This film is part of Free
Edward VII Visits Belfast
The King's first visit to Ireland's second city - where he unveils Belfast's iconic Queen Victoria statue.
Overview
The only surviving footage of the King and Queen's visit to Belfast, culminating in unveiling the iconic statue of Queen Victoria. Belfast City Hall, seen behind scaffolds, was still under construction. This print unfortunately survived in poor condition before being archived. Several film companies despatched cameramen to follow the royal tour of Ireland but we're unsure which took these shots.
It's possible that this film is a composite. The wheelbarrow race is a rather puzzling addition, perhaps spliced onto the beginning of the reel after the fact. Exactly when, why or by whom we're not certain. As you'd expect, Edward's tour had mixed reactions in Ireland, northern protestants usually being in the enthusiastic camp. Certainly the establishment pulled out the stops, as we see from the pomp and circumstance on display here. But does the opening shot perhaps depict some more grassroots festivity connected to the royal visit?
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