Dublin Civic Exhibition

Lord and lady reformers crusade for Dublin's civic advancement.

Lords and ladies arrive at a lavish civic occasion which, despite the rain, attracted 80,000 paying visitors over the summer of 1914. The event featured exhibits on town planning, public health and child welfare, as well as folk dancing, gymnastics and cinematograph displays. Characteristically, the camera focuses on the Victorian-style pomp and ceremony, ignoring the more modern entertainments.

The exhibition was staged at the disused Linenhall Barracks on deteriorating Henrietta Street - a potent reminder of industrial decline and the need for municipal development. At the time this was shot, the very public-spiritied Lady Aberdeen was, among other things, President of the International Council of Women, the Irish Industries Association, and the Onward and Upward Association. Much of the exhibition's impact was eclipsed by the outbreak of WWI a month later.