54 Friday, July 1, 2011

FEATURE www.derryjournal.com

‘The Quiet Man’ really needs nointroduction to older generationsat least - we’ve all watched thelegendary Irish movie since wewere knee high. But there’s oneintroduction you simply can’t missduring a trip to Cong and it’s theirrepressible Gerry Collins, B&Bowner, tour guide and all roundexpert on ‘The Quiet Man’.

Last weekend we stayed at theexcellent Michaeleen’s ManorB&B run by Gerry and his wifeMargaret. We arrived later thanexpected on a rain-soaked Fridaynight and were met with what feltlike a hundred thousand welcomes.The hospitable couple who arepassionate about promoting ‘TheQuiet Man’ film location, openedthe Cong Holiday Hostel in 1984when Gerry was working as abread deliveryman and Margaretworked as a chef in nearby AshfordCastle.

In 1985 a guest in the hostel askedif they ever showed the movie andpromised to bring a copy the nexttime he visited. This was the startof Quiet Man tourism big style.

Nine years ago Gerry andMargaret opened the modernMichaeleen’s Manor across theroad from their hostel and campingsite.

The B&B has what’s believed tobe the biggest collection of QuietMan photographs in the world.Built up over the last 20 years,classic black and white framedpictures of scenes from the movie,screen legends John Wayne andMaureen O’Hara and woodenplaques with the best lines fromthe movie adorn the walls of thethree-storey accommodation. Thelines include such classics as,“Woman of the house - where’sme tae?”; “No patty fingers if youplease”; and “A man would need tobe a sprinter to catch his wife in abed like that”.

The B&B and Quiet Man Museumare believed to be the first of theirkind dedicated to a Hollywoodclassic.

Each of the 12 en-suite bedroomsin the Quiet Man B&B is themedon characters from the film with aplaque above the door. We stayedin a spacious family room namedafter ‘The Bishop’ in the movie,with views of the tennis court andreplica Quiet Man bridge in thegrounds of the property whichalso boasts an outdoor hot-tub,barbecue area, pitch and putt andplenty of car parking.

AtbreakfastonSaturdaymorningwe met an American couple whowere staying in the B&B on theirhoneymoon. Raymond Ullmer andLeeza Forman from New Jersey gotmarried two and a half years agobut postponed their trip to Congbecause of work commitments.

Leeza is formerly from theUkraine, and the appeal of ‘TheQuiet Man’ is worldwide withtranslations of the movie inlanguages including Japanese.

‘Quiet Man crazies’“I’ve seen it more than a hundred

times and know every line in themovie”, said Raymond, whichwould put him in the category offans known affectionately in thevillage as “Quiet Man crazies.”

There were more of them on aCIE coach party we joined for oneof Gerry Collins’ fun-packed QuietMan walking tours - an experiencenot to be missed. It comes withaudience participation and plentyof laughs along the way.

The coach party fromPennsylvania produced a fewcharacters when Gerry roped themin to re-enact clips from the moviewith one of the most famous fistfights in cinematic history.

A retired policeman and his wifestepped into the leading roles ofSean Thornton (John Wayne) andMary Kate Danagher (MaureenO’Hara). It was a laugh a minuteas Gerry whipped them into shapewith takes one, two and three justto get romantic clinches as near tothe original as possible!

Gerry’s rallying cry for us all “tospread out and cheer like goodProtestants” as per the movie, isan ice-breaker you wouldn’t getaway with everywhere but heworks ‘The Quiet Man’ crowd likenobody’s business.

But don’t worry if you’re ashrinking violet, this tour willbring you out of your shell. Youwon’t be forced to participate ifyou’d really prefer to watch otherpeople vying for an Oscar - QuietMan crazy style!

