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Cinema History: Where It Began – by William Henry

By History

Article 1 of 7 in a series of articles on the history of cinema in Galway by local historian and writer William Henry.

Photo: Eyre Square circa 1897 – c. National Library of Ireland on the Commons

Cinema history stretches back well over a hundred years with the earliest record so far
established for ‘moving’ or ‘living’ pictures shown in Galway dating from Monday 28
February 1898. The advertisement for the event ran as follows:

‘The Cinematograph – On Monday next, at 4.30 and 8pm there will be an exhibition of living
pictures by the most interesting invention, the Cinematograph. Also a limelight lecture on New
Zealand, by Mr. J. Curral, a gentleman who has travelled through the Colony, hence he should be
in a position to give a valuable and interesting address upon it. As Mr. Curral has a reputation of
having the best Cinematograph that visited the West, and has taken the most comfortable hall in
town, Mr. Mack’s Assembly Room, we hope to hear of him having a good attendance. There
will be entertainment in the afternoon, for which Mr. Curral only charges children 2d; – front
seats 3d; adults 6d at 4.30.’

By 1911, the Racquets Court Theatre had begun showing films regularly. This venue was
situated in Middle Street. Another early venue was the Galway Cinema Theatre, which
opened on Easter Monday 8 April 1912. It was situated down the narrow lane between the
present day Matt O’Flaherty Pharmacy and Lazlo’s Jewellery just off William Street in what
was later the GPO sorting office. Even at that stage the camera with its magical photographs
was still only in its infancy. The idea of ‘moving pictures’ was a totally new concept in
entertainment for the old City of the Tribes. How did this ‘miracle’ in ‘movies’ as they
became known evolve. Many experts believe that it first began in 1832 when Joseph Plateau
produced the Phenakistoscope. Images on a disc could be observed through slots in another
disc, which appeared to move when spun and viewed through a mirror. Other ‘illusion toys’
followed, but by the end of that decade it became possible to print photographic images on
glass slides. These could be projected using machines which were known as ‘magic lanterns’.

Another break-through came in 1878 when Leland Stanford, the former governor of
California wished to know if horse’s hooves all left the ground when they galloped? He
employed Eadweard Muybridge to investigate and this led to the development of a projector
called a Zoopraxinoscope. This was followed in 1882 by Etienne Marey’s study of birds in
flight and other rapid animal movements, which resulted in the production of a photographic
gun. Between 1882 and 1892 Emile Reynaud developed the Praxinoscope and held the first
public exhibitions of motion pictures. Inventor Thomas Edison and his assistant William
Dickson developed the Kinetograph camera and viewing box. They cut inch wide strips of
film and punched four holes in either side of each frame, which allowed the toothed gears to
pull the film through the camera. By January 1893 they had built a studio on the grounds of
Edison’s laboratories in New Jersey and it was there that he produced his film, The Black
Maria. Inspired by Edison’s work, the Lumière brothers, Louis and Auguste (France)
developed their own moving picture device, the Cinematograph. This new invention served
as both a recording and projecting device. By 1894, Lumière brothers were the biggest
manufacturer of photographic plates in Europe and were producing films which were cheaper
than those sold by Edison. The Cinematograph shot sixteen frames per second which became
the standard for almost twenty-five years. On 28 December 1895, one of the most famous
film screenings in history took place in the Grand Café in Paris where customers paid one
Franc to watch a twenty-five minute programme consisting of ten Lumière films. A year
later, they arrived in London and this signalled the start of a successful run of Cinematograph
films. It was only a matter of time before they reached Ireland and just two years later their
Cinematograph began entertaining people in Galway.

