An Introduction to the Irish Independence Film Collection
An Introduction to The Irish Independence Film Collection.
Ocras
This powerful documentary in Irish examines the history and legacy of the hunger strike by Irish Republicans in the Maze prison in 1981. In this documentary directed by Margo Harkin, the people centrally involved – both inside and outside the H Blocks of Long Kesh prison – reveal the inside story of an event that […]
Killarney Scenes
This colourful, amateur film by Desmond Egan features a range of scenes in the stunning surroundings of Killarney, Co Kerry. Cinematic shots showcase the landscape as the camera pans across lakes, rivers and springs and a mother and daughter enjoy a picnic at the foot of mountains. The traditional Irish craft of wool spinning is also […]
Birds and Beasts
This amateur film, shot in 1946, is a remarkable and nostalgic window into a family day out at Dublin Zoo. Families enjoy the sights and sun and children take a tour of the zoo on top of an elephant. Desmond Egan’s lens focuses on various animals from lions and chimpanzees to pheasants and peacocks. Egan […]
In Wicklow Hills
This short amateur film sees two of Desmond Egan’s daughters taking a stroll along a country lane in Wicklow as the Sugar Loaf Mountain towers in the background. The Sugar Loaf is located between Delgany and Kilmacanogue and, at only 501 meters high, its volcanic appearance and isolation from other hills make it appear much […]
Harvest
This superb documentary, shot by avid amateur filmmaker Desmond Egan in 1946, explores antiquated harvesting methods used in remote areas of Ireland. From horse and cart to manual tilling of the land, Harvest proposes a more profitable and efficient way of working that would result from investing in machine technology. Desmond Egan was a skilled […]
By Corrib Waters
This amateur documentary on the stunning surroundings of Lough Corrib and the Cong River in Connemara is considered to be one of Desmond Egan’s finest films. At the junction of the Cong River and Lough Corrib stands Ashford Castle – now a luxurious hotel but formerly the residence of the Ardilaun family. Framed by the […]
Ireland’s Golden West
An early travelogue made by the Irish Tourist Association (later Bord Fáilte and now Fáilte Ireland) to promote Galway as an attractive tourist destination. The film provides a scenic history of Galway city and its immediate surroundings. In warmly glowing colours the treasures of Galway city are shown: Eyre Square, the campus of University College […]
Kathleen Lynn: The Rebel Doctor
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Kathleen Lynn: The Rebel Doctor is a documentary which tells the previously unknown story of an extraordinary Irish woman. Kathleen Lynn was born in County Mayo in 1874 into a wealthy protestant family. As a young woman she was deeply affected by the abject poverty and disease that ravaged the lives of local people in […]
Rory O’More
Inspired by the character of Sir Rory O’Moore, leader of the 1641 Rebellion, this short drama re-imagines the dramatic story of Rory O’More’s (sic). The film depicts his capture and escape from British soldiers, and locates it in the Lakes of Killarney in 1798. Rory flees from English soldiers after he is betrayed by an […]
Miss Dublin Wins Contest – Amharc Éireann: Eagrán 126
In the Abbey Dance Hall in Drogheda, a group of ladies from 6 counties competed in the finals of a beauty contest to be crowned Miss Mannequin 1961. Local beauty contests were very popular in Ireland in the 1950s and ‘60s. Contestants traveled from all over Ireland (including Meath, Kilkenny, Kildare and Dublin) to take […]
Blackwater Holiday
Fresh from their collaboration on the Royal Showband film The One Nighters (1963), Bob Monks and Peter Collinson (The Italian Job) came together to make this modest little film promoting canoe-camping holidays run by the Murphy family of Rathcoole in Co. Cork on the Blackwater River. Blackwater Holiday was made in the summer of 1964 […]