Exact replicaBack at The Quiet Man Museum

at the end of the tour there’s morefun to be had when costumes aredonned. The Museum is an exactreplica of the exterior of ‘WhiteO’Morn’, the thatched cottage usedin the film as Sean Thornton’sancestral home and the original

Gerry and Margaret Collins at Michaeleen’s Manor B&B in Cong - named after the Matchmaker in the movie. (0107BM01)

Quiet ManTHE

My weekend with

Sixty years ago the village of Cong in the west of Ireland was transformed into a Hollywood setfor the filming of the movie classic, ‘The Quiet Man’. Thousands of people from across the world- many of them from the North West - travel to Cong each year to visit the film locations and soakup the atmosphere of this special place. Last weekend, the Journal’s BERNIE MULLEN walkedin the footsteps of stars of the movie John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara and was completelybowled over by ‘The Quiet Man’ visitor experience.

LEFT: John Connollyoutside Pat Cohan’sBar (The Quiet Manpub) in Cong.

BELOW: A detail ofthe plaque in frontof Pat Cohan’s Baron location in Cong.

29Friday, July 1, 2011

FEATUREwww.derryjournal.com

VoyageofdiscoveryontheCorrib

Cast members on the set of ‘The Quiet Man’ in Cong in 1951.Extras included John Luskin (now aged 81), standing behind JohnWayne.(0107BM03) Photo courtesy of Patrick Luskin

Corrib Cruises are synonymous with the not-to-be-missed tourism experience in Cong.

Captain Patrick Luskin is not only an expert onthe history of the area, his family is closely associ-ated with ‘The Quiet Man’.

Patrick’s father John, a capenter by trade, was oneof the extras in the film.

Now the ripe old age of 81, he was among localswho enjoyed a big payday back in 1951.

Patrick tells how his father and friends were paid30 shillings a day - the equivalent of a week’s wages.Filming went on in Cong for ten weeks and theyprobably worked as extras for half that period.

A sepia photo of cast members from the infamousfight scene with director John Ford, takes pride ofplace in the Luskin household. It shows a handsome21-year-old John standing directly behind JohnWayne.

Son Patrick jokes: “If anything had happenedJohn Wayne my father would have been right besideMaureen O’Hara!”

John Luskin and his mates headed to Croke Park“with more money than they could spend” to seeMayo win the All-Ireland for the second year in arow in 1951.

“One of his friends bought a new tractor in Dub-lin and the whole village was out to see it when hebrought it back to Cong,” said Patrick.

“The movie is very special to the people in Congbecause every time we watch it we see our relativesin it,” he says.

In 1976 John Luskin founded Corrib Cruises, withhis two sons Patrick (10) and David (4) learning theropes.

Seeing his own lad - Mayo GAA fanatic James inthe cabin - it could well be ‘like father like son’ forthe next generation as well.

Patrick is now at the helm while his brother Davidruns the river cruise from Oughterard.

The daily passenger cruise sails between AshfordCastle with a stop off and guided tour of the 5th cen-tury monastic site on Inchagoill Island. It’s a lovelyrelaxing voyage for all the family, with great servicefrom Patrick and his crew.On the guided tour along ancient pathways youwill see:n St Patrick’s Church 450ADn Church of the Saints 1180ADn The inscribed stone of Lugna which marks thegrave of St Patrick’s navigator 470ADn The tomb of Muirgeas O Nioc, Archbishop ofTuam 1128AD

The entire cruise takes approximately two hoursincluding 30 minutes on the island. A shorter onehour tour is also available, all providing excellentviews of 365 wooded islands, the Connemara Moun-tains and Ashford Castle.

Corrib Cruises is also available for private hire andthe one hour cocktail cruise with live traditional mu-sic is a big attraction during July and August - book-ing is advisable and you’ll be in very good hands.Bar and snack facilities are available on board andwhen local historian and author Patrick isn’t givinghis rundown on the history of the area - pointing outthe amazing fishing as well - there’s music on boardto set the maritime and Quiet Man scene.

Adult 20 euro - children 10 euro - Family: 2 adultsand two children 50 euro and 5 euro for every extrachild. Tickets on board.

