filming in the county, including access, accommodation, locations, personnel and facilities."
The commission was represented at the Screen Commission of Ireland launch in Los Angeles in February. The board members include a cross-section of film professionals, as well as representatives of the county agencies involved with economic development.