Best of Dublin - Eva Birthistle's Dublin Essentials

“I’m actually a Bray girl – I spent my childhood either on the beach or in the amusements there – but I’ve loved discovering the area where Bad Sisters is filmed.”
We were going to give Eva Birthistle a hard time for not being a dyed-in-the-wool Dub, but she’s just redeemed herself.
“Sandymount Strand is a great place to blow away the cobwebs and we shot in Gibney’s in Malahide, which is a lovely pub with loads of atmosphere.”
De-cobwebbing completed in Sandymount, she likes to head into the city-centre.
“One of the first things I did when I arrived back in Dublin last week was go to Grogan’s for a pint of Guinness and a cheese and ham toastie,” Eva enthuses. “There’s always really interesting people in there and artwork on the walls.

Grogans. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

Just around the corner from Grogan’s is a restaurant called Coppinger which is absolutely delicious.”
We’ll second that with the Lamb Belly Flatbread; Provencal Mussels; and Garlic and Chilli Gambas a la Plancha all comprehensively hitting the spot recently when we managed to bag a table in the Bereen brothers’ newly reactivated eatery.
In addition to Bad Sisters, Eva has also written and directed Kathleen Is Here, the follow up to 2020’s Katheleen Was Here short, which continues the story of the titular teenager who goes into foster care when her mother dies.
Although not actually appearing – the budget didn’t quite extend to that! – the Kardashians manage to weave their way into the engrossing plot.

Coppinger

“During the writing experience, I discovered a 15-year-old American girl who was in foster care and putting out these video diaries,” Eva explains. “I was very struck by how candid she was. The Kardashians were becoming incredibly big and I started to think about their and Kathleen’s worlds crossing over. What’s it like for someone in care – or coming out of care – to be confronted by these people portraying their ‘perfect lives’ on social media?
“Following the London and Galway premieres, we got to show Kathleen Is Here to a Dublin audience last night which felt special because we filmed in Balbriggan and most of the cast and crew are from here,” she continues. “It was in the Lighthouse, which is a cinema I’ve always loved and wanted to do something special in.”
A must-watch, Kathleen is played with supreme nuance by Hazel Doupe, a 22-year-old Dublin actor who also features in Disney+’s new Troubles-era drama, Say Nothing.

Hazel Doupe in Kathleen Is Here

“We held a casting session and brought in a bunch of young actors to read for the part,” Eva says. “They were all brilliant but Hazel, as you can see on screen, has something special. She told me how much she’d connected with the script and needed to play the role. I could tell she’d really sat with it and invested in the storyline. She brought all of that to her performance in such an understated, powerful way. To be honest, it really knocked me sideways!”
Playing the mother figure that Kathleen gravitates towards is Ballinteer’s very own Clare Dunne. Is she an old pal?
“No, I’d never met her but had seen her wonderful film, Herself. Clare’s writing and performance were both spectacular. She completely embodies the character of Dee. Those big eyes and empathy – I thought Kathleen would totally fall in love with somebody as open and kind as that. So, it was perfect casting all round.”
As we’re chatting, I can’t help but notice Eva’s amazing ‘Notions’ necklace.
“Deirdre O’Kane gave it to me before the premiere,” she reveals. “I didn’t know the jeweller, Margaret O’Connor, before and now I’m mad about her and want to see more of her pieces.”
Also worn by Kate Moss, Debbie Harry, Lady Gaga, P!nk, and The Pillow Queens, O’Connor hails from Co. Clare but used to run the Hugh Lane Gallery in Parnell Square so we’re claiming her!
“Dublin has always been an exciting city but the buzz at the moment is off the scale,” Eva concludes, honorary Northsider status now confirmed.

• Kathleen Is Here is on general release now and coming to streaming platforms in the near future

• Featured in Hot Press "Best of Dublin" available down below