Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film Archive is a free public access resource for teachers, students, historians and anyone who has an interest in moving images. Spanning from 1897 to the present day, the films in the Digital Film Archive cover all aspects of life in Northern Ireland and includes everything from dramas to documentaries, newsreels and features, animation to amateur footage.
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Football under the Floodlights
Will Burnley or Distillery dazzle the crowds as they battle it out under the blazing lights in Ireland’s first floodlit match?
From the collection of:
Overview
On 30 December 1952, at Distillery’s Grosvenor Park ground, the first full match played under floodlights, anywhere in Ireland, took place. The home side’s opposition were English team Burnley, then challenging for the English First Division Championship. Also featured here is Distillery’s third ‘Floodlight Friendly’, on 29 January 1953, against English League Division 2 side, Blackburn Rovers.
12,000 attended the Burnley game, paying between 2s and 12s 6d to witness this momentous event. This revenue helped to pay the £750 that it cost to bring Burnley over. Burnley, who had no game the previous Saturday, brought their full League side, including Internationals Jimmy McIlroy (Northern Ireland) and Billy Elliott (England). Burnley triumphed 3-2. By the end of the game, both players and spectators were suffering the effects of the floodlight glare. The match against Blackburn would also end in a Distillery loss, the visitors winning 5-1. This historic footage is courtesy of the National Museums Northern Ireland collection.
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