Collection

Rural and Urban Modernisation

9 items

1m 39s

Rural and Urban Modernisation

Brenda Malone, Curator of Military History at The National Museum of Ireland, discusses the contrasting aspects between rural and urban modernisation in the Irish Free State, from the development of electricity and the Shannon Scheme to potato blight in Connemara and coracle making near the River Boyne. This film is part of The Irish Independence Film Collection – The Early Irish Free State that explores facets of Irish society after the War of Independence and up to the birth of the Irish Republic.

11m 51s

Irish Co-operative Gathers Peat

In this 1920s newsreel, an Irish co-operative digs, stacks and gathers turf. It is an activity involving the whole community - even the local priest is involved in overseeing the sacks of turf loaded onto a barge before being transported by canal. The crew work tirelessly to load a barge. ‘Rathangan’ is inscribed on the side of the barge and a man waves an ‘Up Kildare’ flag in shot. The turf is possibly extracted from the Bog of Allen – a large, raised bogland stretching over 5 counties in Ireland. In the 19th and early 20th century, non-agriculturally viable bogland was Ireland’s primary indigenous fuel resource. It is estimated that 6 million tonnes of sod turf was produced in 1921. In Ireland today a focus has shifted to a more environment-friendly energy production and there has been an attempt to restore Irish boglands. This film is part of The Irish Independence Film Collection – The Early Irish Free State that explores facets of Irish society after the War of Independence and up to the birth of the Irish Republic.

1m 21s

Sandycove Gala

It is Summer, Dublin, 1923 and this newsreel shows the footage of annual Sandycove Gala and Dun Laoghaire Regatta in full swing, with some additional shots of Pembroke Cricket club in Sandymount. The crowds are dressed in their finest attire to cheer on participants, a man conducts a group of boys playing instruments and swimmers bravely dive into the Baths. The delighted winner then poses for camera. The Forty Foot open sea bathing area lies close by, with reference made as early as 1838 to hot and cold water baths in Sandycove. It is still a popular spot for a sea swim in Dublin.

3m 39s

Wonderful Western Islanders

This short documentary depicts the lives of the inhabitants of the Aran Islands off the coast of Galway in 1924. The opening title notes: ‘Remote from civilisation, unique in custom, these hardy Arran (sic) islanders eke out an existence from barren and rock-bound soil’. This short film, made about ten years before Flaherty’s epic Man of Aran, is probably the earliest surviving film of the islands. It presents a multi-faceted portrait of island life showing locals going about their daily routines: cattle are tied to a curragh and rowed out to a waiting steamship; rowing islanders are photographed by visitors to the island; island men participate in the game of stone throwing (ag caitheamh cloch nirt). A breath-taking sequence shows 4 islandmen roped together and scaling a rugged cliff face. These men were known as cliffmen and may have been trying to catch birds or steal their eggs. While elders are busy battling the elements and rural life, some children express delight at the visiting camera. This film is part of The Irish Independence Film Collection – The Early Irish Free State that explores facets of Irish society after the War of Independence and up to the birth of the Irish Republic. Aran historian Dr Deirdre Ni Chonghaile has identified sequences on all three of the Aran Islands Inis Meáin, Inis Oírr and Inis Mór.

3m 37s

Connemara’s Appeal

Following the War of Independence, the Civil War and economic depression, Ireland was in a ruinous state. Between 1923 and 1924, wages were cut by 16%, the old age pension was reduced by 10% and a seven day working week was introduced. For farmers, especially in the west of Ireland, harvests were particularly poor and animal stocks died in large numbers due to hunger related diseases and turf, the main fuel resource could not dry due to the wet damp weather. By the beginning of 1925, hundreds of thousands of people were in dire need. In this newsreel we get a glimpse of some of the struggles people in Connemara (considered one of the most impoverished regions) experienced. The conditions were so dire that, even with government aid grants of £500,000, these conditions resulted in many deaths and widespread suffering.

46s

The Shannon Scheme

The Shannon (hydroelectric) Scheme was a huge development by the Irish Free State in the 1920s. The aim was to harness the power of the River Shannon (Ireland’s longest river) and through the Ardnacrusha Power Plant in Clare, produce electricity across the country. The Shannon Scheme was officially opened on 22nd July 1929. One of the largest engineering projects of its day, it served as a model for large-scale electrification projects worldwide. Operated by the Electricity Supply Board of Ireland, it had an immediate impact on the social, economic and industrial development of Ireland.

38s

Preparing for the Electricity Era

In this newsreel from 1929 the dawn of a new Ireland can be seen with the Shannon Scheme paving the way for new kind of energy. In a dramatic fashion Master Vincent Bowen presses a plunger to detonate explosives to blow up the 120 foot chimneys of the Carrick-on-Suir Creamery. The Shannon (hydroelectric) Scheme was a huge development by the Irish Free State in the 1920s. The aim was to harness the power of the River Shannon (Ireland’s longest river) and through the Ardnacrusha Power Plant in Clare, produce electricity across the country. The Shannon Scheme was officially opened on July 22nd 1929. One of the largest engineering projects of its day, it served as a model for large-scale electrification projects worldwide. Operated by the Electricity Supply Board of Ireland, it had an immediate impact on the social, economic and industrial development of Ireland.

2m 06s

A Bygone Craft

This 1931 newsreel depicts Irish men making a coracle, a hide-covered boat used for salmon fishing. . The boat-making process is demonstrated to camera, from creating a base with twigs, to weaving the structure and covering it in animal hide for waterproofing. Men then push the coracle out onto the River Boyne and lay fishing nets. The intertitle tells how the Boyne is ‘the only place in Europe where such hide boats are still in use’. This film is part of The Irish Independence Film Collection – The Early Irish Free State that explores facets of Irish society after the War of Independence and up to the birth of the Irish Republic.

1m 36s

St. Patrick's Country

The story of the Irish patron Saint, Patrick is explored through footage of his adopted homeland in picturesque Northern Ireland. This 1935 film from the Pathe Pictorial cinemagazine series depicts the village of Raholp, Co. Down, where St. Patrick grew up. The narrator tells how very little has changed in the sleepy village since the saint’s childhood – a man thatches the roof of a cottage, a woman fetches water from a well, children feed calves, a farmer herds cattle and a young boy walks with a goat along the road to Saul, where St. Patrick first preached Christianity in Ireland. Downpatrick Cathedral features next; where legend has it, St. Patrick is buried. This film is part of The Irish Independence Film Collection – The Early Irish Free State that explores facets of Irish society after the War of Independence and up to the birth of the Irish Republic.