Collection
Gearrscannáin ón gCartlann
21 items
While feature films in Irish are currently enjoying huge international success, shorter films in the Irish language have been a staple of big and small Irish screens for generations. A vast, multi-faceted body of work exists and is preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive.
It includes dramatised public information films produced simultaneously in Irish and English by the National Film Institute in the ‘40s and ‘50s; a selection from over 250 issues of the Amharc Éireann newsreel produced by Gael Linn for cinema exhibition between 1957 and ’63; cinema shorts, some Oscar-nominated, made by Louis Marcus in the 1970s; longer form works made by Loopline Films, Louis Lentin and Margo Harkin for television and the scores of award-winning live-action and animated films made in more recent times.
Gearrscannnáin draws together a wealth of short film material, sound-tracked as Gaeilge and demonstrating the loveliness and liveliness of the language across a range of film forms.
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9m 00s
A heart-warming tale of a young girl’s encounter with Princess Grace of Monaco on her visit to Ireland in 1961. Marion agus an Banphrionsa shows that for a lucky few, dreams can come true.
Courageous Marion steps in front of Princess Grace’s car as it drives through her village. She presents her with a bunch of roses , and the Princess embraces her in her arms. In adulthood, Marion realises a lifelong dream and travels to the Principality of Monaco to experience the magical meeting again.
This tale reveals how a seemingly small childhood encounter can have a lifelong impact just as a visit to the country of her forebears made a lasting impression on Princess Grace. The film interweaves archival footage from the 1961 royal visit with dramatized sequences of Marion’s story and footage of modern-day Monaco.
This film is part of F-Rated: Short Films by Irish Women.
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59s
The ‘Bowl of Light’ or ‘The Thing’ as it was more commonly known, is removed from O’Connell Bridge after a controversial 10-year tenure. It was installed in 1953 and not 1963, as noted in voiceover and subtitles.
Baineadh ‘Babhla an tSolais’ nó ‘An Rud’ mar a tugadh air go coitianta, ó Dhroichead Uí Chonaill tar éis tréimhse chonspóideach 10 mbliana.
Produced by Gael Linn, Amharc Éireann (A View of Ireland) is Ireland’s first long-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.
With kind permission of Gael Linn.
Léirithe ag Gael Linn, ba í Amharc Éireann (A View of Ireland) an chéad sraith dhúchasach de nuachtríleanna fadbhunaithe in Éirinn. Dháiltí iad ar phictiúrlanna ar fud na tíre leis an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn. Idir 1956 agus 1964, léiríodh 267 eagrán de na nuachtríleanna le taispeáint sa phictiúrlann.
Le caoinchead ó Gael Linn.
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8m 36s
Father Joe Dunn introduces Ranafast, the Gaeltacht area in the Rosses region of Donegal, telling us: “We hear a lot about the vanishing Irish, the flight from the land, and the depopulation of the Gaeltacht. But the little village has not suffered any depopulation, particularly during the summer months when the famous Irish college is in operation.”
The film, with a voice-over in Irish, presents the activities of students who come to St. Brigid’s Irish college to learn about Irish language and Irish culture. While they are there to study Irish the students also enjoy many leisure activities during their stay. The views of the local countryside and contact with nature are a big attraction for students raised in the city and we see a group of young people swimming in a sea pool and playing football in a field. Others sit around a dinner table listening to a Seanchaí (traditional Irish storyteller) telling a story, but the high point of the summer is the céilí, where students overcome their shyness and develop a sense of camaraderie.
Radharc was an independent production company established by Father Joe Dunn, Father Desmond Forristal and other like-minded priests to make programmes for television and non-theatrical exhibition. Between 1961 and 1996 they made over 400 films in 75 countries on social, political and religious issues.
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10m 00s
Louis Marcus’s observational documentary Páistí ag Obair (Children at Work) watches children learning through play in Irish Montessori schools in the 1970s.
A voiceover, in both Irish and English, explains the Montessori method which celebrates the importance of play in developing children’s potential. Children are seen in classrooms playing with Montessori materials which promote reasoning and judgement. These charming sequences are accompanied by jaunty jazz music from French flautist Raymond Guiot.
The three schools featured in Páistí ag Obair are Tigh na nÓg, Blessington; St Kieran’s School, Bray; and The Children’s House, Stilllorgan.
Páistí ag Obair is part of The Oscar® Collection: A Selection of Irish Academy Award® Nominated Short Films, along with another of Marcus’s documentaries Conquest of Light. It was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short in 1973.
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13m 25s
Tired of his dead-end supermarket job, Yu Ming (Daniel Wu) decides to learn Irish and leave his home country of China for a new life overseas.
