Athy screenwriter gives the low-down on working in TV
Colm Walsh interviews Carol Walsh, his daughter, in Athy Library. Photos: Aisling Hyland
THOSE in the audience at Athy Library on the evening of Thursday 27 June got great insight into what’s involved in writing for television.
The landmark building played host to a public interview with TV screenwriter Carol Walsh, on the back of her recent success with children’s drama . It was held as part of the Homecoming Arts Event in the town last month – a celebration of the creative place that is Athy.
There was a great crowd at the talk – lots of people with lots of questions about writing and how to survive in that industry.
Carol, who grew up in Athy and is based in Dublin, is creator and head writer of which debuted on RTÉ in early April. In RTÉ’s biggest ever drama commission for young people, artistic 13-year-old Louise Edgar has just got the all clear after a year of cancer treatment. But what now? She’s missed out on everything and feels she’ll never catch up with her now worldly, intimating and moreover teenage peers.
That’s until she finds an unlikely new best friend in Jess, the school loner, who inspires her to write up the ‘Live Large List’ and leap headfirst back into life, one item at a time. Whether she triumphs, fails or makes a complete and utter cringeshow of herself doesn’t really matter; Louise is finally and fully living large.
Aimed at 9 to 13-year-olds, the show was mostly filmed in Celbridge, alongside other locations like Kilteel and Maynooth.
Alongside , Carol spoke about growing up in Athy and how friends and characters and places creep into her writing. She also spoke about getting used to rejection.
On the day of the talk, meanwhile, Carol signed a contract for a new project with Amazon Prime.
