Mitchell and Kenyon

Work of filmmakers shows life at turn of Twentieth Century

The Mitchell and Kenyon film company was a pioneer of early commercial motion pictures. They were based in Blackburn in Lancashire, but operated all over England and Ireland in the early years of the twentieth century. They were self-publicising, travelling cinematograph operators. Films taken during the day were shown on the same evening in fairground tents or local meeting halls and music halls with slogans like "see yourselves as others see you".

The six films in this collection provide an evocative shortcut to the past, depicting life in Ireland - North and South - in the early-1900s. Subjects include a tram ride through the centre of Belfast, troops returning from the Boer War to Cork and a cattle market in Derry in 1901 - some of the earliest moving images of the city.