With a simple spin of a globe he decides that Ireland will be his new home. When he researches Irish culture and learns that Gaelic is the country’s official language, he studies hard to master it before setting off. He lands to discover nobody understand him. Feeling lost and frustrated he walks into a bar and befriends an older Irish-speaking gentleman (Frank Kelly) who directs him down a better path.
Yu Ming Is Ainm Dom was shortlisted for an Academy Award and won at least 18 awards at a range of international film festivals .
With kind permission of Daniel O’Hara.
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9m 31s
One of a series of public information films directed with verve and humour by actor/playwright Gerard Healy, this film was commissioned by the Department of Posts and Telegraphs in the impoverished years of the 1950s, in an attempt to encourage Irish spendthrifts to mend their frivolous ways.
The film’s intention was to encourage people to save in the Post office, to help provide security for their family, for a holiday, old age or in the event of an illness.
The viewer is given many examples of how people are careless with money, a housewife wastes food and electricity, a young woman fritters away her earnings on hats and magazines, and a bachelor puts his money on horses, greyhounds and into the barman’s pocket. The film includes evocative scenes of O’Connell Street and the GPO as well as the hustle and bustle of Moore Street Market in 1952.
This film was one of a series of informational films produced by the National Film Institute (now IFI) in both Irish and English versions. The cast of talented, bi-lingual actors would shoot their dialogue scenes in Irish and then in English (or vice versa) and two versions were then edited, titled as appropriate and released in theatrical and non-theatrical venues such as cinemas, schools and clubs.
With kind permission of An Post.
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54m 00s
In 1937, ten young men between the ages of 13 and 23 migrated from Achill Island, Co. Mayo to Kirkintilloch, near Glasgow in Scotland to work in the potato fields. Tragically, on the night of their arrival, a fire swept through their makeshift accommodation claiming all of their young lives. This documentary investigates the Kirkintillock tragedy and considers the plight of migrant workers over the years.
This one-hour drama-documentary has won numerous awards including Second Prize Gold Plaque WorldFest Heuston, Certificate of Creative Excellence US International Film and Video Festival, John Healy Award and overall Media Award Carrick-Gold Festival.
With kind permission of Dr. Ronit Lentin.
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14m 50s
A young man (Joe Lynch) contracts tuberculosis to the dismay of his wife (Joan O’Hara) and to the shame of her aunt (Marie Keane). He recovers following a long spell convalescing in a Tuberculosis sanatorium.
A public information film infused with tension and humour directed by actor/playwright Gerard Healy, this dramatized film looks at the treatment of TB in Ireland and was designed to encourage people to have regular health check-ups and to reduce the social stigma associated with the disease. The film opens with a young man believing he has a cold but when it lingers, is prevailed upon by his wife to see a doctor. The doctor diagnoses TB in its early stages, a disease which was widely associated with poverty and lack of hygiene, and which greatly upsets Aunt Mary. The young man’s case is followed through all the stages of treatment until he leaves the sanatorium restored to his normal good health. The film ends with statistics on governments efforts to reduce TB including building of new sanatoria in Dublin and Galway.
TB was a scourge that ravaged Ireland for much of the last century killing over 10,000 people a year with more than half of them children. This highly infectious disease thrived in crowded tenements in Dublin’s inner city and in the poorly ventilated and thatched cottages in the countryside. By the early 1950s, public awareness, new treatments and improvements in medical care saw the death rate from TB drop from 4,306 in 1943 to 1,600 in 1952. By the end of the 1950s the epidemic had been eradicated.
This film was one of a series of informational films produced by the National Film Institute (now IFI) in both Irish and English versions. The cast of talented, bi-lingual actors would shoot their dialogue scenes in Irish and then in English (or vice versa) and two versions were then edited, titled as appropriate and released in theatrical and non-theatrical venues such as cinemas, schools and clubs.
With kind permission of The Department of Health.
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12m 10s
A beautiful baby boy is born to an overjoyed mother. There is just one problem – his head is on backwards.
Cúilín Dualach is the comedic yet inspirational tale about a young boy who lives a happy life but is not always accepted by those around him. He is the apple of his mother’s eye, but his father is embarrassed by him and shows him little affection. In a bid to win over his father he competes in the National Swimming Championships and wins gold. However, he is disqualified due to his condition and his medal is revoked. Cúilín isn’t too bothered as he has achieved his real purpose and goal in life: the love and pride of his father. This heart-warming animation teaches us to accept and celebrate our differences rather than judging them.
Directed by Nora Twomey, whose work on later features, The Secret of Kells and The Breadwinner, earned Academy Award nominations.
