Watch exclusive extract from 1916 film: 'Ireland: Birth of a Nation'

The events leading up to, during and after the 1916 Rising have been captured in a new and powerful film produced by Cork man, Gerard McCarthy. 

The film, which was six months in production, contains rare original film footage, much of which has not been seen by the Irish public before.

Four of the seven signatories of the 1916 Proclamation appear in the film.

Gerard has given the Irish Examiner five minutes of exclusive footage from the film and in the footage, you will learn about events surrounding the Rising itself.

You can watch the extract here with English narration.

And here with Irish narration.

Commenting on the project Gerard - who hails from Ballinspittle village in Cork said the centenary of the upcoming 1916 Rising was the inspiration for the film.

The film was shown to the public for the first time in September 2014 at the Royal College of Physicians in Dublin.

Since January 2015, Gerard has taken the film to primary and secondary schools around Ireland. The feedback from students and teachers has been excellent. His film was also very well received at the Carlow Bilingual Film Festival in October.

Due to strong demand, Gerard has decided to make the film available for purchase.

To find out more or purchase a copy of the DVD visit www.1916dvd.com

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From Monday, January 11, the Irish Examiner will - for the next 16 weeks - be devoting two pages of Monday's edition to analysis and coverage of the 1916 commemorations. Make sure you pick up a copy.

You can also access every page of what was then the Cork Examiner in the year of the Rising, and every edition from the very first on August 30, 1841 through to the Irish Examiner of December 31, 1999.  To browse 6 million digitised pages, for as little as 50c a day, see HERE.