She Didn't Say No

▶

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.

▶

30s

Penneys: Spring into Summer

Advertisement for Penneys summer range in which a girl flicks through images of clothes, admiring the different outfits on sale.

▶

26m 21s

Irish Gossamer

This innovative film made by Colm Ó Laoghaire corresponds the beauty of Irish-made fabrics with the breadth of colour and texture displayed in the Irish countryside. Commissioned by the Irish tourism board Bord Fáilte to entice visitors to Ireland, this visually-stunning short takes the viewer on a journey through Ireland in 1958 looking at Irish life and landscapes. The work of designer Irene Gilbert and fabrics produced by The Crock of Gold and Gaeltarra Éireann are juxtaposed with scenes of rural beauty all around the country. The film also presents cityscapes in Limerick, Galway and Dublin and exciting activities including the Tóstal Festival, the Spring Show, a hurling match at Croke Park and the Horse Show. The texture and warmth of the visuals are complemented by a soundtrack provided by Radio Éireann Light Orchestra. Irish Gossamer won an award at the Kelowna Film Festival.

▶

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.

▶

30s

Sunbound Holidays: Go Sunbound

Images of a sunny holiday resort and friendly staff entice Irish tourists to book a Sunbound holiday and ‘make the most of your holiday’.

▶

31s

Club Orange: Big O

Roller-skaters skate through a park, a surfer falls from his surfboard, swimmers hold hands in the sea, a wind-surfer prepares to set off, all intercut with shots of a bottle being opened and bubbling over. The strapline concludes: ‘Let the big O flow’ and the music lyrics repeat ‘Let the big O flow, Club Orange’.