This film is part of F-Rated: Short Films by Irish Women.
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1m 14s
In the Abbey Dance Hall in Drogheda, a group of ladies from six counties compete in the finals of a beauty contest to be crowned Miss Mannequin 1961.
I Halla Damhsa na Mainistreach i nDroichead Átha, ghlac grúpa ban ó shé chontae páirt i gcomórtas ceannais áilleachta le bheith ainmnithe mar Miss Mannequin 1961.
Produced by Gael Linn, Amharc Éireann (A View of Ireland) is Ireland’s first long-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.
With kind permission of Gael Linn.
Léirithe ag Gael Linn, ba í Amharc Éireann (A View of Ireland) an chéad sraith dhúchasach de nuachtríleanna fadbhunaithe in Éirinn. Dháiltí iad ar phictiúrlanna ar fud na tíre leis an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn. Idir 1956 agus 1964, léiríodh 267 eagrán de na nuachtríleanna le taispeáint sa phictiúrlann.
Le caoinchead ó Gael Linn.
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19m 32s
A neglected and overworked housewife reaches her record-breaking point.
Attempting to break a world record, mother and wife Clare is determined to live in a tree for 32 days. In her absence, her reluctant husband is forced to take on the heavy burden of her domestic duties. Meanwhile, despite the obstacles of torrential rain, loneliness and missing Coronation Street, Clare ploughs gamely on. But as she proceeds towards her goal, the strains on her marriage are beginning to show.
This humorous film, written and directed by Audrey O’Reilly, explores traditional gender roles and demonstrates the value of an occasional shake-up. This film is part of F-Rated: Short Films by Irish Women.
With kind permission of Edwina Forkin.
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1m 09s
Students from Trinity College take to the streets of Dublin to protest nuclear bomb testing.
Thug mic léinn ó Choláiste na Tríonóide aghaidh ar shráideanna Bhaile Átha Cliath chun agóid a dhéanamh i gcoinne tástála buamaí núicléacha.
Produced by Gael Linn, Amharc Éireann (A View of Ireland) is Ireland’s first long-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.
With kind permission of Gael Linn.
Léirithe ag Gael Linn, ba í Amharc Éireann (A View of Ireland) an chéad sraith dhúchasach de nuachtríleanna fadbhunaithe in Éirinn. Dháiltí iad ar phictiúrlanna ar fud na tíre leis an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn. Idir 1956 agus 1964, léiríodh 267 eagrán de na nuachtríleanna le taispeáint sa phictiúrlann.
Le caoinchead ó Gael Linn.
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52m 00s
Hidden Treasures is a four-part documentary series examining the history of Irish folklife. The series combines restored 16mm field recordings (produced by the National Museum of Ireland from the 1950s to the 1970s) with contemporary recordings of traditional rural crafts and rituals. These images emphasise the self-sufficiency of rural householders and craft specialists, as they utilise everyday materials to make practical objects for use in their daily lives.
Episode one explores the traditional craft of boat-making in Ireland – from small wicker coracles to sturdy wooden currachs which are still used in parts of Ireland today.
Hidden Treasures is part of The Loopline Collection Volume 2.
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1m 09s
P.J. Holland, a judge from Wales, inspects the coats and assesses the quality of the fur of hundreds of chinchillas.
P.J. Holland, breitheamh ón mBreatain Bheag, ag déanamh scrúdú ar na cótaí agus ag déanamh measúnú ar cháilíocht an fhionnaidh atá ag na céadta sinsilí.
Produced by Gael Linn, Amharc Éireann (A View of Ireland) is Ireland’s first long-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.
With kind permission of Gael Linn.
Léirithe ag Gael Linn, ba í Amharc Éireann (A View of Ireland) an chéad sraith dhúchasach de nuachtríleanna fadbhunaithe in Éirinn. Dháiltí iad ar phictiúrlanna ar fud na tíre leis an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn. Idir 1956 agus 1964, léiríodh 267 eagrán de na nuachtríleanna le taispeáint sa phictiúrlann.
Le caoinchead ó Gael Linn.
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13m 00s
The story of a girl, her horse and her desperate struggle to overcome the pain of betrayal and sexual assault.
A young girl (Jemma Harris) sits on her majestic white horse driving him faster and faster as she tries to ride beyond her pain. She is hurt and confused by a disturbing encounter with her grandfather (Mick Lally) when they were alone in a farmyard feeding calves and the moment began to take on sinister, sexual undertones.
Director Sonya Gildea is masterful in her understated depiction of the girl’s dawning realisation of betrayal and in her capture of the power of the magnificent animal which mirrors the power of the young girl’s pain and fury. This film is part of F-Rated: Short Films by Irish Women.
