A HUNDRED AND FIFTY-EIGHT YEAR-OLD IRISH BOYFRIEND

A hundred and fifty-eight year-old drummer boy of the famous Irish Brigade may soon come back to life on the silver screen as the boyfriend of a present day teenage girl. Of course, he was only fifteen when he died at the Battle of Antietam, so the match isn’t so bad. That’s the plot of a contest winning screen play by a New Yorker now living in West Virginia. Robert Savage’s script is a modern day horror story, set in Sharpsburg, MD, site of the September 17, 1862 battle. His story won the Anything But Hollywood screenplay contest.

That the fictional drummer boy would have died that day is not surprising. It was the single bloodiest day in US military history, and Savage placed him in the 69th NY Volunteer regiment of the Irish Brigade, who attacked the infamous “Bloody Lane” that day.

You can read more about the screen play HERE.

James J. Braddock: Inspiration For the Film 'Cinderella Man'

James J. BraddockHeavyweight boxing champ James J. Braddock was the consummate survivor, and his story is one of the most inspiring in the annals of Irish America. Russell Crowe portrays Braddock in the acclaimed movie "Cinderella Man," directed by Ron Howard and also starring Renée Zellweger and Paul Giamatti. The film, rolled out last June, is sure to grab some Oscar nods next month. WGT's Robert Cassidy looks at the life and times of Braddock, the quintessential "Cinderella Man."

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here.