Trivia

Olivia Tracey (Moya) is a celebrity in her homeland for being the only Miss Ireland to become a finalist in the Miss Universe contest. Most famous part of her body — her thighs.

Vying for the title of biggest practical jokester on the Red Roses and Petrol set were the “father and son” team of Malcolm McDowell (Enda) and Max Beesley (Johnny).

Malcolm McDowell (Enda) sang the Irish anthem “Molly Malone” while playing Alex in Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 classic, A Clockwork Orange, and did it again as Enda in Red Roses and Petrol.

Aubrey Morris (the chaplain in Red Roses and Petrol) was in A Clockwork Orange playing Mr. P.R. Deltoid, and has been a friend of castmate Malcolm McDowell (Enda) ever since.

Catherine Farrell (Helen) was unexpectedly cast in her first movie role when director Tamar Simon Hoffs met with her the agent of her brother, Colin Farrell, to discuss a role for him.

The only American member of the Irish/English cast, Heather Juergensen (Medbh) perfected her Irish accent in Pulitzer Prize-winning author-turned-teacher Frank McCourt’s high school class. Of note, McCourt starred as Enda in the stage version of Red Roses and Petrol in 2002.

To assure that the Doyle family all had matching accents, Sean Lawlor (Professor Thompson) recorded each cast member’s dialogues in proper Dublin intonations.

When director Tamar Simon Hoffs interviewed Sean Lawlor (Professor Thompson), he handed her two of his favorite CDs: Swagger and Drunken Lullabies, both by the Irish-American punk band, Flogging Molly. The rest, as they say, is history — Flogging Molly became a key component of the film’s soundtrack!

Olivia Tracey (Moya) and her onscreen daughter, Heather Juergensen (Medbh), rehearsed for the film by hanging out in the kitchen and cooking Irish stew — thus synchronizing their accents.

After meeting with renowned actor/dialect coach Robert Easton about the Irish accents to be used in the film, director Tamar Simon Hoffs offered him the role of Jim.