Troubled Christmas in Belfast most viewed archive footage
Christmas Belfast-style at the height of the Troubles has become the most watched local short film released from a government archive.
The captured images provide a snapshot of the city centre, as resilient citizens go about their business against a backdrop of security barriers and heavily armed soldiers on the streets.
Christmas in Belfast (1977) comes complete with the catchline: ‘Not the most wonderful time of year’.
Spanning from 1897 to the present day, the Northern Ireland Screen Digital Film Archive is a free public access resource for anyone with an interest in moving images.
The archive – which has been compiled and made public with financial support from the National Lottery – includes newsreels, documentaries, features and amateur footage.
Most Popular
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1
Irish republican rebel band Wolfe Tones lead giant Belfast crowd in singing Up the Ra ‘on the same night as singing Give Peace a Chance’
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2
Larne FC suspends player John Herron after he was spotted on camera wearing ‘tiocfaidh ar la’ assault rifle top
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‘He needs to leave our club NOW!’ Strong reaction Larne FC’s John Herron being pictured in ‘tiocfaidh ar la’ gun top as club suspends him
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Feile 2022: Tourism NI indicates it could pull funding for West Belfast Festival unless organisers live up to ‘responsibility to promote good relations’
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PUP boss Billy Hutchinson indicates black flags bearing UVF slogan and UVF imagery were not put up by the UVF
A Twelfth of July in Portrush in 1950, the Belfast punk rock scene in 1979 and an amateur film charting the building work progress on the new M1 motorway at Stockmans Lane in 1961, are also included.
Francis Jones, heritage and archive manager at Northern Ireland Screen, said: “Britain on Film has made a significant contribution to Northern Ireland’s cultural heritage, enriching the content of our Digital Film Archive and increasing public access to that content.
“The films we unearthed through this project trace the arc of moving image history, and our society, over the course of the 20th century.”
The National Lottery has invested £8.7 million into more than 218 film-related projects in Northern Ireland over the past 25 years – ranging from independent films to community-based film clubs.
The archive is available here