Sanj Kavanagh is an artist working with members of the Irish community in St Eugene’s Court.  As part of her work she is delivering a weekly Irish film club and has kindly agreed to write a few words on the films and reactions to them for Digbeth is Good:

Veronica Guerin

There were about 20 in film club and the response was fantastic.  It sparked a massive discussion about the drug problems currently in Dublin. Most people said the film highlighted the start of those problems, that since then the problems have escalated massively, and one of the major concerns they expressed was that unlike England, Ireland doesn’t have the resources to deal with the problem, i.e. drop in centres, needle exchanges, etc.

No-one seemed saddened by the tragic ending, and all agreed her efforts were not in vain as she changed policies on drug busts, enabled the police to seize assets, and ultimately forced governmental powers to admit the problems.

You could have heard a pin drop throughout, and nobody left for the usual cigarette break. An excellent result.

Sanj Kavanagh