Three Kisses

In this short drama, a promising young hurler from the fictional village of Ballykilly is invited to play for his county.

A fictional young hurler (Colm Gallagher) embarks on a courtship with a lively camogie player with whom he shares three chaste but charming kisses. When his hurling prowess catches the eye of the local trainer his sporting life takes a turn for the better. The film interweaves real and dramatised elements, as Colm visits the rain-sodden streets of Cork city and the offices of the county team where he meets the legendary Cork manager Jim “Tough” Barry and later plays a county match in Thurles, Co Tipperary. The film was produced by Paramount Pictures for distribution in the US where it was well received. The Cork Examiner however in a review in July 1956 deemed it ‘a Farce’ and ‘hardly a true representation of the Irish scene’!

Three Kisses is part of The Oscar® Collection: A Selection of Irish Academy Award® Nominated Short Films. It was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Short Subject, One-reel in 1955. To see more from this collection, click here.

This film is also part of Children on Film. To see more from the collection, click here.

IFI recommendation: 8+