IFI Irish Film Archive
Final Say
Duration41s
A clever, tongue-in-cheek advert where gender assumptions are challenged.
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Lord Mayor of Cork Dead
Despite the opening intertitle which refers to activities on the streets of Cork, much of the footage here was filmed in London. The film documents the final journey of Terence Mac Swiney, Lord Mayor of Cork, who died on hunger strike in Brixton Prison on October 25th, 1920. MacSwiney's death was marked by three funeral processions - in London (seen here); in Dublin (where an empty coffin was carried through the streets of Dublin - not seen here) and in Cork where he was finally laid to rest. Opening sequence shows coffin carried by MacSwiney’s brother and others and being blessed by Archbishop Mannix of Melbourne before being placed in horse drawn hearse. Hearse travels through streets of London. Thousands line the streets. Members of the constabulary hold back throngs outside St George’s Cathedral, Southwark where thousands come to pay their respects. Scenes as members of the clergy arrive at Brixton prison. There are some scenes of the funeral procession through the streets of Cork. Terence James MacSwiney was an Irish playwright, author and politician. He was elected as Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork during the Irish War of Independence in 1920. He was arrested by the British on charges of sedition and imprisoned in Brixton Prison in England. His death there in October 1920 after 74 days on hunger strike brought him and the Irish struggle to international attention.
Free State or Republic
Scenes of Polling stations at the Irish general election are shown in this newsreel, where the main issue being voted on was whether the country should remain as a Free State or become a full Republic – the goal of de Valera’s Fianna Fáil party. Crowds of people gather on Marlborough Street and Free state soldiers stand guard at the exterior of a polling station. Inside, men are seen distributing ballots as the count progresses. General Richard Mulcahy, Minister for Defence is returned. At Stephen’s Green Mrs Charlotte Despard, noted republican and suffragette stands and speaks to camera. Ms Despard was sister of former Viceroy Lord French and president of the Women’s Freedom League. Final intertitle introduces young Vivian (sic properly Vivion) de Valera, son of Eamon. Richard Mulcahy was an army general and commander-in-chief for the Irish Republican Army. He later served in the cabinets of W. T. Cosgrave and John A. Costello. He fought in the 1916 Easter Rising, served as Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army during the War of Independence and became commander of the pro-treaty forces in the Irish Civil War after the death of Michael Collins. The uniform of General Mulcahy’s from 1922 is currently held by the National Museum of Ireland.
Cathal Black In Focus - 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. As her final pick for her Filmmaker Playlist, Trish McAdam wanted to highlight the virtual exhibition on the IFI Archive Player of a range of supplementary material within the Paper Collection relating to Cathal Black’s work and career. This material encompasses his role as director, producer and activist. It includes a large number of film stills, posters, programme notes, production notes and letters, all of which are a valuable source of information to students, researchers and anyone interested in learning more about his work. Please go to https://ifiarchiveplayer.ie/cathal-black/ to view the virtual exhibition.
Oisín
In Irish legend, Oisín, son of Celtic warrior Fionn Mac Cumhaill, was a warrior, a bard and a poet. This lyrical film opens with a quotation from Irish mythology where Oisín describes Irish birdsong as ‘the sweetest in the world’ and urges us to ‘stop and listen!’ What follows is a stunning, non-narrated depiction of Irish birds, animals and landscapes. Oisín was commissioned by the Department of Land of Ireland as a contribution to the European Conservation Year. Oisín is part of The Oscar® Collection: A Selection of Irish Academy Award® Nominated Short Films It was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short in 1971. This film is part of The Patrick Carey Collection.
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.
Dermot Bolger - Imprint: Writer in Profile
Novelist and poet Dermot Bolger sits down with Theo Dorgan to discuss his life and work. In particular, he explores the misperception of his writing as 'realism', his establishment of Raven Arts and his admiration of W.B. Yeats. Other topics are discussed including dealing with death and loss, criticism and ‘coincidental writing’. Bolger compares the writing process to a journey undertaken where the destination is unknown. He champions the work of Irish writer Francis Stuart and explores the synchronicity of his writing and current affairs. Imprint, a literature review programme, and its sister show Imprint: Writer in Profile screened on RTÉ1 for three seasons. Both were presented by Irish poet, writer and lecturer Theo Dorgan. Over the course of the Writer in Profile series Dorgan conducted extended, in-depth interviews with a wide range of Irish and international writers including Colm Tóibín, Bernard MacLaverty, Jennifer Johnston, Joseph O’Connor, Michael Longley, Doris Lessing, John Montague, Eavan Boland, Gore Vidal, Richard Ford and Margaret Atwood.