Today the motion picture industry is famed by the well-known Hollywood sign in hills
overlooking Los Angeles, California. During the 1870’s an agricultural community was
flourishing in the area. In 1886, Hobart Whitley and his young wife Gigi arrived there on
honeymoon. Whitley decided to stay and became a successful property developer. Another
man who also became involved in developing the area was Harvey Wilcox from Kansas. The
first official appearance of the name Hollywood was when Wilcox drew up a grid map for a
town, which he filed with the county recorder’s office on 1 February 1887. According to
local tradition the name Hollywood originated from the native ‘California Holly’ which
covers the hillsides with clusters of bright red berries each winter. By 1900, Hollywood had a
population of 500 people and four years later a tram-track was opened from Los Angeles to
the new town of ‘Hollywood Boulevard.’ During the early 1900s, motion film production
companies from New York and New Jersey began relocating to California attracted by the
reliable weather. While electric light existed at that time it was not sufficiently powerful to
expose film to its full potential. The best source of illumination for movie production was
natural sunlight, thus Hollywood was chosen. In 1909, the Selig Polyscope Company built
the first motion picture studio in the region. The first Hollywood studio was the Nestor
Studios founded in 1911 by Al Christie and David Horsley. By this time director D.W.
Griffith had arrived on the scene and filmed In Old California the first movie ever shot in
Hollywood. Other movie-makers including Cecil B. DeMille and Jesse Lasky began to
converge on Hollywood and by 1913 the movie industry was established there. In 1923, the
famous Hollywood sign was erected near the top of Mount Lee. This sign, ‘Hollywoodland’,
was to advertise a new housing development in the hills above the city. The sign deteriorated
over the years and in 1949, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce became involved and
removed the last four letters and carried out repairs on the remainder. It has since become the
symbol of the film industry and is a registered trademark of many items including cosmetics,
clothing and souvenirs.

Cinema history in Ireland began in April 1896 when the first public screening of a film took
place in Dan Lowery’s Star of Erin Theatre in Dublin. In February of the following year, the
first film regarding Irish subjects were shown by Professor Jolly in Dublin. These short films
included titles such as, People walking in Sackville Street; Traffic on Carlisle Bridge; and the
13th Hussars Marching through the City. The Volta opened in Dublin’s Mary Street in 1909;
this was the first dedicated cinema in Ireland. Writer James Joyce was among its first
managers, but this venture proved unsuccessful for him and he resigned after a short time. In
1910, the Kalem Film Company from the United States arrived in Ireland. This company
made several short Irish melodramas in County Kerry under the direction of Sidney Olcott.

Thus began a tradition of film-making in Ireland. The Film Company of Ireland was
established by James Mark Sullivan in 1916. They made a number of short films, which were
unfortunately destroyed during the 1916 Rising. Some of the early indigenous feature films
include Knocknagow (1917); Willy Reilly and his Colleen Bawn (1920); Irish Destiny (1926),
all were from the silent era. The first Irish sound film The Dawn (1936) was made by Tom
Cooper, an enterprising garage owner. As the industry developed, people flocked to see the
films and it didn’t really matter how good or bad they were in those early days. An array of
buildings was used to show films, including community halls and in remote areas even barns
were often converted into temporary cinemas. This was the same in areas around county
Galway and the idea of ‘moving pictures’ was welcomed by the people of the west.

EU50 Screening 2023

EU50 Screening at Pálás Cinema: The Double Life of Veronique

By Entertainment, History, Local Interest, Movies, News, Participation, Press, Unesco

Galway City of Film, managed by Ardán, and supported by Galway City Council, hosted a free screening for a European Night of Film at the Pálás Cinema on 11th May 2023 at 7pm, to celebrate EU50.

We were joined for a pre-screening reception in the Pálás Bar by the Deputy Mayor of Galway, Councillor Mike Hubbard, and the Polish Consul Patrick O’Sullivan.

The Double Life of Veronique (1991), directed by Krysztof Kieslowski is two parallel stories about two identical women; one living in Poland, the other living in France. In the story, the two women don’t know each other, but their lives are nevertheless profoundly connected. (IMDb).  

The film garnered a Golden Globe nomination as well as several wins at Cannes Film Festival. 

Galway City of Film (Ceantar Scannán) is a UNESCO designation held jointly by Galway City Council and Galway County Council since 2014, and managed on their behalf by Ardán. 

Galway City of Film Celebrates Five Years

By History, Local Interest, News, Partners, Press, Screenings, Unesco

A special industry event held last night in Galway celebrated 2 key anniversaries in Film in the city. In 2014 Galway became the fifth city in the world to achieve the status of UNESCO City of Film, in recognition of the rich history and vibrant culture of filmmaking that continues in the city and county to this day. Galway City of Film is now celebrating its 5th anniversary of that recognition, and is taking a wonderful opportunity to look back at what has been achieved so far.

