by Caoimhe Hegarty
Rare footage of life within the parish of Ballinascreen in the 1960’s has been causing a stir on social media over the past few days.
The footage, which was captured by then Ballinascreen Parish Priest, Fr Michael Collins, and Derry-born filmmaker, Terence McDonnell, focuses on all aspects of parish life including work and social gatherings.
The film, adeptly named ‘Ballinascreen’ was digitised as part of a project undertaken by the Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film Archive (DFA), to gather content from right across Northern Ireland and make it available for local people to enjoy.
The DFA contains over 90 hours of moving images about life in pre- Partition Ireland and Northern Ireland from 1897 to 2014. There are items covering drama, animation, documentaries, news, newsreels, amateur and actuality film.
Visitors to this website will be able to search and view many of the films in the collection.
However it is the reaction to footage on the changing ways of life within Ballinascreen, which has prompted DFA to now make available a second video by Fr Collins - ‘The Parish Centre’.
Also set in the 1960’s, Fr Collins brings us a vision of parish life rich with performances ranging from school plays to a reformed Sunday Mass and the awkward rituals of the parish dance.
Born in 1936, Fr Michael Collins was ordained in Rome in 1960 and went on to spend 50 years working in the Diocese of Derry.
He could be often heard on BBC Radio Ulster’s Thought for the Day programme, contributing over 100 pieces.
His passion for capturing parish life on film was mirrored in his love of photography, and his book of archive photographs, Travellers in Time and Eternity was published in 2013.
Last night, Francis Jones from DFA told the County Derry Post that Fr Collin’s films have received ‘a good reaction’
“When we started this project our main aim was to gather as much material as possible and make it available to the public. We’re delighted to be able to share this content and make it accessible for people to enjoy. In terms of the footage from Fr Collins’ videos, we have been getting a good reaction. Local material really appeals as it brings back memories and nostalgia. Films can be such personal mementoes and it’s always special when people recognise themselves, or someone they know in the films.
“We didn’t want to just put our collection away, we want local people to enjoy the footage. That is why we go right across Northern Ireland, visiting local community groups and organisations,” he said.
Mr Jones continued: “We are always adding more content for people to watch and enjoy. We are also always on the lookout for more material. So if anyone has any material out there, that they would like to share, please get in touch with us.”
To watch Fr Collin’s videos visit the DFA’s website on http://digitalfilmarchive.net
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