Press Releases11 Nov 14

’The Boys from East Belfast’, a First World War short film, given first screening at St Mark’s, Dundela

A specially commissioned short film documentary ‘The Boys from East Belfast’ focusing on the discovery of letters written by ten soldiers from East Belfast and serving at the Western Front was given its first screening in the atmospheric and appropriate setting of St Mark’s Church, Dundela last night (10th November 2014). From today (11/11/14) the film is also available to view on this website as the RCB Library’s November’s ‘Archive of the Month‘.

The film is a collaboration between the RCB (Representative Church Body) Library in Dublin and the Church of Ireland Historical Centenaries Working Group who have produced it to coincide with Remembrance–tide in this the 100th anniversary year since the start of World War One.

Filmed and directed by Tim Hood, ‘The Boys from East Belfast’ re–enacts the full story of how a small collection of letters written by ten soldiers serving at the Western Front who were also parishioners of the Church of Ireland parish of Dundela ended up in an old tea chest in Kilmore See House, and their subsequent transfer for permanent safekeeping in the RCB Library, Dublin. There, in 2014, a group of local historians from East Belfast who have traced the lives of the letter writers viewed them for the first time, almost 100 years after they had been written.

The screening event was an opportunity to hear first–hand from Dr Susan Hood (above) of the RCB Library, who discovered the letters, and from Jason Burke (right), a historian from the East Belfast and the Great War project, who appeared in the film and who is undertaking further research into the lives of the servicemen from East Belfast.

Both Dr Susan Hood and Jason Burke gave an interview to BBC Radio Ulster’s ‘Good Morning Ulster’ programme yesterday elaborating on the creation of the film (to listen again over the next 4 weeks, go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04n8t6t – the interview is 2hrs and 20mins into the programm, 5 mins before the end).

The BBC website also features an item on the film:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-29985594

The event last night, which was introduced by the current Rector of St Mark’s, the Revd Adrian Dorrian (right), was part of a range of Remembrance–tide events at St Mark’s Dundela, Holywood Road, and the letters themselves were on display there by special arrangement with the RCB Library.

Below: L–R: Jason Burke, Revd Adrian Dorrian, Dr Susan Hood at the War Memorial at St Mark’s Church, Dundela, Belfast.

Photos: Paul Harron, CoI Press Office