City of Film highlights include organising camps for young filmmakers and animators, hosting the One Minute Film Festival and 48 Hour Challenge, supporting short film funding schemes through Galway Film Centre such as Science on Screen and the GFC/RTÉ Short Film Scheme, local initiatives supporting industry including the Fís TV Summit and the WRAP Fund, as well as screenings, student exchanges, research and collaboration across the now 18 Cities of Film in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

With the confluence of these two events comes a unique opportunity to present our Galway UNESCO ‘City of Film/Ceantar Scannán’ Award to local film producer Lelia Doolan. An honour that has only been presented to one other recipient, Uachtaráin Michael D Higgins. It is difficult to think of anyone that has contributed more to the local and national film industry than Lelia Doolan and Galway City of Film wish to honor her and her legacy of incredible work by presenting this award to her as part of our celebrations.

Launched in 2014 by Uachtaráin Michael D. Higgins, Galway City of Film has offered valuable supports and resources to the filmmaking community in the city over the last five years that otherwise would not have been possible.

The award presentation was followed by a screening of Cumar – A Galway Rhapsody, a feature film directed by Aodh Ó Coileáin and produced by Paddy Hayes celebrating Galway artists including Rita Ann Higgins, Tommy Tiernan and Noeline Kavanagh.

Black ’47, set in Connemara, screens this weekend!

By Enjoyment, History, Local Interest, Movies, News

It’s 1847 and Ireland is in the grip of the Great Famine, which has ravaged the country for two long years. Feeney, a hardened Irish Ranger, who has been fighting for the British Army abroad, abandons his post to return home and re-unite with his estranged family. He’s seen more than his share of horrors, but nothing prepares him for the famine’s hopeless destruction of his homeland.

Black 47, the Irish-made famine revenge film comes to Galway screens this weekend!

Set in Connemara, and shot around the Maumturk Mountains, Black ’47 just goes to show how vibrant a cinematic region Galway is, and with an incredible Galwegian, Irish, and International cast including Hugo Weaving, Moe Dunford, Stephen Rea, and Diarmuid De Faoite, you have to be sure not to miss it!

Black ’47 screens today in An Pálás at 6.25pm and 8.40pm, and will continue for the next few weeks. for more information, and to book tickets visit the Pálás website here.

#CeantarScannán #GalwayCityOfFilm

Athenry Walled Towns Day | August 19th

By Enjoyment, History, Local Interest, News, Screenings

As part of National Heritage Week, Athenry will be hosting a one-day festival known as the Walled Towns Day on August 19th!

From food stalls to craft workshops, puppet shows to medieval re-enactments Athenry Walled Towns Day will be an action-packed day of festivities.

And on top of that, they will be showing the hurling match that evening! Galway Versus Limerick.

#CeantarScannán #GalwayCityofFilm

‘Wild Atlantic Film Season’ comes to the Pálás

By Enjoyment, Entertainment, History, Local Interest, Movies, News, Screenings

We’re excited to head down to Pálás Galway to check out their wonderful new strand of Irish Film, specifically set along the Wild Atlantic Way. From classics like Ryan’s Daughter and The Quiet Man to more contemporary films like The Guard and Song of Granite, Pálás are giving us a taste of just how rich the film history of this region is.

For more information check out their website here: https://palas.ie/events/wild-atlantic-films

#CeantarScannan #GalwayCityofFilm

100 Years of Cinema

By Enjoyment, Entertainment, History, Movies, News, Participation, Production, Screenings

Galway UNESCO City of Film commemorates 1916 with ‘100 Years of Cinema’ Programme

 

Galway, UNESCO City of Film, is commemorating the 1916 Rising with an exciting programme of seminal Irish Cinema and landmark television events to take place over eight Saturdays throughout 2016. This programme, called 100 Years of Cinema, will take the form of one-day events, roughly one Saturday per month, to include screenings, debate and lively discussion of the development of our national identity and our national cinema over the past one hundred years. Each event will be themed and programmed by a different guest curator, beginning this month with Gar O’Brien, Programmer, Galway Film Fleadh.

 

Gar will explore the theme of The Rising on Film on Saturday 20, February in An Taibhdhearcwith selected screenings and discussion. At 2pm Mise Éire (‘My Ireland’) will be screened. The film has held an iconic status in Irish cultural history since its release in January 1960. Mise Éire was actually the first Irish feature-length film that utilised an orchestral soundtrack, a specially commissioned score by Seán Ó Riada, but its renown also rests on its director’s then relatively novel technique of recounting historical events entirely through existing archive material. The film is a stirring chronicle of Ireland one hundred years ago and contains newsreel camera footage of critical developments during the Easter Rising.

