Businesses across Limerick city are gearing up for the release of the Hollywood film 4 Kids Walk into a Bank, which saw Liam Neeson filming in Limerick ahead of its release this April.
The production filmed at several locations across Limerick city, with sightings of Hollywood actor Liam Neeson bringing a “buzz” to the area.
Shane Gleeson, who runs several Spar shops across Limerick, saw his store on Glentworth Street turned into an All-American “Mini Mart” for the production.
Despite losing some trade from the streets being closed for filming, Mr. Gleeson said, “I thought it was well worth it, I was delighted to be involved. It was just fun from start to finish.”
The shop was able to open during breaks in filming, reducing the loss of income for the store, with Liam Neeson himself popping in for his lunch: “He queued up and he got a sandwich like everyone else. I think the girls behind the counter weren’t sure what to do or say.”
Mr. Gleeson described how, in the typical Irish way, “people didn’t say anything other than ‘how’re ya Liam?’, people were so normal with him. There was nobody treating him like a God or anything. They just treated him normally. He just wandered in and wandered out, and there was no big deal.”
The staff plan to make a night out of the film’s release to celebrate their involvement.
Castletroy College principal, Brian O’Donoghue, described it as a “really exciting” opportunity, and is also hoping to host a screening for the students and staff who got involved in the filming as extras.
He’s looking forward to students and staff getting together, “having fun watching it, recognising the locations around the school, and recognising the students and the teachers in the background.”
Mr. O’Donoghue described the whole experience as “great craic – we’d great fun on the day; there was just a great buzz inside in the school.”
David Costelloe, the CEO of Sarsfield Credit Union turned “City Grand Bank”, said the filming brought “great excitement” to the area, adding: “Our members and staff certainly got a great kick out of it.”
Paul C Ryan, regional film manager at Film in Limerick said the movie is “the biggest and most complicated production ever to film in the city streets.”
“I can’t wait to see Limerick on the big screen, doubling as the United States in the 1990’s and to celebrate the hard work of all the local business and crew who did such an amazing job.”