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25m 00s
Rose Dugdale has led an extraordinary life and her unexpected involvement in the IRA and subsequent imprisonment became headline news all around the world in the 1970s.
In this programme she tells the story of how and why she went from being a member of an aristocratic English family to becoming involved in the republican movement in Ireland. In 1974 she was incarcerated, while pregnant, for a botched bombing attempt in Strabane and an audacious art theft in Co. Wicklow. She gave birth in prison and later become one of the first republican prisoners to marry while in prison. She was released in 1980 and lives in Dublin.
This documentary series explores the involvement of women in active service with the IRA in modern times. It tells their personal stories and what impact their actions had on the conflict in Northern Ireland and on politics in the Republic. Mná an IRA is part of The Loopline Collection Volume 2.
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20m 07s
The Oral Irish, a compulsory language exam dreaded by secondary school students, is the subject of this short directed by Paul Mercier.
In a Dublin school, an examiner (Sean McGinley) meets a variety of students to test their proficiency in the Irish language. He encounters low levels of fluency but impressive levels of bravado as memorised answers are regurgitated with more gusto than comprehension. The process soon becomes a test not just for the students but for his patience.
He has just about given up hope when he encounters a troubled young man (Barry Ward) with a firm grasp of the language but little interest in the exam. The film provides a vivid reminder of state exams and Irish school life while packing a memorable emotional punch.
With kind permission of Fiach Mac Conghail.
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52m 30s
This long-form documentary profiles veteran Irish photographer, Colman Doyle, who has documented almost every major historical event in Ireland over a 50 year period.
Directed by James Kelly, this insightful documentary explores Doyle’s vast archive of photographs covering the political, social and economic history of Ireland – both North and South – through the second half of the 20th Century. The film follows Doyle as he returns to shoot photos of West Kerry, reconnects with his early work as a press photographer and takes an in-depth look at the work in his collection over the last few decades.
Colman won many awards throughout his career including PPAI Photographer of the Year, Four Masters, British Press Pictures of the Year and many more. The National Library of Ireland now house over 25,000 photos from his collection.
With kind permission of James Kelly.
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59m 55s
Made to mark the 25th anniversary of one of the most dramatic periods of Northern Ireland history when in 1981 ten men, including elected MP Bobby Sands, starved to death on hunger strike for the right to political status in prison. The events served as a unifying force for Irish nationalists and marked a watershed in the relationship between the British Government and Irish Republicans. The international standing of Margaret Thatcher was affected as condemnation of British intransigence ricocheted around the world. It brought Sinn Féin into electoral politics and greatly influenced their strong electoral position as the largest political party in Northern Ireland today. One of the most extreme protests in prison history is revealed through first-hand accounts of key protagonists and witnesses central to the events of that time.
Ocras, made in the Irish language for TG4 in 2006, is similar to The Hunger Strike broadcast earlier that year on BBC Northern Ireland.
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1m 06s
The most desirable homewares for 1962 are showcased at the Ideal Homes Exhibition in Dublin’s Mansion House.
Tá na hearraí tí is mó a bhfuil tóir orthu do 1962 ar taispeáint ag Taispeántas na dTithe Idéalacha i dTeach an Ard-Mhéara i mBaile Átha Cliath.
Produced by Gael Linn, Amharc Éireann (A View of Ireland) is Ireland’s first long-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.
With kind permission of Gael Linn.
Léirithe ag Gael Linn, ba í Amharc Éireann (A View of Ireland) an chéad sraith dhúchasach de nuachtríleanna fadbhunaithe in Éirinn. Dháiltí iad ar phictiúrlanna ar fud na tíre leis an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn. Idir 1956 agus 1964, léiríodh 267 eagrán de na nuachtríleanna le taispeáint sa phictiúrlann.
Le caoinchead ó Gael Linn.
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11m 00s
‘God is everywhere, Rúbaí. Everyone knows that.’ – Despite her teacher’s declaration, eight-year-old Rúbaí challenges the existence of God in the days before her Holy Communion.
When Rúbaí continues to challenge her teacher and announces to the visiting priest that she is an atheist, she provokes their frustration and leaves them speechless when she cites Charles Darwin as ‘a fella who makes sense’. Enigmatic scenes of this solitary child purposefully digging in the garden are intercut with scenes of her reluctant preparations with her mother for the Communion Day. Her mother is impatient with her classroom defiance and her preoccupation with evolution but ultimately understands what is driving her to behave this way.
This film won many awards including Best Short at the Babel Film Festival in Sardinia. This film is part of F-Rated: Short Films by Irish Women.