Sell-out audiences for 1936 classic The Dawn

SCREENINGS of Ireland’s first feature-length talking film, The Dawn, which was filmed, scripted and acted in Killarney in 1936, drew such crowds at the local cinema last week that extra showings had to be put on.

It’s the 75th anniversary of the remarkable film, which was made over the course of three years in Killarney and featured local amateurs who acted after work in landmark beauty spots.

The scenes were shot on a camera bought in London and were developed in a local chemist shop, but the screening stunned the international film world.

There are now plans to digitalise the film, which originally ran for three weeks in New York to packed audiences and rave reviews.

The Dawn was led and part-written by Thomas G Cooper, an hotelier and businessman whose family still run the cinema in Killarney. Set in the era of the Black and Tans, and looked at now through the lens of history, it is as much documentary as romantic tale.

Many of the principals themselves lived through the Tan era, which was particularly vicious in the south.

Thomas Cooper’s granddaughter, press photographer Michelle Cooper Galvin, was very close to her grandfather and recalled this weekend how he had travelled to London in 1933 to buy the camera with the idea of making a film that would show the beauty of Killarney and attract tourists.

“Then he got the idea of a romance in the Black and Tan era,” she said.

None of the actors had professional training, but the film was remarkable for its gripping performances and innovative techniques.

As well as being this country’s first full-length feature film with sound, it introduced silhouetted scenes.

“There is a huge personal connection locally. Families from second and third generations turned out to see their loved ones on screen this week,” Ms Cooper- Galvin said.

The script was written by DDA Moriarty, Donal Cahill and by Thomas G Cooper, who also plays one of the leading roles in the film.

The Dawn is also set to be screened as part of the Cork Film Festival this September.