Collection
The Early Irish Free State
30 items
The Easter Rising, the War of Independence and the Irish Civil War formed one of the most turbulent political periods in Ireland’s history. The impact of this struggle would define the social and political landscape of the emerging Irish Free State.
The Early Irish Free State Collection leads on from our previous historical release The Irish Independence Collection and explores aspects of the nation. Film production in Ireland was of low political and economic priority during this period and the newsreels, documentaries and cinémagazines in this collection were filmed by the non-indigenous agency, British Pathé. Although this representation of Ireland through a foreign lens offers us a very specific view of the fledgling nation, it also documents aspects of Irish life that may otherwise not have been recorded. We see parts of the country struggling with potato blight, traditional craft-making and the isolated way of life of the western islanders, in stark contrast to modern developments such as the development of hydro-power, manufacturing fairs, the promotion of brand Ireland and finally the beginning of the Irish Border, a concern which would return in this century.
These Irish newsreel stories were not held in an Irish archive until very recently and many had not been made available to the public since their distribution nearly 100 years ago. With the support of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the Irish Film Institute was able to work with the original custodians of these collections (the British Film Institute and British Pathé) in order to repatriate, safeguard and share these vital visual records. By digitising the fragile, original nitrate film prints to high definition format, historians, academics and the public can now witness details not evident in the standard definition versions of the material, previously available.
The Early Irish Free State Collection enlists the expertise of Brenda Malone, of the National Museum of Ireland (NMI), to examine and add context to depicted events, people and locations, many of which were originally missed by non-Irish cataloguers. Additionally, Brenda links artefacts held at NMI, that carve out a broader, contextual historical map of politics, folklife, religion and tourism in the Irish Free State. Through this multiplicity of perspectives we are able to see a nation forging its identity whilst grappling with the legacy of its tumultuous history.
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3m 53s
This newsreel shows enthusiastic celebrations on the streets of Dublin as legislation creating the Irish Republic is passed.
On 18th April 1949, The Republic of Ireland Act came into force. It declared that Ireland may officially be described as the Republic of Ireland and that the President of Ireland had the executive authority of the state in its external relations. This momentous event in Irish history is documented in this newsreel from with a collection of dignitaries including President Seán T O’Kelly and his wife, Lord Mayor of Dublin John Breen, Maud Gonne and Éamon de Valera, arriving at St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral Dublin, for the ceremony. Crowds of people gather on O’Connell Street as the Irish Republic flag is hoisted and a salute is fired on top of the GPO. Celebrations continue as the Irish Army march by, along with Irish pipers, howitzers and armoured cars.
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.
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35s
Large crowds gather on the streets of Dublin as Ireland’s first President, Dr. Douglas Hyde, is installed.
This newsreel from 1938 depicts the military procession that leads Douglas Hyde past the Grand Central Cinema and the GPO on O’Connell Street, Dublin to the Phoenix Park where he is to be installed as President of Ireland. When he arrives at Áras an Uachtaráin he is greeted by Eamon de Valera, Prime Minister, and Seán T O’Kelly, Tánaiste who would succeed Hyde as President in 1945. Áras an Uachtaráin was built in 1751 in Phoenix Park, Dublin. It had been acquired for use by the Viceroys who oversaw British rule in Ireland until 1922 but became the President of Ireland’s official home in 1938.
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.
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57s
This shocking newsreel highlights the “daily terror” seen in Ireland during the War of Independence. This is the aftermath of the shooting of Seán Treacy and British military intelligence officer Lieutenant, Ivon Henry Price on Talbot Street after a gun battle on October 14th 1920.
A group of people stand outside the J. Speidel Butcher shop as three soldiers walk over, just outside lies the bodies of the two men. A man in a trench coat, possibly a detective is seen sending two young boys away from the scene as an armored car and two trucks drive off.
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1m 01s
This newsreel marks a momentous occasion in Irish history, the formal reopening of the GPO on O’Connell Street. President William T. Cosgrave stands alongside T.D.s and Senators on a platform in front of the newly rebuilt General Post Office.
The President addresses the huge crowd that has gathered and the tricolour is raised. Following the devastating destruction of the Easter Rising 13 years before, only the front façade and portico remained, everything else was left in ruin.
The rebuilt GPO had much of its internal layout altered and was nearly doubled in size. The GPO is more than just a place of business it is also a symbol and a reminder of the events that touched the lives of generations of Irish citizens.
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1m 27s
Brenda Malone, Curator of Military History at The National Museum of Ireland, introduces the Irish Free State, emerging from the violence and destruction of the War of Independence.
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.
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2m 06s
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.
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3m 37s
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.
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11m 51s
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.
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38s
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.
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1m 39s
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.
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1m 21s
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.
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1m 36s
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.
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46s
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.
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3m 39s
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.
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5m 15s
Our second IFI Filmmaker Playlist is curated by filmmaker and visual artist Trish McAdam. Since the production of her early shorts in the 1980s, Trish has created a vibrant and varied body of work, embracing a range of forms and subjects and retaining a singular, independent voice. We're delighted to welcome Trish to the Irish Film Institute to select her top picks from films preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive and presented on the IFI Archive Player.
This short documentary depicts the lives of the inhabitants of the Aran Islands off the coast of Galway in 1924.
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; 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.
Aran historian Dr. Deirdre Ni Chonghaile has identified sequences on all three of the Aran Islands Inis Meáin, Inis Oírr and Inis Mór.
