FILMMAKER GERARD MCCARTHY says he’s had plenty of interest in his 30 minute piece ‘Ireland: Birth of a Nation’ which is on show just down the road from Leinster House until the end of the month.
The short film includes a raft of rare insights into life around the turn of the 20th Century and in the decades following, including this remarkable footage, shot by the Lumière Brothers back in 1897…
The film — which was produced for visitors to Ireland — also contains footage of many of the key personalities behind the 1916 Rising, the War of Independence and The Civil War.
It includes the only known footage of Padraig Pearse at the graveside of O’Donovan Rossa in 1915, images of Michael Collins – a week before his death, and extended footage of Collins’ funeral.
‘Birth of a Nation’ is showing daily at the Royal College of Physicians, at number 6 Kildare Street, Dublin, until 31 October. It’s been running since early September.
(Clip reproduced by permission).
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