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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Tommy Orr Blacksmith
Immerse yourself in the magical light and sounds of the forge as Tommy Orr continues the family tradition of shoeing horses.
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Overview
Tommy Orr welcomes you into his forge to share his 40 years’ experience as he takes you through the craft of shoeing horses. Watch as Tommy emerges through the smoke like a premonition of the portrait painted four years later by Basil Blackshaw. He speaks about the happy pride he takes in his work and his care for the horses’ welfare. The rhythmic ringing of metal and billowing plumes of smoke are just some of the beautiful moments captured by Roy Spence for the Ulster Folk Museum.
As rural ways of life were engulfed by an ever more industrialised North the Ulster Folk Museum was born from a 1958 act of parliament. It continues to create a lively world of artefacts to preserve disappearing traditions for future generations. Visitors can experience the buildings, tools and crafts of the past from the weaver’s loom to the blacksmith's forge. Twin brothers Roy and Noel Spence have been making films for over fifty years; with subjects including crafty leprechauns, creatures from outer space, and the undead. You can enjoy many of these fantastical creations and more of Roy’s craft documentaries on BFI Player. This film is courtesy of Roy Spence and is held in the Irish Film Archive.
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