DUBLIN CREATION BALL – Amharc Éireann: Eagrán 80

Set in the lavish surroundings of Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel Ballroom, Lady Valerie Goulding hosts a ladies fashion show to raise money for the Central Remedial Clinic.

The December night was full of glitz and glamour with cocktails, dancing and music provided by 1960s swingers Earl Gill & the Hoedowners. The proceeds made from the night went to support children suffering from polio.

It was the evening’s main event, a competition for the most beautiful dress, that was the highlight of the night. The prize was a highly coveted fur coat and all ladies in attendance could enter, but it was Mrs. Collins who caught the judge’s eye and was awarded by Lady Valerie Goulding. Lady Goulding was a Senator and an Irish campaigner for people with disabilities who set up the Central Remedial Clinic in 1951. It is now the largest national organization caring for people with physical disabilities. Polio was very common in 1950s Ireland. However, in 1957 the polio vaccine was introduced and by the mid-1960s the infection rate of polio had fallen by ninety six percent.

Produced by Gael Linn, Amharc Éireann (A View of Ireland) is Ireland’s longest-running indigenous newsreel series. It was distributed to cinemas throughout the country to  promote the Irish language. Between 1956 and 1964, 267 editions of the newsreel were produced for cinema exhibition.

To see more of the Gael Linn Collection, click here.

With kind permission of Gael Linn.