Suspended above O’Connell Street across from Jim Larkin’s iconic statue, the two green faces of Clerys’ clock have long been responsible for bringing pairs of lovers in Dublin face to face. The iconic clock, a popular meeting point for city dwellers and people up from the country, has been the starting point of many love affairs – and now the makers of a new documentary are seeking out couples whose great romances started under the minute hand.
Snackbox Films, the award-winning production company that has brought some of the most touching documentaries to the big screen, including The Irish Pub and Older than Ireland, will produce a new feature named Under the Clock. The documentary will tell the story of how Clerys’ clock has been bringing people together since the 1920s while serving as a rendezvous right in the heart of the city centre.
The clock, replaced in 1990 with a new model, has become so popular that the phrase “I’ll meet you under the clock,” became common parlance for many Dubliners. Whether it be the romance of a first date, the joy of meeting loved ones, a nostalgic reunion of old friends or the curious excitement of a visiting tourist, the shorthand and unspecified ‘clock’ could only mean one place.
For some, the clock was a place where people met their first loves, the spot where someone got down on one knee, where city dwellers met rural relatives, or a starting point for painting the town red.
If the Clerys’ clock means something to you, Snackbox Films wants to hear from you.
“We are really keen to feature a large cross-section of people from every county and community in Ireland who used the iconic clock as a place to meet,” says Snackbox co-founder Colm Nicell. “It’s not just the romantic stories we’re looking for, if your memories of meeting under the clock are poignant, funny, inspiring, life-changing or downright crazy, we’d love to hear from you.”
The film’s producers can be contacted via theclock@snackboxfilms.com or by calling (01) 4100500.
