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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Scenes from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (1958)
Feast your eyes on the icons that inhabit Northern Ireland's landscape, from the Giant's Causeway to Cave Hill where the silhouette of sleeping giant overlooks Belfast.
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Overview
Travel from the walls of Derry to Bangor’s Pickie Pool with these gems from 1958. Across the north crowds flood the streets to see the Queen Mother, preach and march. At the Ballyclare May Fair fairground rides and bartering continue into the golden light. Huge sand dunes dwarf tiny bathers that brave the freezing Irish Sea. In south Belfast the 12th July Parade pass smouldering remains of bonfires. From the roof of City Hall glimpse the hill that inspired Gulliver’s Travels.
These rushes are amongst a wealth of footage generated by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. This government department had their own staff that documented the region through stills and moving images capturing 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 intriguing time, post-World War Two and pre-Troubles. It features the Queen Mother’s visit to Bangor and Queen’s University Belfast, the Portstewart Convention and Canada’s Tobermore Sons of Ulster Flute Band join the 12th of July Parade in south Belfast.
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