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Back Darkest Truth Save as PDF
Chapters (54)
  1. COVER
  2. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  3. DEDICATION
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. EPILOGUE
  54. Acknowledgements

I was too wired to watch TV or read. I needed a minor project to occupy me, nothing too demanding, but enough to tire me out and quiet my thoughts. I went back downstairs to the study and checked the 1998 programme again. I typed ‘Daniel O’Brien Cork Film Festival Education’ into Google.

Nothing showed up so I tried ‘Daniel O’Brien’ on its own, then ‘Dan’ and ‘Danny’. Lots of hits, but the photos didn’t match. Then I remembered that Jessica had said she thought the man’s name was Donal, the Irish for Daniel. Maybe there was a typo in the programme? I tried ‘Donal O’Brien Cork Film Festival Education’. Then I tried Domhnall, the other way of spelling Donal. Nothing.

I tried Domhnall and Donal with the surname in Irish too, O’Briain, instead of O’Brien. Still nothing on general searches so I tried all the names on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. And got nothing. There were numerous men with the same name but no matching photographs, and no mention of Film, Education or Cork Film Festival in the work histories.

I poked out the 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000 catalogues. No Daniel O’Brien. No anybody O’Brien. It looked like he had only worked there that one year, 1998, and there was nothing in the printed 1998 programme about him except his name listed as education officer. I didn’t know if he was originally from Cork, but if he had only worked there for one year it made sense that the festival didn’t appear in searches against his name. What made less sense was that he wasn’t showing up at all. Daniel O’Brien, the other adult male in the workshop photograph with Jeremy Gill and Deirdre, seemed to have vanished.

You can find anyone on the internet. People don’t just disappear. Unless he was dead? At his age, it was unlikely. But if he was dead, he might show up on rip.ie. He didn’t.

There was bound to be a simple explanation. All I had to do was talk to someone who had worked with him in 1998: fifteen years ago. None of the staff listed in the 1998 programme were still employed by the festival. Even Alice, who was almost an institution, had only been there for ten years, so there was no point in asking her. Not that she would have had time to talk. It was after 8 p.m. With the opening film starting at 8.30, she was sure to be busy.

But I had worked as a volunteer in 1998, organised by a co-ordinator who might remember the Education Officer. Marie was her first name, I remembered, but I had to check the catalogue for her last.