IFI Irish Film Archive

Derry Election Day

Year1913 Duration57s ProducerTopical Film Company

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.

In this newsreel the Ministry and members of the Republican Party who opposed the Treaty stand for the camera after contesting the policy of the Free State Party at the elections in 1922. On 14th January 1922 a meeting of the members elected to the House of Commons of Southern Ireland was held at the Mansion House, Dublin. At the meeting the Anglo-Irish Treaty was ratified by the Irish side and a Provisional Government was elected. Michael Collins was appointed its Chairman and the Provisional Government took up office two days later on January 16th 1922 when the British administration handed over Dublin Castle to Collins in person. The Treaty, which would replace the Republic as a dominion of the British Commonwealth, was signed on December 6th. De Valera was not happy with the signing of it as he had stipulated that regardless of the outcome the delegates should not be pressured into any agreements and should return to consult with the cabinet and him, their President. After the Treaty was narrowly ratified, de Valera and a large majority of Sinn Féin T.D.s left Dáil Éireann and Arthur Griffith was elected President.

44s

Irish Free State

This newsreel, which is predominately text based, declares that “after centuries of strife, Britain adds a contented New Dominion to the Crown”. The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed between Irish and British negotiators in London at 10 Downing Street, and would determine the future of 20th century Ireland. British Prime Minister David Lloyd George threatened the Irish with “Immediate and terrible war” should they decide not to accept The Treaty. Michael Collins signed it as he believed it would be either a dominion and peace or a Republic and war. The Treaty was signed at 2.20am on December 6th 1921. Irish delegates seen at the end of the Newsreel, include Mr Arthur Griffith {Left} and R.C Barton {Center}, “agreed to an arrangement whereby all Ireland – except Ulster- becomes a Free State”.

9m 35s

Housing Discrimination - Trish McAdam Filmmaker Playlist

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. Shot in 1953, this film highlighted housing discrimination practiced by the unionist-controlled council in the town of Fintona in County Tyrone. It outlines the inequalities faced by the poorer, and usually nationalist, inhabitants, and details how new council houses are being given to unionist residents who are in less need of the houses than nationalists. It argues that the discrimination is motivated by the desire to maintain a majority of unionist voters in certain constituencies. Housing Discrimination was produced by the Information Division of the Irish Department of External Affairs (now the Department of Foreign Affairs) and was allegedly partly shot using a hidden camera. In 1954 it was distributed in Britain by the Anti-Partition League, which prompted the Northern Ireland provincial government to complain to the British government, asking it to lodge a complaint with the Irish government. The film is interesting for a number of reasons; its originator (effectively the Irish government), its subject matter (housing discrimination in Northern Ireland), its argument (discrimination represents a conspiracy against the people of Ireland by a ruling group acting in concert with the British government) and its language (virulently Irish nationalist and anti-British). With kind permission of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

3m 48s

The Trial of Roger Casement

This newsreel contains various segments, the first short item capturing crowds gathering on Bow Street Magistrates Court waiting to hear the outcome of the trial of British diplomat turned Irish nationalist Sir Roger Casement. Only one piece of footage of Casement himself is known to exist, and for this Topical Budget’s newsreel, cameras had to improvise as his dramatic downfall played out. Arrested on April 21st 1916, hours after landing on the Kerry coast in a German submarine and just three days before the Easter Rising began in Dublin, Casement was whisked away to London to stand trial for treason. He was executed on August 3rd , his fate sealed by the discovery and distribution of the legendary ‘Black Diaries’, which contained accounts of his homosexual activities. His body was buried in quicklime at Pentonville Prison and his remains not repatriated to Ireland until 1965. The remaining segments include Sir John Maxwell inspecting the troops in the Trinity College grounds in May 1916 as well as soldiers stacking up Rifles and Pikes at Islandbridge Barracks.

6m 16s

Mr. Alfred Byrne Lord Mayor of Dublin

In this sound newsreel the Lord Major of Dublin, Alfred (Alfie) Byrne, discusses Anglo-Irish relations and the prospect of a United Ireland in this speech from 1936. Seated comfortably in an armchair in a garden and wearing his mayoral chain of office, Mayor Alfie Byrne assures Pathé Gazette viewers that there is no serious animosity between the North and South of Ireland and recommends removal of the border (which he refers to as a ‘festering sore’). He criticises the abusive political language of both unionists and republicans as, according to him, it ‘will not bring prosperity’, and finishes his speech by expressing his dream of a border-free Ireland in the near future. Alfred Byrne was a working politician who served ten times as Lord Mayor of Dublin. 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.

54s

Michael Collins

“Our Cameraman was there”. Michael Collins endorses the Anglo-Irish Treaty to an audience gathered at the Grand Parade in Cork City, where he receives an enthusiastic reception. It’s not too long before the crowd is seen surging backwards as several men begin to fire their guns in the crowd. This is the same footage that’s featured in “The Great Cork Treaty” newsreel. Michael Collins described The Treaty as “the freedom to achieve freedom”. In practice, The Treaty offered most of the symbols and powers of independence. These included a functioning, if disputed, parliamentary democracy with its own executive, judiciary and a written constitution which could be changed by the Oireachtas. Although a Republic was not an option at the time, The Treaty still afforded Ireland more internal independence than it had possessed in over 400 years, and far exceeded the most optimistic goals of the Home Rule movement.