Irish Film Institute -Benjamin Gault: Accidental Anthropologist 1920s Films of the Blasket Islands, Dunquin and environs screening at the Blasket Centre

Benjamin Gault: Accidental Anthropologist 1920s Films of the Blasket Islands, Dunquin and environs screening at the Blasket Centre

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Friday February 17th: The Irish Film Institute (IFI), in collaboration with the San Francisco Silent Film Festival and the Dublin International Film Festival is delighted to present Accidental Anthropologist: a programme of films by Benjamin Gault at the Blasket Centre, Dunquin, Co. Kerry on Sunday February 26th. This screening will follow on from the presentation of Accidental Anthropologist at the IFI on Saturday 25th as part of this year’s Dublin International Film Festival.

The programme will be introduced by Kathy Rose O’Regan, Senior Film Restorer at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival who will reveal the history of the films and the process of their restoration. This will be followed by a screening of Gault’s films shot in both Ireland and America in 1925-1926. The films, which are silent, will be accompanied by local musicians Aoife and Deirdre Granville on harp, flute and fiddle.

Accidental Anthropologist explores the restored works of Benjamin Gault, an American naturalist who visited Cork and Kerry in 1925 -1926. Gault had a keen interest in ornithology, and during his time in Munster was able to capture many sightings of seabirds and varied wildlife. He also recorded the people he encountered on his travels in their day-to-day lives; committing to film moments of farming and church-going as well the joy of dancing in the streets. This rare footage is an excellent time capsule of the lives of people in the Blasket Islands, in Dunquin and its surrounding areas in the mid 1920s.

On his return home to the United States, Gault filed this footage away and it was left untouched for the rest of his lifetime. The rediscovery of this footage was initiated by Micheál Ó Mainnín from Ballyferriter whose interest in this footage was sparked through his grandfather recounting tales of Gault’s visit. Eventually, this search led to the discovery and restoration of nineteen rolls of 35mm nitrate negatives at Chicago’s Academy of Sciences.

This restoration is a collaboration between the IFI Irish Film Archive, the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, and the Chicago Academy of Sciences.

Doors for the screening will open at 19:00, with the event due to begin at 19:30. Entry will be free of charge.

The programme will be followed by a tea and coffee for attendees.

 

Benjamin Gault: Antraipeolaí tré Thimpist

Scannáin ós na 1920idí ós na Blascaodaí, ó Dhún Chaoin agus máguaird le taispeaint in Ionad an Bhlascaoid

Aoine, 17ú Feabhra: Tá áthas ar Institúid Scannáin na hÉireann (IFI), i gcomhar le San Francisco Silent Film Festival agus  Féile Idirnáisiúnta Scannáin Bhaile Átha Cliath taispeántas scannáin a chur i láthair in Ionad an Bhlascaoid dár teideal “Antraipeolaí tré Thimpist”: sraith scannáin le Benjamin Gault, ar an Domhnach, 26ú Feabhra. Tuicfaidh sé seo ar sála an taispeaint don ábhar ceanna atá le bheith san IFI i mBaile Átha Cliath an lá roimhe (25ú Feabhra).

Déanfaidh  Kathy Rose O’Regan, Caomhnóir Sínsireach Scannáin le San Francisco Silent Film Festival cur i láthair mar gheall ar stair na scannáin agus an proiséas caomhnaithe. Déanfar scannáin Gault a deineadh in Éirinn agus I Meireacá I 1925-26 a thaispeaint ansin. Beidh tionlacan ceoil cláirsigh, flúit agus veidhlín ó cheoltóirí áitiúla Aoife Ní Ghrainbhéil ar na scannáin atá gan fuaim.

Deineann Antraipeolaí tré Thimpist iniuchadh ar shaothar caomhnaithe Benjamin Gault, nádúraí Meireacánach a thug cuairt ar Chorcaigh agus ar Chiarraí i 1925-26. Bhí suim mhór ag Gault in éaneolaíocht agus bhí ar a chumas mórán radharcanna ar éanlaithe farraige agus fiadhúlra éagsúil a thaifead. Dhein sé taifead ar dhaoine a dtáinig sé trasna orthu ina chuid aistir is iad i mbun a saoil laethúil; ag taifead ar scannán do imeachtaí feirmeoireachta, freastal ar aifreann agus an sult a baineadh as rincí sráide. Tá an t-ábhar scannáin seo ina léiriú iontach ar shaol na ndaoine ar na Blascaodaí, i nDún Chaoin agus sa cheantar máguaird sa treimhse sin.

Ar fhilleadh do Gault go dtí na Stáit Aontaithe, chuir sé an tábhar i dtaisce agus ní baineadh leis arís ar feadh an chuid eile dá shaol. Is de bhárr iarrachtaí  a thosnsigh Mícheál Ó Mainín ó Bhaile an Fheirtéaraigh a thánathas arís ar an ábhar in athuair le blianta beaga anuas. Is iad tuairiscí a athair-crionna ar chuairt Gault a spreag suim Mhichíl san ábhar. Dá  bhárr seo, thánathas ar naoi-déag claonchló níotráit scannán 35mm  sa Chicago Academy of Sciences ar a deineadh caomhnú orthu.

Is comhfhiontar an togra caomhnaithe seo idir chartlann an IFI, an San Francisco Silent Film Festival agus an Chicago Academy of Sciences.

Beidh an doras oscailte ar 19:00 agus cuirfear tús leis an ócáid ar 19:30. Beidh saorchead isteach.

Beidh tae agus caifé ar fáil don lucht féachana ina dhiaidh.

Useful Links and Information:

IFI Irish Film Archive

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival

The Chicago Academy of Sciences.

The Blasket Centre

The Blasket Centre re-opened on June 28th, 2022, after a major refurbishment. Fáilte Ireland, the Office of Public Works and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, have together invested €2.9 million into the Centre. The project includes a total transformation of the Centre’s exhibitions to deliver an authentic, and imaginative re-telling of the story of the Blasket islands, their rich heritage and their literature which is of national and international significance. The spectacular clifftop viewing platform is also open. OPW guide services operate on the Great Blasket.

 

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