For further information on Corrib Cruisescontact Patrick: 0035387 9946380www.corribcruises.cominfo@corribcruises.comFor further information on accommodation and activities visit cong-tourism.com

Patrick Luskin, right, captain,Corrib Cruises with first mate ,nephew JackWinters on board the Isle of Inisfree. (0107BM02)

movie set in Hollywood where allof the interior shots were made.

‘The Quiet Man’ is close to thehearts of the people of Congas many of the villagers weredrafted in as extras in the movie.They were paid 30s a day - theequivalent of a week’s wages andtheir descendants all have storiesto tell about their roles.

A small dedicated band ofpeople like Gerry Collins; PatrickLuskin who runs Corrib Cruises;Denis Ryan of Ryan’s Hotel; andJohn Connolly of Pat Cohan’s Bar,are passionate about promotingthis iconic Co Mayo location as atourist destination.

They’re especially keen towelcome new and old visitorsfrom Northern Ireland - whoalong with the Americans are thebiggest Quiet Man fanatics inthe world. Cong will be the placeto be in August for celebrationsto mark the 60th anniversary ofthe making of the film - they areexpecting a very special guest forThe Quiet Man festival on BankHoliday weekend at the end ofAugust so start making yourarrangements now before it’sbooked out.

Those in the tourism businessare pulling out the stops to keepprices down to make holidaypackages affordable in tougheconomic times.

Gerry says: “For those who saythe South is dear, it has gonemuch cheaper. It is time to comeback and there is an open doorin Cong for everyone from theNorth. Even John Wayne fanscome to Cong because of the film.This is the 60th anniversary ofthe making of the movie and nextyear is the 60th anniversary of itsrelease.

“I am also looking for a buscompany who would be interested

in bringing down tours fromNorthern Ireland for a weekend.We are offering two nights bedand breakfast, an evening meal, acruise on Lough Corrib, a guidedtour of the film location andmuseum, for 99 euro per person.

“For all ‘The Quiet Mancrazies’ in the North - from alldenominations - who used to comedown regularly, we want them allto come back on pilgrimage againto Quiet Man country. The biggestfollowing for ‘The Quiet Man’is not the Americans, althoughthat is massive, it is NorthernIreland.”

Rest assured however, it’s notQuiet Man crazy 24/7. Cong is abeautiful unspoilt village withcosy bars and coffee shops, artsand crafts shops, even a rare andantiquarian book store whichare all ‘must sees’ come rain orshine.

The home cooked and wellpresented meals at Ryan’s Hotelhave the hallmarks of ownerDenis’ experience as a chef atAshford Castle.

Over at Pat Cohan’s bar, you canwatch documentary footage aboutthe only movie in town whiledowning a pint of the black stuff.

The river walks are spectacular,taking in the Abbey and theMonks Fishing House.

No visit to Cong is completewithout a visit to the majesticAshford Castle and grounds wherestatesmen and women and A-listcelebrities have stayed down theyears. John Wayne and MaureenO’Hara had separate towers inthe castle during filming of ‘TheQuiet Man’.

And where better to see thebreathtaking scenery all aroundthis idyllic spot than on boardThe Isle of Inisfree with CorribCruises....

MICHAELEEN MANORTwo nights B&B, one evening meal,guided tour of ‘The Quiet Man’ filmlocations, Corrib cruise. 99 euro ppCong Hostel & Cong Caravan Camping- stay 4 nights, get 5th free; stay 6nights, get 7th free and free entranceto The Quiet Man Museum.Tel: 00353 94 954 6846Email: info@congbb.comWebsite: www.congbb.com

RYAN’S HOTELB&B 40 euro pp during August.Tel: 0035394 9546004Website: ryanshotelcong.ie

SPECIAL OFFERS

The Quiet Man Museum.

JohnWayne and Maureen O’Hara in a scene fromThe Quiet Man.