Category Archives: Film

Balooz make films, mostly for free but we want to make more and if you have a need for a promotional type film or an event type film get in touch and we will make one for you.

Climb Carrauntoohil Howling Ridge

Climb Carrauntoohil Howling Ridge was an idea that came to me thanks to Piaras Kelly, who runs www.kerryclimbing.ie We met briefly in September of 2014 at the Crows Head Crossing where once I found out he was a guide I asked him about multi pitch routes on Carrauntoohil Ireland’s highest mountain. He told me about Howling Ridge and the plan was made with John Houlihan and myself doing our first route together in almost thirty years.

Watch the Video Climb Carrauntoohil Howling Ridge

I had to ride my bike from Allihies to Kenmare with a rucksack to meet up with John and his camper van. We drove onto Kilarney and then to the car park at Lisleibane. We set off at 12:30 to walk into the start of the climb. Just before the start there is an emergency hut where we stopped for a bite to eat. We then scrambled up a groove called the “Heavenly Gates” where you arrive at the start of “Howling Ridge”. The climb is rated at V-Diff which would have been very easy for us back in the day. We had a little bit of looking around to find the start and then roped up for the climb which finishes just a few metres from the summit.

We had a thirty metre 10mm rope two lightweight harnesses and a small rack of gear, with some handy long slings. We wanted to carry as little as possible.

Climb Carrauntoohil Howling Ridge, most of the time we moved together Alpine style as we were both happy with the exposure and the difficulty of the climb. John lead maybe three sections with me belaying him, and then to his disgust I suggested once I reached him the third time that I would lead on through. He passed me his gear and I carried on doing the crux of the climb….

Saying that, as he came up I filmed him so he pretty much soloed it anyway. We made it to the summit of the mountain in an hour and thirty minutes. Both arriving at the highest point in Ireland together, also both for the first time. It was a beautiful day and we stayed there maybe thirty minutes talking to a few other people who had walked up.

I think the climb was a great way of getting to the top, and if you have a head for exposure is probably less tiring than walking up. Indeed I found the walk down “Brother O’Sheas” hard work on my knees and it took three hours from top to get back to the van.

If you fancy doing this climb but feel unsure of your expertise give Piaras Kelly a shout, look up his details at www.kerryclimbing.ie

Climb Carrauntoohil Howling Ridge

climb carrauntoohil howling ridge john
Near the end of the Howling Ridge
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The Summit of Carrauntoohil
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Beautiful mountain
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The sign that greets you at the top of the Howling Ridge, indeed not a good way to try and go down

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Lost in Schull

Lost in Schull with Caillte a short film set on the Beara Peninsula West Cork Ireland. This film was accepted into the Fastnet Short Film Festival for 2015. Our first attempt at Film competition. There were lots of great films there from all over the world, some on big budgets, but many like ours were shot on a Zero Euro Production…

We had the pleasure of going for two days of the festival and met some interesting people. It was also great to be able to judge your own level of filming by comparing with other films that we saw. I guess we saw about thirty of all the films there.

Watch our Short Film “Caillte”

Lost in Schull

FSFF-Carina - Copy

Innocent bystanders… enjoying a few drinks between films

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Finbarr Harrington shows up at the opening party, had a great chat

FSFF-LS - Copy

Len and Sabine

FSFF-Pauline - Copy

Pauline and the Mayor etc

Pauline did a great job along with the other members of the team, thanks. Well we did not win the event but we had a great time and will almost certainly try and go one better for next year. So Lost in Schull because we did not win and Caillte means Lost in Irish…

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Arsenic and Old Lace

Arsenic and Old Lace a theatre production by the Beara Players. On the 17th and 18th of April in the Beacon Night club of Castletownbere. A great couple of nights entertainment were played to a full house on both nights. A lot of effort went into the production with the main players practising for four months.

Thanks to all the people who came along to see the show, it made all the work worthwhile.

Watch a short video of play here

Watch the taking down of the set here

Arsenic and Old Lace

arsenic and old lace

Elaine and Mortimer Brewster

2

Officer Pat Brophy

3

Jonathan Brewster “Boris Karlof”

4

Lieutenant Rooney

5

Elaine

6

Doctor Einstein

7

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