THE TALE OF SWEETY BARRETT

IRE
1998
1hr 32mins
Dir: Stephen Bradley
Starring: Brendan Gleeson and Lynda Steadman

A big man with a simple nature loses his job at a travelling circus before becoming stranded in a coastal village where he gets caught up in a local vendetta

This Irish crime drama was largely filmed in Balbriggan, County Fingal, and the railway viaduct across the harbour forms the backdrop to many scenes. Trains can be viewed crossing the viaduct in a number of shots and though some are at night there are a couple filmed during the day. There is one very good shot early on of a Class 201 General Motors diesel crossing the viaduct whilst running light engine and a shot later in the film of a train crossing with a Class 201 on the rear. The film was first released at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 1998 and it would not be until April 1999 that it was finally released in Ireland. It is usually referred to simply as Sweety Barrett.

This is Balbriggan Harbour, with the railway viaduct in the background
This is a shot of the viaduct from Balbriggan Beach with the former lifeboat house beneath one of the viaduct arches
This is the best of the railway scenes. An excellent shot of a Class 201 diesel rumbling across the viaduct light engine.
In this view of the harbour at night an unidentified train is crossing the viaduct
Here we see a train crossing the subway from Convent Lane just to the north of Balbriggan station
And in this unusual ground level view looking from the top of High Street, a Class 201 is on the rear of a train working in push-pull mode