Browse

Travelogue

Films in Travelogue

16m 00s

Beara

An exploration of the wild desolation of West Cork, Beara is a landscape film featuring the unique flora and fauna of the Beara Peninsula off the coast of Cork. The film begins with a slow zoom in on the Beara Peninsula on a map of Ireland. What follows is a breathtaking depiction of nature. Raging waterfalls, stunning water reflections, turbulent waves, sea cliffs, bathing birds and nesting puffins form some of the striking imagery of this film. This film is part of The Patrick Carey Collection.

2m 16s

Beau Guest

This beautifully-animated short made in 1956 takes a humorous approach to the promotion of tourism in Ireland. Next to agriculture, tourism was Ireland’s biggest industry and this short film highlighted its benefits for everyone in Ireland. Made for Bord Fáilte, the Irish tourist board, by Irish advertising agency O’Kennedy-Brindley and British cinema advertising company Pearl and Dean Productions, this quirky animation encourages Irish people to keep their locality tidy and to be welcoming and professional at all times. An amusing scenario contrasts the violent reception given by the Celts to Viking invaders with the warm welcome we now give to visitors. Humour is also used to help visualise the positive impact tourism has on the economy as a whole. It’s not just those in the hospitality industry that benefit from tourism, but a host of other professionals; from bakers , to farmers, to factory workers. The message is that if everyone helps to provide a good experience in whatever area they are in, we will all benefit from those who “return for the hearts they left in Ireland”.

22m 14s

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 and features commentary by Frank Hall. The film follows the adventures of a group of boys from England and continental Europe all set to enjoy the holiday of their lives in county Cork. The many outdoor activities include canoeing along the Blackwater, songs and stories around the campfire, a trips to Fair Day at Kanturk , Bridge End Abbey and the caves of Gortmore. Happy memories and firm friendships are made on this enjoyable holiday. With kind permission of Matt Murphy.

31m 13s

Céad Míle Fáilte

The Irish title translates as One Hundred Thousand Welcomes and that is what awaits the visitor to Ireland in this short film produced by the Film Unit of the National Bus Companies and presented by the Irish Tourist Board. Opening with a 1916 rebel singalong in 'the smoke-filled atmosphere' of the Dublin’s Abbey Tavern the film then begins a pleasant bus journey winding through a host of sun-washed Irish towns and villages and happens upon a wealth of historic ruins dating back to early Christian times. Céad Míle Fáilte presents a warm and welcoming country and promotes the joys of exploring it on a comfortable and efficient Irish bus.

10m 29s

Dublin, Capital City of Ireland

This silent tourism film made for the Irish Tourist Association (the precursor of Bord Fáilte and Fáilte Ireland) provides a warmly-hued panorama of 1940s Dublin. Dublin is presented as a city of romance and contrasts which has survived countless changes through a thousand years of history. On this particular day Croke Park was packed to capacity as Limerick took on Kilkenny in the 1940 All Ireland Hurling Final. Going into the city centre, Dublin trams can be seen passing through a busy O’Connell Street, past Nelson’s Pillar (now home to The Spire) towards Bank of Ireland on College Green. The infamous Moore Street Market is a hive of activity, full of busy shoppers looking for a bargain, in complete contrast to the tranquil gardens of Stephen’s Green, where people are sprawled out on sun loungers making the most of a blissfully sunny day. As the film proudly states, “to the visitor, it is a city of pleasure offering every amenity for enjoyment and happiness”.

14m 33s

Glamour of Galway

Galway old and new, is captured in glorious colour in this 1957 Bord Fáilte (now Fáilte Ireland) tourism film produced and directed by Colm Ó Laoghaire. Situated on the west coast of Ireland, Galway is one of the largest cities in Ireland and boasts a complex history dating back to medieval times. The film highlights the city’s many wonderful historic buildings and points of interest such as market days, picturesque thatched cottages, the Taibhdhearc Theatre, the Galway Blazers hunting club and the electric atmosphere at the world renowned Galway Races.

28m 56s

Golf in Ireland

This film, aimed at golfing enthusiasts, shows two of Ireland’s most famous golfers Christy O’Connor and Jack B. Carr playing on various golf courses throughout Ireland. Made by Robert Monks Film Services for Bord Failte Ireland in the 1970s this promotional film highlights the landscape and climate that makes Ireland so suitable for golf. A wealth of golf courses around Ireland are showcased, with the beautiful Irish countryside providing an unmatched backdrop for the game. J.B Carr represented Ireland in numerous amateur golfing events throughout his long career. In 2007 he was elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame in the Lifetime Achievement category followed by Christy O’Connor (or “Wristy Christy” as he was also known) two years later. Both golfers dominated Irish Golf throughout the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s and were revered as national heroes who famously took on international giants and beat them.

5m 49s

Ireland in a Horse Drawn Caravan

Experience the beauty of the Irish countryside in a horse-drawn caravan. This 1974 film highlights the many unique experiences that await tourists when they travel through Ireland in a horse-drawn barrel-top caravan. Accompanying three young holiday-makers on their leisurely journey around Ireland, the viewer experiences the country the way it should be experienced, at a slow and gentle pace.Whether it’s cooking over an open fire, stopping for a pint, or a sing-song in a traditional Irish pub, tourists can enjoy a holiday clip-clopping along at their own pace. Just don’t forget to feed your horse.

