A documentary about two Irish boys who skipped school to go to New York is coming soon

Incredible.

It's been over 30 years since two Dublin boys hopped on a Dart and ended up in New York city - now their story has been made into a documentary and is set to be released in Ireland soon. The 30-minute-film, called Nothing to Declare, is currently showing in Canada and the US and will arrive here at the Dublin Film Festival next month. It is set to be followed up by a full-length feature film soon. Due to Covid, however, the production of the movie was halted and a short film was worked on in the meantime. Director Garret Daly explained: “We said once we got the two of them back together it would definitely be worth telling the story in a documentary as well." Keith Byrne, who was just 10 at the time, decided to ditch school with his friend Noel Murray, 13, and snuck onto a ferry to Holyhead before embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. The pair ended up in New York City, hoping to meet their hero and leading star of the A-team, Mr. T. Throughout the film, Noel and Keith, now middle-aged, recount the events that unfolded on the day, along with archival footage and reenactments. In an absolutely unbelievable story, the two hopped on the dart to Dún Laoghaire, snuck onto a ferry to Holyhead, avoided ticket checkers and managed to get onto a train to London. From there, they wound up at Heathrow Airport and boarded an Air India plane to New York, telling security and staff that their parents were behind them in the queue. They then made it to JFK Airport and somehow managed to avoid passport checks and visas before their adventure was cut short by an NYPD police officer. The officer became suspicious when the pair asked him the way "into town" and didn't believe their story about meeting their "ma" in the city. While the duo never got to meet Mr. T, they were put up in a gorgeous penthouse suite in a five-star Manhattan hotel and shown the sights New York had to offer before being put on a plane back home. Garret revealed the two have since had a reunion with the cops who caught them via Zoom. “It’s a hilarious tale and you’re almost brought on this journey with them," he said. “It’s been joyous to be there at festivals showing it, because audiences respond so warmly to them as they tell their story. “I suppose it’s the way they tell everything; I was worried how it would translate abroad because they’re two very Dublin guys. It seems to have worked and we haven’t needed subtitles on it." We can't wait to see the full-length film!