Irish boxing film put forward for Oscar nomination

A movie about an Irish boxer is in the running for next year’s Academy Awards.

‘Rocky Ros Muc,’ which focuses on the career of Galway light middle Sean Mannion, has been included in the longlist for Best Documentary Feature at the 2018 Oscars – the 90th edition of Hollywood’s premier awards night.

The film is one of five Irish documentaries on the 170 strong list and is also the first ever piece nominated that prominently features the Irish language – with Mannion, who hails from the Connemara area, being a Gaeilgeoir.

Michael Fanning’s feature follows Mannion from leaving Ros Muc and emigrating to South Boston in the 1970s where he rose through the ranks in boxing and came into contact with the notorious criminal underworld of the city. Mannion eventually fought for the WBA light middleweight title in 1984 against the fearsome Mike McCallum in New York, but his life after boxing has been fraught with difficulties.

The shortlist for the awards will be announced on Tuesday January 23rd next year, with the glitzy event taking place in LA on Sunday March 4th.