Bono backs Hollywood film studio plan for Dublin

Dublin’s south Docklands could become home to a brand new Hollywood-style film studio if a proposal for the former Irish Glass Bottle site at Ringsend gets the go-ahead.
According to The Irish Times, plans are at an advanced stage and are likely to be announced shortly. It’s indicated that up to 3,000 people could be directly employed at the studio.
James Morris, the founder of Windmill Lane Studios, and film producer Alan Moloney have confirmed they are developing proposals to build studios on the former Irish Glass Bottle site at Ringsend, alongside 3,000 proposed homes.
The plan has been in preparation for nearly five years with an Irish-American consortium and it’s claimed that a number of favourable studies have been completed, including one by KPMG.
Under the plan, which has attracted “positive signals” from studios in Hollywood, 180,000sq ft of studio space, with several individual sound stages – large indoor areas where sets are constructed.
The studios would be constructed on one side of the 80-acre site and it’s claimed that it would not interfere with the existing plans to build 3,000 homes, which sources say can be built on little more than 40 acres.
The project is being backed by U2 frontman Bono, who lobbied the last government in support of the project and has been involved in whipping up support for the Irish location with major studios.
According to an entry in the statutory register of lobbyists, Bono telephoned former Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly to press him to support the studios.
The entry states: “An informal phone call was made in order to promote the idea of a world-class film studio in Dublin.”
The entry was made in the name of Paul Hewson, Bono’s real name.
Vikings is one of the big productions already been filmed in Ireland
Morris and Maloney say they had been “actively pursuing” the plan for “a world-class film studio for some time”.
“We are delighted to have the support of Bono, who has been a tireless campaigner for the creative arts, for investment in Ireland – and has a global reputation in the creative industries,” they said.
“We should also point out that Bono has no financial interest whatsoever in this proposal.”
Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board has welcomed the plan, saying that there is “an urgent need for increased studio infrastructure”.The proposal has also received the backing of The Audiovisual Federation which said Ireland now has “an opportunity to build on the recent successes at the BAFTA Awards and the Oscars”.
The latest development follows plans to turn the former Dell Factory in Castletroy, Co Limerick into a state-of-the-art film and TV studio. The project would add 70,000 sq feet of studio space to that already available in Ireland.
Ardmore studios in Wicklow has been on the lookout for additional studio space after being forced to turn away work in the past year because of capacity constraints.