Description
SAOIRSE?
'The Irish struggle for Independence as seen by contemporary newsreel film.'
Gael Linn is pleased to release a DVD of the George Morrison film Saoirse? togetherwith a CD of the Seán Ó Riada music to acompany the film. Dealing with the period from 1919 to 1922, Saoirse?follows on from Mise Éire and chronicles the War of Independence, the Truce and Treaty, the establishment of the Free State and Stormont administrations and, most tragically of all, the outbreak of the Civil War. Saoirse? ends with a portrayal of the sad consequences of the split in the national movement: 'Thus is the city's heart broken- the nation's heart: thus companions part. A battle ends and a war begins- the torment of civil war. Bitter indeed is the ending to our story.'
The film makes extensive use of archive film material of the period. Indeed, much material was actually conserved in the making of Saoirse?. The film also uses photographic stills and contemporary newspaper headlines to give historical background. We see footage of the First National Loan being launched in 1919, with Michael Collins accepting subscriptions from Desmond Fitzgerald, Joseph Mc Guinness and others. The events of the War of Independence dramatically unfold- guerilla warfare, attacks and reprisals are featured. There is graphic footage of the events surrounding the shooting of Sean Treacy on Talbot Street. Other notable sequences from the film show:
• the funerals of Terence Mc Swiney and Tomás Mac Curtain
• the visit of King George V to Belfast for the opening of Stormont
• the burning of the Custom House, May 1921
• leading figures of the Truce and Anglo-Irish Treaty attending meetings and addressing rallies- De Valera, Collins, Griffith…
Directed by George Morrison, the film went on release in 1961 to great acclaim, the music score by Seán Ó Riada proving particularly popular. The CD which accompanies the new release features music from the film which was not previously available on sound recording. The DVD has a facility to view English subtitles and can be played in all regions.
'The film Saoirse? is an authentic telling of the dramatic events from a pivotal period in our history, the legacy of which still endures.'
