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.
This film is part of Free
Ulster To-day
From ancient crafts to state of the art computer production discover how "Ulster is not just yesterday, it is also tomorrow". Forget hindsight and enjoy this industrial dream.
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Overview
Put yourself in the shoes of a wealthy industrialist and decide if a promising theory can become a profitable fact. Your guide will extol the virtues of Ulster - how its people, government incentives and scenic grandeur all lend themselves to your industrialist ambitions. See if you agree that in a modern age, Lough Neagh is a terrible waste of space. Finally meet the skilled local workforce while they produce hand painted damask, Belleek pottery and even synthetic rubber.
The footage of the training centre -one of seven such centres in Northern Ireland at the time - highlights the plenitude of work within the industrial sector and how government tried to meet the need for vocational training. The result was the creation of a highly skilled workforce, ready not only to do specific jobs, but also often to work for specific manufacturers. Also featured is Craigavon. At the time little more than three and a half miles of open land, it was then foreseen not only as a "new city, but a new centre of industry" and was held up as an example of progressive thinking. Intended as symbol of modernity, in reality it would be controversial and problematic from the outset.