Irish Culture

1930s-1960s

Gloucester Street

24th August 2016

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Gloucester Street (which became Seán McDermott Street in 1933) is alive with activity: children play and grapple for the camera’s attention; teachers play school yard games with students and women reluctantly pose for camera. Moments in time are captured in a heavily-populated, inner-city Dublin neighbourhood. The tenement dwellings here were later demolished after Dublin Corporation […]

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Amateur

Magdalene Laundry

24th August 2016

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One of the most notable of Father Delany’s films was made on the grounds of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity Convent and features a Magdalene Laundry (which closed its doors in 1999). In the film we see nuns and residents playing games in the garden, as well as dancing and performing in a […]

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Amateur

Navan Road

24th August 2016

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Navan Road, Dublin, 1948: A family gathers outside their home for an impromptu game of tennis. This rare footage depicts how rural this part of the city was before being developed. Father Jack Delany (1906-1980) was ordained in 1930 at the age of 24 and served as a parish priest in Dublin in the 1930s […]

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Amateur

Castlerea Train Station

24th August 2016

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This short film follows a train journey from Roscommon to Dublin in 1947. When everyone is aboard the train leaves Castlerea Station and the camera captures the stunning landscape of the trip. Castlerea Train station opened on November 15th 1860 and continues to service the Roscommon area today. Father Reid (later Monsignor Reid) acquired his […]

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Amateur

The Cliffs of Moher

24th August 2016

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This short segment of film taken by Monsignor Reid provides scenic views of the Cliffs of Moher. O’Brien’s Tower, built in 1835 by Cornelius O’Brien, a descendant of Brian Boru the High King of Ireland, can be seen in the distance. In 2015, the Cliffs of Moher were listed as UNESCO sites of great natural […]

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Amateur

O’Connell Street, Dublin

24th August 2016

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This short film shows a busy O’Connell Street, Dublin in 1947.  The camera captures the streetscape with the Gresham Hotel, Nelson’s Pillar, the Ambassador Cinema and O’Connell Bridge. Traffic conductors direct double-decker buses while cars and many cyclists make their way down the bustling main street of Dublin. Father Reid (later Monsignor Reid) acquired his […]

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Amateur

Limerick City

24th August 2016

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This short segment of film gives a glimpse of Limerick city in 1947. The camera captures the hustle and bustle of O’Connell Street, the main thoroughfare of Limerick city. It ends with a shot of the Treaty Stone, on which the Treaty Of Limerick between the warring Williamites and Jacobites was signed in 1691. Father […]

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Amateur

Moments in Ireland (1947-1948)

24th August 2016

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This film captures a wonderful mix of locations around Ireland, from the Kinvara Mountains, Garnish Island in Glengarriff, to the Dublin Horseshow (on August 7th 1947). The footage in this piece is some of the most varied and visually stunning filmed by Monsignor Reid. Father Reid (later Monsignor Reid) acquired his first ‘movie’ camera in […]

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Entertainment

Céad Míle Fáilte

24th August 2016

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The Irish title translates as One Hundred Thousand Welcomes and that is what awaits the visitor to Ireland in this short film produced by the Film Unit of the National Bus Companies and presented by the Irish Tourist Board. Opening with a 1916 rebel singalong in “the smoke-filled atmosphere” of the Dublin’s Abbey Tavern the […]

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History

Stamps for the Missions – Radharc

24th August 2016

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At the time of the film’s production, Irish adults and children collected stamps and sent them off St. Stanislaus College in Tullamore ‘for the missions’. This story looks at what happened to the stamps and shows how the clerics from the college meticulously sorted and organised the thousands of stamps so that they could be […]

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History

Sick Calls – Radharc

24th August 2016

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This short film describes the rites and rituals involved in administering the Sacrament of Extreme Unction – also known as the ‘Last Rites’ to people. It shows what preparations should be made at home for the reception of this sacrament. Radharc was an independent production company established by Father Joe Dunn, Father Desmond Forristal and […]

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1960s-1980s

The Village With the Most Vocations

24th August 2016

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The film explores the unusually high number of vocations emanating from the parish of Doon, Co. Limerick. In 1962, when the documentary was made, there were 117 living nuns who were born in Doon. Through a series of interviews with the parish priest, nuns and the children from the local convent school, the Radharc team […]

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