Northern Ireland Welcomes American Visitors

Tourists are wisked away from their cruise ship to take in some of Northern Ireland's iconic sites.

In the 1950s, Northern Ireland was a popular stop-off point for American tourists. Many arrived on grand ocean liners, such as the RMS Caronia. Here we see these visitors being shuttled around in gleaming buses, exploring the grounds of Parliament Buildings, Stormont and being greeted with traditional hospitality in Bangor.

These colourful rushes are amongst a wealth of footage that was generated by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. This government department had their own staff who documented the region through stills and moving images and the films they created capture various facets of life in Northern Ireland. The department was particularly busy in the mid-1950s to late 1960s, creating films that aimed to sell Northern Ireland as a holiday destination. This material captures Northern Ireland at an interesting time, post-World War Two and pre-Troubles.