25m 58s

Ireland in Spring

Ireland is beautiful all-year-round but spring is when it really blossoms. Produced by Colm O’ Laoghaire (director of the Amharc Éireann newsreels for Gael-Linn) this film is a celebration of all things Irish and a delightful window on 1950s Eire. The film focuses on An Tóstal (Irish for “The Pageant”) which was a series of festivals and events established in 1953 to celebrate Irish culture and draw more tourists to the country. The wealth of events and happenings the country are shown. In Dublin President Sean T. O’Kelly launches a parade featuring flower-festooned floats from Aer Lingus while outside The Pale we see Gaelic football and hurling, fly fishing in Lough Corrib, and a traditional music festival in Ennis. The film was produced in 1957 for Bord Failte Éireann and released in 1958. An Tóstal events were hosted around the country from 1953 until 1958 when they ended everywhere except in Drumshanbo in Co Leitrim where an annual festival still takes place today. The local pride engendered by An Tostal inspired annual clean-up plans which were formalised into the National Tidy Towns Award, which is still going strong.

10m 54s

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 Galway, the Church of St. Nicholas and the Galway Races. The film also features remarkable scenes of the thatched cottages in The Claddagh Village, one of the oldest fishing villages in Ireland, located just outside the city walls where the Corrib meets Galway Bay.

9m 03s

Maidens in Distress - The Roy Spence Collection

This delightful film documents a trip by ferryboat to the Maidens lighthouse on the little island of Magee, Co. Antrim, to deliver essential supplies to the lighthouse crew. Shortly after this movie was shot, the lighthouse became fully automated and the need for this service disappeared. Roy Spence is an award-winning amateur filmmaker. For the past 50 years, Spence has been making and screening a series of remarkable and sometimes eccentric films in his cinema in Comber, Co. Down. The films span many genres from sci-fi to horror to folk-life documentaries shot between 1965 and 1986. His collection of over 40 films (13 documentaries/non-fiction and 29 fiction feature films) is held and preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive.

22m 03s

Once Upon a Tram

Take a nostalgic trip along the beautiful Dublin coast, escaping the hustle and bustle of the city while enjoying the clatter and clang of the old Howth tram. This gentle film, directed by John Sarsfield and James Maguire and narrated by Cyril Cusack, records one of the last journeys of the Howth Tram, as it passes through the village, past the golf club and along the coast – a most elegant form of transport from a bygone era. Constructed in 1901 the line serviced Howth Head and was run by the Great Northern Railway (Ireland). It was designed to bring visitors to the seaside villages of Sutton and Howth both located along the North Dublin coast. The tram line was officially closed on 31 May 1959 and the route was replaced by CIE buses. Four of the trams survive today with one on display at the National Transport Museum of Irelandj right beside Howth Castle near its former terminus. With Kind permission from Maeve Maguire.

16m 46s

Portrait of Dublin

This short film was made by filmmaker (later archivist) Liam Ó Laoghaire (aka Liam O’Leary) and was commissioned by the Cultural Relations Committee of the Department of External Affairs. The film was designed to promote the city of Dublin to its inhabitants and to potential visitors from abroad. Brendan Stafford’s crisp black and white cinematography serves the city’s elegant architecture well while the narrator tells of the city’s cultural, literary and architectural history and its many venerable inhabitants. The elegant Georgian squares, the bustling markets, the tranquil parks and the sparkling nightlife present a city that is vibrant, cultured and steeped in history.

21m 00s

Reflections - Ireland

Reflections – Ireland is a stunning, non-narrated tourist film with accompanying music by Paddy Moloney and The Chieftains. Many of Paddy Carey films depict a scarcity of civilisation, an untouched landscape, but here he treats the viewer to the beauties of landscape interwoven with a vivid tapestry of human activity: anglers in a lively river; bird-watchers at work; sheep farmers; horse riders; seaweed gatherers. A nighttime sequence shows people gathering in an unidentified village for music in a cosy pub. This film is part of The Patrick Carey Collection.

14m 01s

The Irish Riviera

This early example of a state-sponsored promotional film was made in 1936 and showcases the sunny south coast of Ireland and everything it has to offer to a first-time visitor to Ireland. Made by the Irish Tourist Association, the film briefly visits Cork City showing that from the busy shopping centre of Patrick’s Street, to the Bell tower of Shandon, Cork is an eclectic, vibrant city. It then lingers at the remote outposts of Mizen Head, Garnish, and Dunquin, as the province of Munster is further explored. The viewer discovers the variety of cultural influences the Spanish Armada had on the south of the country, and learns that only a few miles off the shore of Kinsale, Lusitania (the ocean liner destroyed by a German submarine in World War1) sank 20 years prior to this film being made. A particular treat for audiences is a visit to the Blasket islands, where we see the residents take a boat out to the mainland. Unfortunately, as a result of persistent emigration, the population of the Blaskets declined and was eventually abandoned in 1953 when only 22 inhabitants remained.