IFI Irish Film Archive

Sinn Féin Rising Liberty Hall Part 2

Year1915 Duration1m 06s

This newsreel, although titled as Part 2 of the Sinn Féin Rising, does not initially show any of the Rising nor the aftermath, but rather showcases a Viceroy arriving off a boat and being greeted by a cheering crowd. This was most likely Ivor Guest (Lord Lieutenant, Viscount Wimborne) arriving in Belfast in 1915. The newsreel ends with some shots of soldiers riding horses down what appears to be a street in Dublin, intercut with some scenes from the Rising footage seen in Part 1.

This Newsreel from December 8th 1921, highlights are a variety of shots starting with the before and after scenes at the Mansion House, Dublin, where Éamon de Valera made a statement that he cannot recommend acceptance of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. “But Dublin’s attitude is obvious” as crowds cheer on the arrival of Mr. Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins, who both signed the treaty two days prior at 10 Downing Street. Sir James Craig (First Prime Minister of Northern Ireland) can be seen arriving in a car at Ulster Parliament to “Attack the Treaty”. The newsreel ends with a procession of prisoners triumphantly posing and cheering following their release, in what appears to be in a family carriage.

22s

Lord Wimbourne in Ireland

This short newsreel shows the arrival of Lord Wimbourne on a ship to Ireland. The newsreel is intercut with scenes of O’Connell street that were taken prior to the 1916 rising and reused in various other newsreels from the Pathé Collection. Ivor Churchill Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne, known as Lord Wimborne from 1914, was a British politician, and one of the last Lords Lieutenant of Ireland, serving in that position at the time of the Easter Rising.

2m 04s

Sinn Féin Rising Liberty Hall Part 1

This newsreel from April 1916 shows the devastation caused to Dublin city center after the Easter Rising. From the destruction of Liberty Hall at Beresford Place to the collapsing buildings on O’Connell street this is one of the most eye opening newsreels from the Pathé collection highlighting the aftermath of the rebellion. The 1916 Easter Rising, also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week, April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans to end British rule in Ireland and establish an independent Irish Republic while the United Kingdom was heavily engaged in the First World War. It was the most significant uprising in Ireland since the rebellion of 1798, and the first armed action of the Irish revolutionary period.

4m 30s

Trouble in Ireland

This newsreel is a compilation of events that happened in Ireland between 1916 and 1922. The order of the events is not presented sequentially but it gives a glimpse of the level of military presence and destruction in Ireland (predominantly Dublin city) during this time. The first segment shows British soldiers leaving Athlone Barracks following its takeover by General Sean MacEoin in the summer of 1922. Following this, soldiers are shown setting up barbed wire fences near City Hall, Dublin,and then in Dun Laoghaire horses are being groomed near Martello Tower. In the last segment, circa 1916, the devastating impact the Easter Rising had on O’Connell Street is shown, the destruction of many buildings can been seen as the camera slowly pans the main thoroughfare as pedestrians wander around the street. A shot of the first issue of ‘Irish War News’ can be seen, displaying the date April 25th 1916, this was printed in the GPO by Drogheda businessman Joe Stanley.

40s

Irish Crowds Welcome Markievicz After Release

This newsreel shows a huge crowd filling the streets of Dublin to welcome Countess Constance Markievicz back after her release from prison. Markievicz is seen standing in a car and waves as is it drives down Westland Row and Brunswick Street, flanked by a mass of people parading alongside her in celebration of her return. Constance Markievicz, known as Countess Markievicz, was an Irish Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil politician, revolutionary nationalist, suffragette and socialist. A founder member of Fianna Éireann, Cumann na mBan and the Irish Citizen Army, she took part in the Easter Rebellion of 1916where she received a death sentence, but was given amnesty in June 1917 and returned to Ireland the same month.

1m 27s

City of Terror

In this compilation newsreel from 1920, we see the first pictures from Derry , soldiers on the streets during the War of Independence. “The aftermath” intertitle shows us the devastation the Civil War had on Dublin, showing the many shelled and gutted buildings, many of which can be seen being pulled down by workers to avoid them from collapsing on someone. Michael Collins can then be seen, in footage that appears to be from 1921, giving a speech to a large crowd of people outside the Mansion House in Dublin following the signing of the Anglo Irish Peace Treaty. The final segment is of Rory O’Connor, an Irish Republican activist, seen giving a speech to the Dublin City Brigade at Smithfield, April 1922.