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.