Online film archive yields up forgotten film of Cork’s Lusitania aftermath

An online archive of documentary film spanning more than a century is yielding up new glimpses into Irish history – including the rediscovery of film shot in Cobh, Co Cork of the aftermath of the 1915 Lusitania disaster.

Last week, British Pathé, which licences clips from its newsreel archive to film and television producers – made almost 82,000 pieces of film freely available on YouTube. Pathé News, an offshooot of the pioneering French film company founded in 1896, was in the business of making cinema newsreels. Shot in every corner of the globe, the content was akin to that of a modern TV news bulletein – local and international news, sport, and quirky or odd ‘and finally’ stories.

While the archive was already on the firm’s website, the speed and accessibilty of YouTube has attracted much interest from amateur historians. The announcement lit up social media, becoming a Twitter trending topic in Ireland on Thursday as users engaged in a DIY version of Reeling In The Years, sharing clips which ranged from the merely quaint to historically significant. The clips of particular Irish interest include

* Michael Collins addressing a rally of tens of thousands of people on Cork’s Grand Parade the rally is disrupted by gunfire.

* Troops and/or Black and Tans forcing two republicans at bayonet point to parade a union flag Film Dungarvan Co Waterford.

But the newsreels recorded happier times too, including reports from decades of All-Ireland hurling and football finals, travelogues showcasing Ireland in the 1950s and 1960s, and a short 1957 documentary about road bowling which has to be seen to be believed.

The brief Irish Lusitania aftermath footage includes what appear to be rescuers demonstrating life vests in boats at Cobh’s sea front, and the burial of some of the 1,195 victims in the nearby Old Church Cemetery. Although the Pathé archive’s notes read ‘Not certain of locations of this film’, the burial scene has now been confirmed by comparing the footage with the shots taken by Cork Examiner photographer Thomas Barker.

Viewed by only eight Youtube users in its first week online, the Lusitania footage is bound to attract attention in the run up to next year’s centenary, especially from the Lusitania Museum and Old Head Signal Tower Project which is developing a museum and vantage point at at the Old Head of Kinsale, part of the Fáilte Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way.

* For background on the Pathé company and links to the videos mentioned here and many more, click here.