‘How to Spell Leitrim’: One filmmaker’s cinematic love letter to his new home in Leitrim

“Oh, does it really exist? Nobody has ever been there — or Leitrim, could you spell that for me?”

While living in Dublin, these were the kinds of things Markus Plawszewski would hear when his partner’s native Leitrim came up in conversation. 

The slagging was light-hearted, but it didn’t really make sense to Markus, a German film-maker who moved to Leitrim earlier this year.

Why would Leitrim be mocked for being small or less populated than Sligo or Roscommon? They all seemed small to him, coming from a town in south-west Germany with a population of 350,000 — and a three-lane motorway constantly filled with cars and lorries in transit.

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“You can say it is only slagging, but I think under all the slagging, there is some core belief from the people who are slagging. Leitrim is competing with 25 or 31 other counties, and I think there may be a problem with how Leitrim is perceived.”

Despite Leitrim being much rainier and quieter than his hometown — and his partner and their two kids experiencing a 20-hour blackout in their first week — they are enjoying life here.

Markus’s experience of the county has been one of beauty and warmth. “Usually people don't let you stand to the side; they include you,” he says.

He wanted to show a little bit of that to the rest of the country, and being a filmmaker by trade, he decided to do so in the best way he knew - through storytelling.

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‘How to Spell Leitrim’ was born.

The ten-part series of short documentaries Markus is releasing on Facebook showcases some of the county’s most unique features. He has had thousands of interactions on the page so far, he says.

So far, he has released a video about ringforts in Sessiagh, the Tullynaskeherny Plateau near Manorhamilton, and is now working on finding a miner to help with a video on the Miners’ Way in Arigna.

“I want to just capture those places, tell the stories and legends around them,” he says, enjoying the excuse to learn more about the county - going places he mightn’t have gone otherwise and meeting its people.

He releases small teasers before each full video goes up on the Facebook page How to Spell Leitrim.

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Upcoming videos will feature Sheemore Cross outside Leitrim Village and Eagle’s Rock in the Glenade Valley, and he has plenty of other ideas for places to cover but he is looking for suggestions from locals on what to cover next. 

Markus has experience filming promotional content for big brands and has also worked on the major Netflix series Wednesday. 

He was on site during filming in Wicklow and had the opportunity to look over Tim Burton’s shoulder while he worked. Much of that series was shot in Ireland, showing off the country in a big way, but Markus says he’s happy right now to shine a light on Leitrim.

“I am going to do my little part here in Leitrim to give it some of the centre light. Leitrim is undervalued from what I can tell, and it surprises me because Leitrim has so much to offer.”