BY SALLY COLLINS
AN Italian man living in Cork has started a weekend filmmaking project telling the stories of the county on screen.
Dario Cascio, originally from Sicily, began his YouTube channel The Sicilian Wanderer last September, and has since posted over 50 videos.
He moved to Ireland in 2012 and has been in Cork for four years. In his videos, Dario tells stories of local figures and landmarks, and has visited West Cork on his travels, because he is particularly taken with the local scenery.
His video stories alternate between Cork and his homeland of Sicily.
Dario says that Ireland and Sicily have similar stories as they both fought a struggle for independence during the 1800s. The similarities between them were recognised during that time, with one Irish newspaper writing an article about Sicily’s fight for freedom in 1848. He says that they are both ‘one-of-a-kind islands’ and he believes their rich cultures should be celebrated.
Dario finds his information mainly through online research but some stories he just ‘stumbles’ upon.
One of his latest videos is on the famous Ballydehob wrestler Danno O’Mahony. Danno interested Dario because of the effect he had on the immigrant communities in the US and he thinks Danno should be celebrated more.
‘West Cork is one of the most amazing places for visiting and filmmaking,’ said Dario. ‘I think it’s the best segment of the Wild Atlantic Way, and it’s great for kids too.’
Dario posts his videos on YouTube and Facebook, but he isn’t concerned with growth or popularity, he says. For him, it’s all about sharing places and telling stories.
You can find Dario’s videos by searching The Sicilian Wanderer on YouTube.
