Limerick is all set to welcome Hollywood A-Lister for movie shoot

LIMERICK is all set to welcome Oscar winner Russell Crowe to the county as rumours are rife that the Hollywood A-Lister will be shooting scenes of the upcoming movie The Pope’s Exorcist in the county.

The 58-year-old is starring in the film based on real-life figure Fr Gabriele Amorth, a priest who acted as chief exorcist of the Vatican and who performed more than 100,000 exorcisms in his lifetime.

The Julius Avery-directed supernatural thriller is being shot in Ireland. Earlier this month, the Sunday World shared photos of Russell Crowe, who plays Fr Amorth, in the grounds of Trinity College in Dublin wearing black religious garments.

A set has been prepared this week in front of Dromore Caste in the parish of Kildimo-Pallaskenry.

The Gothic Revival style country house, built between 1866-1867, has previously been used as a location for Neil Jordan’s film High Spirits.

Minister of State Niall Collins said it is a great boost for West Limerick that "such a stunning location overlooking the Shannon Estuary is going to be the site for a major film shoot and brought to a worldwide audience".

Mr Collins added: "It is another opportunity to showcase the film industry in Limerick on an international stage coming off the back of the continuing success of Troy Studios.” 

And if Russell Crowe does indeed shoot scenes at Dromore Castle, the minister said he will get a warm Limerick welcome. 

"Following the recent JP McManus Pro-Am we are used to many high profile celebrities coming to the region and this is another one,” said Mr Collins.

It won’t be the first time Russell Crowe has visited Limerick. He struck up a deep friendship with one of Limerick’s most famous sons Richard Harris on the set of Gladiator.

Following Richard Harris’ death in 2002, the New-Zealand-born actor fulfilled a promise to his great friend to watch a rugby match in Ireland and he visited a number of watering holes in Limerick city.

Former Limerick Leader editor Eugene Phelan met Russell Crowe on that visit in 2002.

He wrote of that encounter: "Russell Crowe came to Limerick in 2002 a month after the death of Richard Harris and I got a call that he was in Charlie St George’s having a pint.

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"There was a queue in the pub to get autographs and when I told Crowe I was a local journalist, looking for a quick quote from him, and I would leave him alone, he told me to go and sit at the bar and he would be with me. He left me stew for quite some time and then he beckoned me down some time later and ordered me to buy him a drink and one for his friends.

"I could see straight away this was not going to be easy, but in fairness to him after I bought the drink and he and his friends had a bit of a laugh at my Limerick accent he wrote a tribute to Harris, which he gave me on a serviette.

"It read: 'I love Mr Harris. I miss him deeply. I respect him because of his work, I loved him because of his generosity and I am richer in my soul for knowing him. I came to Ireland to fulfill a promise. That is what men do for other men, dead or alive'.”