07 Galway Film Fleadh - The Dude Abides

One of the indie fixtures here at the Galway Film Fair (the co-production and development market side of the festival) is Jeff "The Dude" Dowd. A producer's rep by trade, Jeff also happens to be the model for The Dude in the Coen Brother's film, The Big Lebowski. Now, the indie film world pretty much all know this, but once in a while it's a trip to be in a place with Jeff when his connection to the film isn't known. The scene: The Dude checks in at the Fleadh. Girl: "Wow! You look just like the guy from The Big Lebowski!" Ah, the innocence of the uninitiated. Of course, like everywhere else in the world (probably) The Big Lebowski has a huge cult-like following here and as word got around, The Dude was swamped. Messages started appearing on the sidewalk:

One evening, as he was introducing himself, Jeff said: "Jeff Dowd. Or the Dude. Or El Duderino, if you're not into that whole brevity thing." Fecking brilliant! And of course, there's the craic:

L to R: "Magic" Johnson of the 15 Second Film Festival, Magners Boston Irish Film Festival producer Dawn Morrissey and The Dude.