WITH the recent arrival of a Hallmark production into the region, West Cork Film Studios landed one of its first major coups.

It was the first major production to be based at the WCFS, which is located at Baltimore Road in Skibbereen, and has given the studios the perfect opportunity to roll out, and develop, film infrastructure in West Cork.

For The Big Story, Mary McCarthy spoke with directors Édáin O'Donnell and Steve Park about the growing industry and why West Cork's unique community is buying into film in the region.

The Big Story is a digital, subscriber-only series by the Southern Star. Each part will bring subscribers closer to the stories that matter in West Cork. Browse previous Big Stories here.

Produced by Mary McCarthy and Tony O'Shaughnessy. Written and presented by Mary McCarthy. Editing by Dylan Mangan.

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CHRISTMAS, like many other parts of life, has constantly changed with the times. From stockings at the foot of your bed to above the mantlepiece, or from sending turkeys to England in the post to Amazon Prime delivery, Christmas has become a different beast in recent years.

Gerald O'Brien of Skibbereen Historical Society shares his memories of what Christmas was like for him, growing up in West Cork in the 40s and 50s, and how some traditions have changed while others remain the same.

The Big Story is a digital, subscriber-only series by The Southern Star. Each part will bring subscribers closer to the stories that matter in West Cork. Browse previous Big Stories here.

Produced by Mary McCarthy and Tony O'Shaughnessy. Written and presented by Mary McCarthy. Editing by Dylan Mangan.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the general election results fade into the distance, and there has been a widespread sigh of relief that no far right candidates were successful, there are some political observers who believe it’s only a matter of time before the hate-filled messages of some agitators start to resonate with elements of the electorate, as they have in other countries across Europe.

In November, a Jewish student was attacked by three men in a nightclub in Dublin, in a suspected anti-Semitic assault. Gardaí are investigating it as a potential hate crime.

In this special podcast documentary, the Southern Star’s editor Siobhán Cronin investigates a secretive community which has established a base in the centre of West Cork and has some very unsavoury connections around the world.

Thanks to Father Tom Hayes, Harry Shuckman and Fiona O'Leary for their time and input.

Thank you for listening to this special big story podcast by The Southern Star. If you’ve been affected by any of the topics discussed in this episode, or have further information relating to the SSPX resistance in West Cork or beyond, please contact us on editor@southernstar.ie.

This episode was written and presented by Southern Star editor Siobhan Cronin, with additional reporting by Star journalist Jackie Keogh and editing by Dylan Mangan.

Additional audio clips from:

Virgin Media News

AP Press

New Zealand Herald

53sig, pprzes01, We Love Tradition on YouTube

Thanks for listening, and don’t forget that you can find more trusted, local journalism like this inside The Southern Star, which is in shops and online every single Thursday.

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