Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film Archive is a free public access resource for teachers, students, historians and anyone who has an interest in moving images. Spanning from 1897 to the present day, the films in the Digital Film Archive cover all aspects of life in Northern Ireland and includes everything from dramas to documentaries, newsreels and features, animation to amateur footage.
This film is part of Free
By Tradition
See the tools in action that helped our farmers win back the soil from the weed and wilderness over generations.
From the collection of:
Overview
Life was harsh as farmers battled with bog and stone working the soil by hand and horse. The spades and swing ploughs featured in this film were much better equipped to tackle the uneven ground on our small farms. Luckily for us this museum takes its artefacts out of their cases and lets you see them in use. With these rushes Ulster Television captures a glimpse of this farming past for a 1966 television audience. What from our lives today will form the folk museum of the future?
As rural ways of life were engulfed by an ever more industrialised North the Ulster Folk Museum was born from a 1958 act of parliament. It continues to create a lively world of artefacts to preserve disappearing traditions for future generations. Visitors can experience the buildings, tools and crafts of the past from the weaver’s loom to the blacksmiths forge. The museum also boasts some unusual relics including the ‘World’s Largest Sausage’ over 5 metres long, created by Seamus McTavish. This material is Courtesy of the UTV Archive.
Related
Ardboe Wishing Tree Ardboe Wishing Tree
News 1965 4 mins Location: Ardboe
Graveyards tell strange stories and this one is no exception. From magic cows to wishing trees discover what lies in the Ardboe graveyard.
The Sash My Father Wore The Sash My Father Wore
Amateur film 1971 6 mins Location: Lisburn
Is mythology stronger than history? Listen to children’s takes on why they commemorate the Battle of the Boyne.
Sodom and Begorrah Sodom and Begorrah
Amateur film 1967 14 mins Location: Holywood
Amusing fantasy of the adventures of a priest who finds his new parish in the grip of the most blatant depravity
At Mountstewart At Mountstewart
Non-Fiction 1930 3 mins Silent Location: Newtownards
A grand day out at Mount Stewart, where crowds of children jostle for the camera and form a very orderly queue.
County Antrim County Antrim
Amateur film 1971 3 mins Silent Location: Larne
Enjoy the early signs of spring from the lambs gambolling in the fields to the rally cars tearing round the Circuit of Ireland.
Land of Song Land of Song
Travelogue 1960 5 mins Location: Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa
As travelogues go this one doesn't quite cut it – good job Lanry household bleach can!
Experiments in film by Brian Connolly Experiments in film by Brian Connolly
Amateur film 1984 13 mins Silent Location: Belfast
Watch time becomes an artist's material as the city's landmarks star in a strange choreography of workers, shoppers and builders.
Ring of Cultra Ring of Cultra
Amateur film 1984 22 mins Location: Cultra
Why don't you come along to the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum? Remember, all you need to bring is a little imagination.
The Blacksmith The Blacksmith
Amateur film 1978 28 mins Location: Cultra
Joe O’Neill demonstrates the magical alchemy of the forge in a film by Roy Spence created for the Ulster Folk Museum.
The Magic Man The Magic Man
Amateur film 1984 25 mins Location: Cultra
Grave-robbing, murder and villainy abound as a trickster brings his mind-reading act to a remote Irish village.
Ulster Folk Museum Ulster Folk Museum
Amateur film 1967 9 mins Location: Cultra
An ambitious folk museum brushes off the dust to bring the past to life.
Spade and Scutch Mill in Cultra Spade and Scutch Mill in Cultra
News 1966 3 mins Silent Location: Cultra
Two industrious watermills compete for your attention in the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.
New Perspectives: La Haine New Perspectives: La Haine
Short documentary 2025 4 mins
Charlie Hammersley, a student from Northumbria University, explains how Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film holds up a mirror to society.
Dreamers Q&A Dreamers Q&A
Inside Film 2025 30 mins
The film-makers behind a haunting tale of love and community within a UK immigration detention centre visited the BFI Southbank to discuss their film.
Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 50 mins
Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation at BFI Southbank, discussing the making of One Battle After Another.
Laura Mulvey in Conversation Laura Mulvey in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 76 mins
Laura Mulvey in conversation, following her BFI Fellowship Award.
George Clooney in Conversation George Clooney in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 74 mins
George Clooney visited BFI Southbank to look back on his life and career.
Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 65 mins
The Oscar®- winning director of Nomadland discusses her unique approach to filmmaking and the inspiration behind the adaptation of Hamnet.