Building for Books

This lyrical film opens with a quote from Irish mythology where Oisín describes Irish birdsong as ‘the sweetest in the world’ and urges us to ‘Stop and listen!’ What follows is a stunning, non-narrated depiction of Irish birds, animals and landscapes. Oisín was commissioned by the Department of Land of Ireland as a contribution to the European Conservation Year.

A treasure has been hidden at Woburn Abbey at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. When the sale of the present-day estate is threatened three children find this treasure by means of five clues hidden in a deer's antler.

Yeats Country is a lyrical film commissioned by the Department of Foreign Affairs to commemorate the centenary of the birth of William Butler Yeats. The first Irish film by cinematographer and director Patrick Carey celebrates the landscape of Yeats’ poetry through stunning photography, narrated by Tom St. John Barry. Evocative images of the west of Ireland illustrate the poet’s life including Thoor Ballylee Castle where he lived, Coole Park, home of Lady Gregory where literary figures of the period socialised, Lissadell House, Knocknarea Mountain, the slopes of Ben Bulben, the waterfall at Glencar and finally Yeats’ grave at Drumcliffe. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short in 1966.

A depiction of life in wartime Britain during the Second World War. Director Humphrey Jennings visits many aspects of civilian life and of the turmoil and privation caused by the war, all without narration.

A ski champion uncle tries to kill his nephew in order to gain his inheritance in this British crime mystery short film.

A rare portrait of Northern Ireland in a time of conflict as "a land where the pace of life is more friendly, where everybody cares and nobody minds". Travel from dawn until dusk and delight in the rhythms of nature and traditional crafts. The only hint of dispute is an architectural battle between a classical husband and gothic wife, giving birth to Castle Ward.