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Bobby left school at 13 and says his reading and writing isn’t great. The octogenarian fixes clocks and spends a lot of time in his back shed making violins from old furniture in rural Cavan, but he has never lost sight of a lifelong dream to fly.
Enlisting the help of his neighbour, Sean, the two set out to build their own field of dreams, cutting out a runway in Sean’s farm and even building a hangar in this small rural community.
Bobby will get no encouragement from his brother Ernie, another octogenarian in the Coote family home. Ernie thinks the whole thing is daft, but Bobby is determined to take to the skies if it’s the last thing he does.
Following its premiere at last year’s Galway Film Fleadh, The Man Who Wanted to Fly has been the runway success of the festival circuit, and was crowned winner of the audience award at the IFI Doc Fest.