This will be followed by the documentary, Curious Journey at 4pm. In 1973, Kenneth Griffith, the renowned documentary maker, gathered together a group of nine veterans of the Irish Rising. Almost half a century after the terrible events they lived through, this highly diverse group – branded terrorists by the British in their youth  – gave their own vivid account of what it was like to live through those turbulent times. This emotional film is a powerful and heartfelt testament to nine brave men and women who risked their lives for their country as well as being a first hand historical record.

The film will be followed by a discussion on how the Rising was captured and portrayed on film with Dr Kevin Rockett, Professor of Film Studies, Trinity College Dublin and Dr. Conn Holohan, Huston School of Film and Digital Media and will be chaired by lecturer in Film Studies, Patsy Murphy.

Finally there will be a 7pm screening of David Lean’s cinematic masterpiece, Ryan’s Daughter. The film is set in 1916 and is arguably the most visually impressive film ever made in Ireland. In keeping with his distinctive epic scale, the production was famously long and drawn out while the meticulous director waited for perfect weather conditions for his many and spectacular outdoor scenes, leading actor Robert Mitchum to comment that working with the director was “like constructing the Taj Mahal out of toothpicks.”

As a added bonus at 12pm on the afternoon of Saturday 2oth February there will be a special UNESCO City of Film free screening of Man of Aran (1934) with a new soundtrack by UK Indie band, British Sea Power. This haunting new score uses guitars and modern sounds to add a new dimension to this highly influential documentary, which the British Film Institute recently listed as one of the top ten most important documentaries of all time.

Tickets, €5.50 per film and €15.00 for the full day, are available from An Taibhdhearc at ticketsor on 091-562024. Details of further upcoming 100 Years of Cinema events at www.galwayfilmcentre.ie.

 

Huston School of Film & Digital Media host Director John Carney

By History, Learning, Local Interest, Movies, News, Participation, Partners, Press, Production

 

Award-winning film director John Carney to speak in the Huston School of Film & Digital Media on Thursday March 30, 2.30pm

John Carney was born in Dublin and was educated at De La Salle College Churchtown and at Synge Street CBS. He was bassist for Irish rock band The Frames between 1991 and 1993 and also directed some of their music videos. In addition to shooting music videos, Carney also wrote and directed two award-winning short films (Shining Star and Hotel) before making his first feature. With fellow film-maker Tom Hall, Carney wrote and directed November Afternoon, his first feature film, in 1996. Despite a limited release, it was acclaimed as the “Film of the Year” by the Irish Times.  John wrote, directed and scored his next project, the hour-long TV film Just In Time, starring Frances Barber and Gerard McSorley. The Irish Times voted it Best TV Film of 1998.

Carney’s next film was the edgy drama Park, which premiered at the Dublin Film Festival. Two years later, in 2001, he co-wrote and directed On the Edge. The film starred Cillian Murphy and Stephen Rea and was released through Universal Studios. He was awarded the Silver Hitchcock Award for On the Edge at the 2001 Dinard Festival of British Cinema.

Carney returned to TV writing and directing during the same year. He co-wrote and co-directed (with his brother Kieran Carney and Tom Hall) the hugely successful RTÉ TV series Bachelors Walk. The independently produced TV series proved the most successful in Irish television history. The series ran for three seasons. In 2006, Carney directed the feature movie Once. First screened at the Galway Film Fleadh, Once had its official world release at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2007 and won the World Cinema Audience Award in the category Dramatic. A low-budget affair shot for only $160,000, Once was hugely successful, grossing $7 million worldwide in its first 3 months of release. Legendary film-maker Steven Spielberg is quoted as saying, “Once gave me enough inspiration to last the rest of the year.”

As writer and director of Once, Carney won the Most Promising Newcomer award in the Evening Standard British Film Awards 2007 and the film went on to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song. It has since been adapted as one of the most successful theatrical musicals of recent years, including award winning runs on Broadway and the West End. Subsequent films directed by Carney have enjoyed considerable critical and commercial success. Begin Again (2013) grossed over $63 million worldwide (it is the most-watched independent film of all time in South Korea) and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Lost Stars”. His most recent film, the Irish set coming of age musical Sing Street (2016), was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the 74th Golden Globes in January 2017.

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