Collection

Ireland Prior The Easter Rising

15 items

38s

Irish Ceremony- View of O’Connell

This short newsreel shows what appears to be an Irish Volunteers parade on O’Connell street in 1915. A large group of people have gathered to see the troops march through the city. The Irish Volunteers, sometimes called the Irish Volunteer Army, was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. It was formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912, and its declared primary aim was “to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland”.

22s

Funeral Victims of Gun Running – Dublin

This newsreel shows the funeral of victims of gun running, following the Bachelor’s Walk massacre on July 26th 1914. A large crowd of Irish Citizen Army members are seen in procession after a hearse. At this time Irish Volunteers (who later became the Irish Republican Army) were actively bringing guns from Germany to Ireland in small boats. The Bachelor’s Walk massacre happened when a column of British Army troops were accosted by a crowd on Bachelor’s Walk. The troops attacked “hostile but unarmed” protesters with rifle fire and bayonets – resulting in the deaths of four civilians and injuries to in excess of 30 more.

32s

Jim Larkin

This newsreel shows a large gathering of people in front of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union building (Liberty Hall) along with Jim Larkin , founder of the Irish Labour Party, ITGWU and the Workers Union of Ireland. This was most likely taken during the Lockout period of 1913 as we see shots of boats arriving with what appear to be supplies from English trade unions for the locked out workers. The Dublin lock-out was a major industrial dispute between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers which took place in Dublin. The dispute lasted from August 26th1913 to January 18th 1914, and is often viewed as the most severe and significant industrial dispute in Irish history. Central to the dispute was the workers’ right to unionise. Jim Larkin was instrumental in bringing about a socialist revolution by establishing trade unions and calling for general strikes.

57s

Derry Election Day

This short Topical Budget newsreel documents the by-election that took place on January 30th 1913, where Nationalist David C.Hogg defeated his Unionist rival Colonel Pakenham by 2699 votes to 2642. This win was a major blow to the Unionists as it meant that the Nationalists held a majority of one seat in the 9 county province of Ulster. This is one of the earliest surviving examples of what would become one of Topical Budget’s most important contributions to recorded 20th century history: its comprehensive coverage of Anglo-Irish matters during a turbulent decade began with the British firmly in control, and ended with Irish independence.

2m 45s

Orangemen Demonstrate

This newsreel is titled the ‘Orangemen Demonstrate’ but the people marching in Belfast are actually the Irish National Foresters and Ulster Volunteers. The procession is followed by a group of women and young girls dressed in dark capes making their way through the city to a stadium where a demonstration is taking place. This footage is believed to be of Sir Edward Carson at ‘Ulster Day’ in 1912, when the Ulster Covenant was signed. The Ulster Covenant, was signed by nearly 500,000 people in Belfast 1912 in protest against the Third Home Rule Bill introduced by the British Government in the same year.

1m 09s

George V and Queen Mary

This newsreel was filmed on July 10th 1911, as King George V and Queen Mary arrive in Dublin. This was the King’s sixth time to visit Ireland but his first as king (having been crowned a fortnight earlier). As the new head of the British Empire, he had chosen to make his first visit to Ireland, and many of Ireland’s loyal absentee landowners had been recalled from London to be present. Given that Home Rule was the burning issue, authorities at the time were concerned about possible trouble such as violent demonstrations and an unfriendly reception. The scenes from this newsreel show some boarded up shop windows, and scenes at the steps of a building in Trinity College show the King and Queen meeting a line-up of elderly veterans and soldiers.

26s

Irish Peace Conference

Contrary to the title of the newsreel, this is not footage from the Irish Peace Conference but rather a scene that was filmed of smartly dressed ladies and gentlemen exiting the Academy Cinema on Pearse street following a ‘Peace meeting’.

1m 48s

Queen Victoria in Dublin 1900

This newsreel from April 4th 1900, shows Queen Victoria arriving in Dun Laoghaire and starting her nine mile journey to the Phoenix Park in open carriage via the Royal Triumphal Archway on Leeson Street. This temporary archway was erected at the city boundary and was built specifically for this visit. The Queen stayed at the Vice-Regal lodge for the next twenty nights, visiting local schools and hospitals and meeting various Irish dignitaries. Her visit was considered a success but was divisive, resulting in a large increase in military and police in Dublin during her stay as well as a zero tolerance policy for protestors.

45s

Vice-Regal Procession

This newsreel shows Lord Wimborne, The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland being received by the officers and men of the Leinster Regiment on their state visit to Ballincurra on 21st August 1915. During this time, those who volunteered in 1914 would have completed their training and would be sent to the Western Front or Gallipoli. Lord Wimborne was a British politician, and one of the last Lords Lieutenant of Ireland, serving in that position at the time of the Easter Rising. He was strongly criticised for not taking sufficient action to help prevent the 1916 Easter Rising.

18s

Arrival of Sir Edward Carson

This newsreel set at the Dockland in Belfast shows Edward Carson and some other dignitaries being driven in an open top car, flanked on both sides of the street by Irish guards. Sir Edward Henry Carson, Baron Carson, from 1900 to 1921, was an Irish unionist politician, barrister and judge. From Dublin, he became the leader of the Irish Unionist Alliance and Ulster Unionist Party between 1910 and 1921, held numerous positions in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom.

1m 06s

Sinn Féin Rising Liberty Hall Part 2

This newsreel, although titled as Part 2 of the Sinn Féin Rising, does not initially show any of the Rising nor the aftermath, but rather showcases a Viceroy arriving off a boat and being greeted by a cheering crowd. This was most likely Ivor Guest (Lord Lieutenant, Viscount Wimborne) arriving in Belfast in 1915. The newsreel ends with some shots of soldiers riding horses down what appears to be a street in Dublin, intercut with some scenes from the Rising footage seen in Part 1.

1m 47s

Lying In State Of O’Donovan Rossa And Soldiers

This newsreel shows the funeral of Jeremiah O’Donovan in August 1915. His wife Mary Jane and daughter Eileen can be seen paying their respects beside his coffin draped with the Tricolour flag followed by some Irish Volunteers, Fianna Éireann. Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa was an Irish Fenian leader and prominent member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. His life as an Irish Fenian is well documented but he is perhaps known best in death for the graveside oration given at his funeral by Patrick Pearse.

1m 32s

State Entry to Dublin Castle 1915

Filmed in Dublin 1915 this footage showsa British representative arriving through the gates of Dublin Castle with the Royal Lancer Cavalry leading the way followed by various horse units.

3m 10s

Dublin Scenes 1915

This newsreel showcases various locations around Dublin (official issue date for this newsreel is 1915). From the Wellington Monument in the Phoenix Park to the Ha’penny Bridge these shots give a real sense of how the city has changed so much and yet not at all. A Union Flag can be seen on the GPO- the same corner where the Irish Republic flag would fly during the 1916 rising.

54s

Saint Patrick's Day – 1917

This newsreel set in London shows the Lord Mayor of London arriving at Saint Patrick’s Church for the celebration of Mass for Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Irish women are seen selling flags in the street to passersby. These women were most likely collecting for charitable organisations, like the London Irish benevolent society, or for Irish War widows and orphans.