in

Learn the legend of Bridget Cleary in ‘Waking the Witch.’

10325361_493858310743011_4810728212770878825_nAh, urban legends from other countries. As an American citizen myself, I am always completely enamored by mysterious tales from around the world. Coincidentally, I read about the case of Bridget Clearly several weeks ago, so imagine my surprise now that a film is being produced based on her unfortunate undoings. To get your interest going in Waking the Witch, let me first tell you Bridget’s story.

Bridget Boland was born in Ballyvadlea, County Tipperary, Ireland sometime in 1870. She married Michael Clearly at the tender age of 17, although the spouses did not live together immediately after marriage. Bridget was extremely self sufficient and took up many side jobs, a trait that first cast suspicious eyes upon her. She finally moved in with her husband onto a residence that was rumored to be the remains of a fairy ringfort. After being reported as ill for several weeks, Bridget Clearly eventually went missing during March of 1895. At the end of the month, Bridget’s body was discovered in a shallow grave, with officials deeming the cause of death stemming from being lit on fire. Michael was accused of murdering her, having blatantly stated his believes that his wife was abducted by fairies and replaced by a doppelganger. His confession in court – that an argument about fairy mythology led to him burning Bridget alive before the fire place – led to his conviction of manslaughter in April of the same year. The murder was dubbed “The Last Witch Burning in Ireland.”

And now Neil O’Driscoll is hoping to make a feature film based on her story with Waking the Witch. Neil is a multi-talented individual having studied a wide range of media subjects including animation, crafts, film, and television; accomplishments that have led him to work in film, theatre, and illustration. He’s worked with famous performing artists such as Sam Lee, Bridget O’Gorman, Deaf Joe, Alex Chinneck, September Girls, Katie Kim, and Solar Taxi; and freelance projects with The Abbey, Chill Insurance, Glenmuir and The Irish Sports Council.

Other cast and crew members include Mollie Molumby (as Marianne), Emer O’Carroll (as Fran), Marcus Lamb (as Dave), Bridget O’Gorman (art director), James Keating (assistant director), and Neil Hynes (sound recorder).

10360455_493847437410765_8148985524208700288_n

The plot of Waking the Witch is as follows: “Marianne is a teenager killing time on her summer holidays by accompanying her uncle on a research trip, delving into the life and death of Bridget Cleary, the last witch burned in Ireland. Marianne is also dealing with the memory of a traumatic incident, and the effort of repressing it is causing psychological schisms. Marianne, instead of confronting her problems, immerses herself in preparations for the midsummer festival. She’s intrigued by the bohemian lifestyle of her uncle and his friends, and captivated by a young artist she encounters. As the fractures in reality increase in frequency, she starts to sense that she has more in common with Cleary than she’d like. With influences such as The Innocents and The Fog, this psychological thriller will have a unique tone. It combines careful observation of the characters with the unnerving possibility of an unseen force at work, guiding the hand of fate towards the final brutal outcome.

Click here to follow this film on Facebook.

Currently, Waking the Witch is in the middle of a FundIt campaign. The campaign is over in 18 days, but it only has about 10% of its goal covered. So let’s help em out, guys! Here’s what you can earn yourself by donating to their FundIt fundraiser!
E10 – digital download of opening act and digital download of film poster
E25 – digital download of concept art, link to behind-the-scenes material, and all of the above
E50 – digital print of the poster and all of the above
E100 – signed copy of the script and all of the above
E250 – limited edition print of the poster and all of the above
$500 – be an extra in the movie, have dinner with the cast and crew, and all of the above
E750 – one day workshop with director Neil O’Driscoll and all of the above
E1,000 – portrait drawn by the director and all of the above
E2,500 – named as executive producer in film credits and all of the above

Click here to donate to the Waking the Witch campaign!
Click here to donate to the Waking the Witch campaign!
Click here to donate to the Waking the Witch campaign!

Michael DeFellipo

(Senior Editor)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.