Song for a Raggy Boy (2003)

Song for a Raggy Boy – a co-production of companies in Ireland, Denmark, Spain and the UK - is a historical drama (based on a true story) set in Ireland in 1939. It is the story of a young teacher (William Franklin) who is hired to teach at St Jude’s Reformatory School – a home for “difficult” boys, run by the Catholic Church. Here is some basic information about this drama which premiered in 2003:

** Director: Aisling Walsh

** Writers: Aisling Walsh & Kevin Byron Murphy

** Based on a book and a screenplay by Patrick Galvin

** Released on DVD in 2007

** Run time: 100 minutes

The cast can be divided into two groups:

# 1. THE ADULTS

** Aidan Quinn as William Franklin – teacher

** Iain Glen as Brother John – prefect (in charge of discipline)

** Marc Warren as Brother Mac - teacher

** Dudley Sutton as Brother Tom – teacher

** Stuart Grahan as Brother Whelan - teacher

** Alan Devlin as Father Damian – headmaster

** Simone Bendix as Rosa – William’s girlfriend in Spain

# 2. THE BOYS

** John Travers as Liam Mercer # 636

** Chris Newman as Patrick Delaney # 743

** Andrew Simpson as Gerard Peters # 458

** Bernard Manning as Rodgers # 855

** Robert Sheehan as O’Reilly # 58

** Caoimhin “Tojo” Bara Doherty as Murphy # 388

** Samuel Bright as Ryan # 126

** Mark Butler as Downey # 913

** Michael McGee as Lynch # 76

** John Collins as O’Connor # 252

** Michael Scott as Flynn # 144

** Robert White as Galvin # 544

** Michael Sloan as Sean Peters # 568

Patrick Galvin (1927-2011) was an Irish poet and singer and the author of several books; some of them are auto-biographical. His book about life in St Jude’s Reformatory School was published in 1991. Later he turned his book into a screenplay, hoping that his book could be turned into a historical movie. This finally happened in 2003.

At the school, each boy is given a number. When Brother John, who is in charge of discipline, talks to a boy, he will (almost) always use the number and not the name. The purpose is to rob the boy of his identity. He is only a number. Not a person with a name.

Brother John and his colleagues do not treat the boys as human beings. According to Brother John, the boys respect only one thing: strength and physical force. When he punishes a boy, which happens quite often, he will claim it is God’s will that this boy is being punished.

William Franklin, the new teacher, is the only teacher at the school who is not a monk. He has a special background: he fought in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). He was a member of the International Brigades who fought on the side of the Republicans against the Nationalists who were led by General Franco.

While in Spain, William met a Spanish woman Rosa, who became his girlfriend. When the Republicans lost the civil war, Rosa was captured and executed as a prisoner of war. William was also captured, but since he was a foreigner, he was not killed; he was merely expelled from Spain.

William and Rosa are seen in brief flashbacks to the Spanish Civil War. It is a wonderful and painful memory for William.

At the school, William is the only teacher who treats the boys as human beings. At first, the boys are surprised. They have never met a teacher like him. After a while, they begin to respect him; not because they are afraid of him, but because he respects them and because they like him.

As you can guess, a confrontation is building up between William and Brother John, who is a ruthless and brutal character. Brother John tells Father Damian to fire William. This does not happen. Father Damian is the headmaster and he supports William, but he cannot stop Brother John’s brutality, because the prefect has the support of Church leaders who are above Father Damian in the Catholic hierarchy. The conflict is escalating.

This is how the story begins and this is where my presentation ends. If you want to know what happens to William Franklin, Brother John and the boys at St Jude’s Reformatory School, you will have to watch the drama (or read the book) all the way to the end.

What do reviewers say about it? On IMDb it has a rating of 76 per cent, which corresponds to (almost) four stars on Amazon. If you ask me, this average rating is too low. Why?

The script is well-written and the actors play their roles well, not only the adults but also the boys. The story is captivating, dramatic and often highly emotional. In addition, it is based on a true story.

Since this movie is about brutality against children, I cannot say you will enjoy it. But I think you can appreciate it, because this story deserves to be told, even if some scenes are very unpleasant to watch.

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

PS. The following historical movies deal with the same topic in different countries and different decades:

** Abandoned (2001) – set in Hungary in 1960

** The Magdalene Sisters (2002) – set in Ireland in the 1960s

** The King of Devil’s Island (2010) – set in Norway in 1915

** Und alle haben geschwiegen (2012) – set in West Germany in the 1950s. This movie is based on the book Schläge im Namen des Herrn by the German reporter Peter Wensierski (2006, 2007)

** The Day Will Come (2016) – set in Denmark in the 1960s

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