Cork film set in world of female boxing packs a punch

Cork’s Páirc Ui Chaoimh is best known for GAA, but it has a long association with boxing too. It was recently used as a film set for Swing Bout, a new movie that delves into the back-stage drama between two swing bout fighters waiting for their chance to enter the ring.

The film is produced by Cork actor Sinead O’Riordan, who also plays one of the head coaches. She says that when budget issues hit, Páirc Ui Chaoimh came to the rescue.

“I was originally going to build a set in Cork, but it was becoming costly, and we couldn’t afford it,” said Sinead.

“When I walked into Páirc Ui Chaoimh, I didn’t think they would agree, but they were brilliant. They said yes, and they were so helpful throughout the shoot.

“We filmed before the GAA season kicked off to work around their schedule. We were blessed.”

The film is written and directed by Maurice O’Carroll, O’Riordan’s longtime collaborator.

“Maurice and I have worked together for years,” she said. “We were shooting a short film, Conversations With My Dead Father, with Ciaran Bermingham, in a graveyard in Crosshaven when Maurice told me about his idea for Swing Bout.

“He had worked on a documentary about boxing before, which featured the Cork boxer Spike O’Sullivan, so he had a real interest in the area.”

O’Riordan loved that the plot was female-driven, but its she knew nothing about boxing.

“I had to do a lot of research and look at it from two angles.

“I had to look at it from the actor’s perspective, and I had to look at it from the producer’s perspective. The producer kicked in first because I needed to get things in motion.

I started looking at what happens backstage, warm-ups, drills, and ring walks.

“Maurice wanted a claustrophobic feel in the set, so I had to understand what we were looking at to factor that into the budget.”

With her other hat, O’Riordan had to prepare for her role as Emma, a formidable coach.

“I had to learn how to coach, so to do that, I had to understand boxing,” she explained,

“Coaches are always a couple of steps ahead of the boxer, and you have to know what moves to call. 

My brain doesn’t work that way, so I got punched in the face during training, but it was OK; the chances of someone getting punched were high.

“Some of the actors had lessons in Dublin, and the Cork cast trained with SBG (gym) in Cork.”

Toni Gale (Ciara Berkeley) and Cork actor Vicki (Chrissie Cronin) play the two main boxers. As swing bout fighters, they aren’t guaranteed a fight. They will only get the opportunity if the main card fighters are unable to fight, but they are gloved up and ready to go from the start, meaning tensions can get out of control during the long wait.

Add financial woes and marital difficulties, and Swing Bout becomes more of a thriller than a straight sports film.

O’Riordan’s character, Emma, is knee-deep in backstage drama and is a force of nature. O’Riordan says she loved playing Emma.

“She is a ball-breaker. I love her. She reminds me of me in the sense that she is determined. Emma knows what she wants, and she will get it.

“I wouldn’t agree with how she operates, but she’s ambitious in a male-dominated industry where she has to work hard to be hard. 

My background was engineering, so I’m well used to male-dominated industries.

Engineering doesn’t usually lead to acting and producing, so why did O’Riordan change careers?

“‘I always wanted to act. I acted as a kid in Cork for years and trained with the wonderful Jacqueline O’Halloran. I wanted to train professionally, but there was just one course in Dublin, and the rest were in London. I couldn’t afford to go to Dublin, let alone London, so I did electronic engineering at home in Cork for four years and was still involved with acting while I was in college.”

O’Riordan moved to California, where she worked in engineering but still dabbled in acting.

“My family and I moved home from the States,” she said. “My youngest son was two, and I decided that I was done not following my dream, and thankfully, it worked out. I might not have been ready if I had gone to London to study.

Acting is a hard profession, and I believe there is a time and place for everything, and now is my time.

O’Riordan set up her own production company and originally produced theatre before moving into films.

As someone who both acts and produces, she has a lot to juggle, but says her recent diagnosis of ADD has helped her understand that her brain needs to be active, and she sees the condition as beneficial.

“I was recently diagnosed with ADD, and that’s why I’m able to work so well as a producer and an actor. I’m very good at fighting fires; I’m resourceful. My mind is always racing, so it sees all the angles, which lets me think creatively.

“When it comes to acting, I can hyper-focus, which is one of the great things about ADD. The hyper-focus side of it is beneficial, but so is the time when your mind is whirling with ideas.”

O’Riordan hopes that Cork audiences, in particular, will the film.

“Swing Bout is made in Cork by a predominantly Cork crew, and we have fine local actors, led by the fearless Chrissy,” she said.

“As much as I want the film to do well nationally, it would be fantastic to see Cork audiences embrace a local film.”

Swing Bout releases in cinemas on September 20, Cert: 15a