Newsreel, Irish Culture, Entertainment, History, Irish Language Gael Linn Gael Linn 1962 3 mins Irish with English subtitles

December 1962 and traffic in Dublin was at a standstill as crowds gather on O’Connell Bridge awaiting Santa’s arrival.

Rudolph et al must have been resting for the big night as Santa chose a rather unorthodox method of transport – water skiing his way up the River Liffey to mark the beginning of the festivities. The streets were lit up with a canopy of fairy lights and each shop window was adorned with gifts and decorations. Shoppers bustled through Moore Street and Henry Street ready to snatch up a bargain as the children gazed at the classic toys and goodies on display.

Produced by Gael Linn, Amharc Éireann (A View of Ireland) is Ireland’s longest-running indigenous newsreel series. It was distributed to cinemas throughout the country to promote the Irish language. The first 36 issues were produced as single-topic films which were released monthly, followed in 1959 by weekly, multi-story newsreels featuring a broad range of topics, from hard news stories to lighter magazine-style items. Between 1956 and 1964, 267 editions of the newsreel were produced for cinema exhibition.

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With kind permission of Gael Linn.

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