Rare newsreel footage of Ireland’s War of Independence comes up at Whyte’s auction of History and Literature in Dublin on May 9. Lot 200 is 300 minutes of restored newsreel film from 1916 to 1922 from the Easter Rising to the funeral of Michael Collins, much of it unpublished. A total of 12 cans of safety film and one of nitrate is estimated at 150,000-180,000. It was commission by Dublin based film distributor Jacob Baum, who sold some of it to newsreel companies. But much remained unpublished.
Subjects include the aftermath of the Rising, the funeral of Thomas Ashe, the burning of towns and villages by the Black and Tans, the aftermath of Bloody Sunday in Croke Park, the killing of Sean Treacy in Talbot St., Dublin, sectarian murders and burnings in Belfast and Derry, the 1922 elections including Michael Collins in Cork and civil war footage.
The auction will feature antiquities, artifact, manuscripts, documents, printed ephemera, maps, prints, photographs, postcards, medals, militaria, weapons and antiquarian books. UPDATE: These were bid up to 90,000 at which point they were withdrawn.
Stills taken from Ireland’s War of Independence newsreels at Whyte’s
Stills taken from Ireland’s War of Independence newsreels at Whyte’s