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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Viking Invasion at Kilkeel Festival
Vikings find themselves in deep water as they storm Kilkeel's stoney beach. Will an army clad in tinfoil and tableclothes be a match for the 'Scandinavian' invaders?
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Overview
Idyllic scenes of traditional dancing are shattered as local swordsmen prepare to defend their stony shore from the Viking invaders. Revel in the charming details of this 'historical' re-enactment as a local cast take centre stage decked in tinfoil sparkling with sunlight. A hilarious battle is fought with gusto as Vikings abandon their long boats and plunge into the freezing County Down waters. But who will get the girl and who will end up on the funeral pyre?
These colour rushes are amongst a wealth of footage that was generated by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. Neighbouring Carlingford Lough was the site of major Viking bases. The Vikings are not the only interesting immigrants. The body snatcher William Hare fled to Kilkeel after he turned Kings Evidence on Burke. He became an inmate of the local workhouse that is allegedly his final resting place.
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