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
Machine Guns Ready: Sir Edward Carson Watches Machine Gun Drill and Presents Colours at Drumalis, Larne
Ulster Volunteers triumphant display of arms at Larne
From the collection of:
Overview
The Larne gun-running was a major operation that took place on the night of 24 April, 1914. Here we see Ulster Volunteers demonstrate their freshly-smuggled bounty, one man proudly displaying a machine gun mounted in the back of a motorcar. A detachment of men with rifles and ammunition belts drill in a field. At the close, Edward Carson presents colours in front of a large gathering.
Drumalis House in Larne was central to the attempt to bring guns to ‘Carson’s army’, the Ulster Volunteer Force. The operation involved the smuggling of almost 25,000 rifles from the German Empire, with the shipments landing in Larne, Donaghadee, and Bangor in the early hours between Friday 24 and Saturday 25 April 1914. In its scale and ambition, the Larne gun-running represented the high-point of the Ulster Volunteer Force's activities and is notable as perhaps the first time in history that motor-vehicles were used "on a large scale for a military-purpose, and with striking success".
Related
Watch for free
Experiments in film by Brian Connolly Experiments in film by Brian Connolly
Amateur film 1984 13 mins Silent Location: Belfast
Watch time becomes an artist's material as the city's landmarks star in a strange choreography of workers, shoppers and builders.
Watch for free
The Boat Train The Boat Train
Amateur film 1963 8 mins Location: Belfast
A picturesque journey on the boat train from Belfast to Larne to catch the Caledonian Princess by beloved Ballyclare filmmaker Archie Reid.
Watch for free
Summer Holiday Summer Holiday
Home movie 1961 8 mins Silent Location: Carrickfergus
Join the Carrey family as they entertain each other during a summer adventure around the north of Ireland.
Watch for free
Highways of Ulster Highways of Ulster
Sponsored film 1950 22 mins Location: Port of Belfast
Hop on board and explore Ulster. The is plenty to to feast your eyes on both sides of the border but "nothing too strenuous", on this entertaining coach tour.
Watch for free
Children's Games Children's Games
Amateur film 1960 12 mins Location: Larne
Delight in the mischievous imagination of Archie Reid with this trilogy of battles performed by and for his pupils in Larne.
Watch for free
Belfast Boxers Belfast Boxers
Documentary 1993 31 mins Location: Belfast
The incredible highs and crushing lows of the Belfast's boxing community
Watch for free
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Watch for free
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Watch for free
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Watch for free
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Watch for free
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.