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2m 17s
The Eucharistic Congress, one of the largest public events to ever take place in Ireland, occurred between the 22nd and 26th of June 1932. As part of the 31st Congress clergy and lay people from all over the world came to celebrate the ‘Holy Eucharist’ in Dublin. The vast scale of the final Congress mass was filmed by many Irish and international filmmakers and newsagencies and showcased the piety of the Irish people.
A large crowd gather to pray at Phoenix Park, Dublin, as Michael Joseph Curley, Archbishop of Baltimore begins a mass service. At O’Connell Bridge, on a specially erected altar, Papal Legate, Cardinal Lauri gives benediction. O’Connell Street is thronged with people and political figures Éamon de Valera, newly elected president of the executive council, and Minister Seán T. O’Kelly join the devotions.
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.
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14s
This newsreel features a laughing Julia Clarke who fled Ireland after being sentenced to one month in gaol for kissing her boyfriend.
Julia Clarke, from Glasgow, was sentenced by Dundalk Court for kissing her boyfriend on church property at Blackrock, Co. Louth. According to a news article at the time, ‘the local vigilance committee was shocked and the Dundalk Justices were so scandalised that, although Miss Clarke already had returned home to Glasgow, they passed the sentence “with a view to keeping her out of the country for ever”. Her unnamed boyfriend had already appeared before the Court and was ordered to pay a small fine.
Ms. Clarke was the first woman sentenced under Eamon de Valera’s ‘Vice Act’. In this newsreel, she doesn’t appear too worried about the sentence.
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.
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1m 54s
This newsreel shows the Catholic Emancipation Centenary Celebration which took place at the Rock of Cashel in June 1929. This was the first time mass was celebrated on the Rock in 300 years. Count John McCormack, a famous Irish tenor can be seen performing to the enormous crowd during the Mass.
The Rock of Cashel comprises five buildings, the oldest of which, the Round Tower, dates from the early 12th Century. The outstanding Romanesque chapel, named after King Cormac, dates from the same period, while construction on the largest building on the site, the Cathedral, began in the 1290s.
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3m 45s
Brenda Malone, Curator of Military History at The National Museum of Ireland, examines religion in the nation including the performance by famous Irish tenor Count John McCormack at the 1929 Catholic Emancipation Centenary Celebration in Cashel, the 1932 The Eucharistic Congress in Dublin and the case of Julia Clarke (a woman sentenced to a month in gaol for kissing her boyfriend).
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.
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3m 28s
Brenda Malone, Curator of Military History at The National Museum of Ireland, explores the 1937 Irish Hospital Sweepstakes Pigeon Derby in Dublin and a 1929 Civic Week Pageant of Industry in Dublin, showcasing over sixty different manufacturers.
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.
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2m 22s
This newsreel shows a steamship carrying crates of pigeons arriving in Dublin in 1937 for the Irish Hospital Sweepstakes Pigeon Derby.
The crates of birds are unloaded at the Dublin docks , and transported to the Croppies Accre (Collins Barracks), Dublin.. As the excitement builds, crowds gather and people in fancy dress (some dressed as pigeons) stand ready to release the birds. Signs show what clubs the birds have come from – many in the UK. , and the sky fills as the birds are released and scatter to find their bearings. Afterwards, Dublin’s Lord Mayor Alfred (Alfie) Byrne and an unnamed young woman receive gifts of pigeon eggs from a girl dressed in a pigeon suit.
The Irish Hospitals’ Sweepstake was a lottery established in the Irish Free State in 1930 - with tickets sold as far afield as the UK and US - to finance hospitals and medical services.
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.
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1m 23s
Over sixty Dublin manufactures take part in the Civic Week Pageant of Industry in September 1929.
The Parade makes its way through O’Connell street, Corporation Fire engines and brands like “Jacob’s Biscuits” and “Guinness” trucks entertain the crowds as they pass through on floats and trucks.
The first Irish Civic week Pageant launched in September 1929 at the Mansion house. The aim of the week was to give Dubliners a sense of pride and make them aware of various activities of Dublin people. Various events in addition to this pageant were organised including art exhibitions, theatre shows and a Military tattoo.
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2m 29s
This 1931 film from the Pathé Pictorial cinemagazine series features the Lartigue Monorail, running from Listowel to Ballybunion, Co Kerry.
The steam-powered monorail (originally designed by Frenchman Charles Lartigue) operated from 1888 to 1924 and carried passengers, livestock and freight. In this newsreel we can see how the monorail rides along supported A-shaped trestles. Footage from the roof of the train treats the viewer to footage inside the driver’s carriage as well as exciting shots of the train travelling directly towards camera. Passengers disembark and smile at camera and children wave from the carriages. The line was severely damaged during the Irish Civil War and closed in 1924. This footage, dated 1931, is presumably retrospective film before its closure. Today, visitors can visit The Lartigue Museum and experience a trip on a diesel-powered replica of the original monorail.
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.
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2m 30s
A study of the sleepy village of Ennis, Co. Clare, in the 1940s and how Shannon Airport affected daily life in the locality.
While Pathé’s lens focuses on primitive thatched cottages, a narrator describes how Ennis ‘clings to the old ways of life’. A young boy fills a bucket from a street pump and the voiceover tells how ‘water for a wash or a drink still means a long walk for someone’. Shannon Airport is only sixteen miles away and the locals have noticed a change. Cars, once a rare sight in the village, now ‘disturb the peace and quiet’ and hold up traffic on narrow country lanes. 23-year-old hotelier Josette O’Regan, however, anticipated the rise of footfall and marketed The Old Ground Hotel to tourists and airlines.
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.