The Benjamin Gault Collection

Benjamin True Gault (1858-1942) was an American conservationist and ornithologist. Gault visited counties Cork and Kerry to observe, record, and film wildlife in the mid-1920s. During 1925 and 1926, he recorded striking footage of seabirds and wildlife. He also captured the people of the Blasket Islands and Dunquin as they went about their daily lives, farming, church-going and dancing in the streets. The collection is 680 feet long (207 meters).

After returning to the US, this footage was held in the Chicago Academy of Sciences, alongside bird and plant specimens collected by Gault on his expeditions. The film was left untouched until it was rediscovered in 2011. This was initiated by Micheál Ó Mainnín from Ballyferriter whose interest in the material was sparked by tales which his grandfather recounted of Gault’s visit.

The IFI Irish Film Archive, San Francisco Silent Film Festival, and Chicago’s Academy of Sciences partnered to restore the nineteen 35mm nitrate camera negatives. The film contained no titles, so descriptive titles have been created to indicate shooting locations, and actions taking place in the footage. The material was scanned at 6K resolution, and digitally restored. Following digital restoration, a new safety 35mm negative and 35mm print were created. These preservation elements are held in the San Francisco Silent Film Festival Collection at the Library of Congress. A live screening of the film was also presented at the Blasket Centre, Dunquin, County Kerry in 2023 to local attendees.

To celebrate UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2024, we are delighted to release The Benjamin Gault Collection on the IFI Archive Player. The beautifully restored footage is available to watch anywhere in the world and includes musical accompaniment by Dingle natives Aoife Granville (fiddle, flute) and Deirdre Granville (harp).